Interested in getting your hands on four free books? Well you’re in luck, because Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature are giving just that away for their Big City Reads campaign. With stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every reader. Four young writers give us their run down of the books, beginning with Shakira Hamilton's take on Joya Goffney’s Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry...
Quinn loves to journal, from her most private thoughts to movies with ‘intense rewatchability’. Writing lists is her forte; it keeps her sane and provides her with mental clarity. So understandably when her journal goes missing it feels like her life is crumbling around her. Joya Goffney’s Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry at first seems like a stereotypical YA novel full of cliches: Unrequited love, ex-best friends and a socially awkward main character. However, the book manages to capture what it means to be a young black female navigating the beginnings of adulthood.
Ugly Cry also highlights many issues faced by P.O.C., and young people in general, from trying to be comfortable in your own skin, navigating white-dominated spaces and exploring relationships and their fragility. With a variety of characters, some that you may be inclined to like more than others, it’s extremely reminiscent of the many types of people you meet during your school years. In admiration for Quinn herself I’ve curated my own list of the reasons you should put Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry on your reading list for this summer:
- Real world problems are highlighted within almost every chapter: Cyber-bulling, identity, racism and illness, to name a few.
- An interesting structure that keeps you engaged - an overall easy read.
- The romance doesn’t feel forced and is the perfect slow burn.
- It's full of unexpected twists and turns!
- It represents the ‘teenage experience’ accurately: juicy secrets, unspoken sexual tension and the pressures surrounding academia.
- Betrayal - and lots of it!
- There are so many relatable moments. We've all had an ugly cry before: runny noses, puffy red eyes, quivering lips - the whole package.
- There is a ton of character development.
- It emphasises the importance of living in the moment and experiencing life for its highs and lowest of lows.
- The relationships are realistic and we see a lot of different dynamics throughout the novel.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry manages to be light-hearted, humorous and full of romance all whilst covering serious societal and personal issues faced by people in their day-to-day lives. I feel like there is a bit of ‘Quinn’ in all of us, trying to live up to expectations, all the while not experiencing life it to its fullest. The novel wants you to learn from Quinn’s mistakes and her successes. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is for (but not limited to) those who are trying to understand themselves and break out of their shell. The people that want to live their truth.
From Monday 4 July to Friday 12 August, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature will be handing out free books across the city. Explore four titles championed by the city’s young people, inspiring Nottingham with the mood-boosting power of words. Find out more here.
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