What do you think?
Rate this book
Not Otherwise Specified
Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown.
Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?
The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity.
Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?
The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity.
304 pages, ebook
First published March 3, 2015
24 people are currently reading
6728 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Moskowitz
26 books1,865 followersHannah Moskowitz wrote her first story, about a kitten named Lilly on the run from cat hunters, for a contest when she was seven years old. It was disqualified for violence. Her first book, BREAK, was on the ALA's 2010 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and in 2013, GONE, GONE, GONE received a Stonewall Honor. 2015's NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED was named the YA Bisexual Book of the Year. SICK KIDS IN LOVE was a Sydney Taylor Honoree, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and one of both Kirkus and Tablet Magazine's Best Books of the year. She lives in Maryland with several cats, none of whom are violent.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
February 7, 2017
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. For years, I have been saying I want a book about a girl in eating disorder recovery who is in the process of regaining her relationship with food and has gained weight back as a result, while ALSO still struggling & having trouble not wishing for the past behaviors to return.
Welp, I found it. And it was everything I wanted it to be.
I'm so thankful that this book exists. I can't tell you how wonderful it is for me to say "This book relates to how I currently feel," instead of "This book relates to how I felt 5 years ago."
In my opinion, this book has fantastic representation for eating disorders. Not only does it show an eating disorder that isn't always recognized in fiction (Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder), but it was a very realistic portrayal of some of the experiences one might have in recovery. Virtually any scene that involved Etta's feelings about her body or her ED really spoke to me. I also think it's great because it did not feel as triggering (to me) as many other books about eating disorders, even ones that involve recovery. It's great that a lot of ED books are able to capture the rawness of what it's like to suffer from these illnesses, but it can be very harmful by putting you back in this mindset. I think "Not Otherwise Specified" handles eating disorders in a realistic yet positive, healthy & way; I would highly highly recommend it for this reason.
I can't really speak for the other pieces of diversity in this book, but I will say it was super awesome to see a bisexual black main character instead of a straight while girl like most eating disorder stories. Any bouts of biphobia included in this book are immediately shut down and in my opinion, it showcases an LGBT teen who is confident & accepting of herself, and I think it is important that we highlight stories like this more often. Etta is a really unique, strong character and it was a pleasure getting to experience her story.
Ultimately, this book was fab. It is definitely one of my new auto-recommends for people looking for diverse books with realistic, yet distinctive characters, hard-hitting stories, and extremely pleasant writing. I'm so glad I decided to give it a chance!
Welp, I found it. And it was everything I wanted it to be.
I'm so thankful that this book exists. I can't tell you how wonderful it is for me to say "This book relates to how I currently feel," instead of "This book relates to how I felt 5 years ago."
In my opinion, this book has fantastic representation for eating disorders. Not only does it show an eating disorder that isn't always recognized in fiction (Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder), but it was a very realistic portrayal of some of the experiences one might have in recovery. Virtually any scene that involved Etta's feelings about her body or her ED really spoke to me. I also think it's great because it did not feel as triggering (to me) as many other books about eating disorders, even ones that involve recovery. It's great that a lot of ED books are able to capture the rawness of what it's like to suffer from these illnesses, but it can be very harmful by putting you back in this mindset. I think "Not Otherwise Specified" handles eating disorders in a realistic yet positive, healthy & way; I would highly highly recommend it for this reason.
I can't really speak for the other pieces of diversity in this book, but I will say it was super awesome to see a bisexual black main character instead of a straight while girl like most eating disorder stories. Any bouts of biphobia included in this book are immediately shut down and in my opinion, it showcases an LGBT teen who is confident & accepting of herself, and I think it is important that we highlight stories like this more often. Etta is a really unique, strong character and it was a pleasure getting to experience her story.
Ultimately, this book was fab. It is definitely one of my new auto-recommends for people looking for diverse books with realistic, yet distinctive characters, hard-hitting stories, and extremely pleasant writing. I'm so glad I decided to give it a chance!
March 21, 2017
HOLY fuck. i mean, props for a black bisexual protagonist, that's iconic. but the lesbophobia in this book was so.....what the fuck. you mean to tell me every lesbian in the school is in a clique called the "Dykes" who would basically subject their former friend to psychological torture for dating a man?
are you fucking kidding me? fuck you.
are you fucking kidding me? fuck you.
Read
July 29, 2014You know all those snarky narrators? Etta is the opposite. She's pretty much Robyn.
Appropriately, the playlist:
Cry When You Get Older -- Robyn
Ships in the Night -- Mat Kearney
We Dance to the Beat -- Robyn
Beverly Hills -- Weezer
I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous -- Frank Turner
Read My Mind (Like Rebel Diamonds mix) -- The Killers
Mean -- Taylor Swift
Dancing On My Own--Robyn
At The Ballet -- A Chorus Line, new cast recording
At The Ballet -- A Chorus Line, original broadway recording
White Horse --Taylor Swift
In The Sun -- Joseph Arthur
Appropriately, the playlist:
Cry When You Get Older -- Robyn
Ships in the Night -- Mat Kearney
We Dance to the Beat -- Robyn
Beverly Hills -- Weezer
I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous -- Frank Turner
Read My Mind (Like Rebel Diamonds mix) -- The Killers
Mean -- Taylor Swift
Dancing On My Own--Robyn
At The Ballet -- A Chorus Line, new cast recording
At The Ballet -- A Chorus Line, original broadway recording
White Horse --Taylor Swift
In The Sun -- Joseph Arthur
April 19, 2015
OH MY GOD.
Please tell me there will be a sequel.
--
This book. This book is pretty much the closest thing I’ve found to the perfect contemporary. It is the contemporary of my dreams. The contemporary we all deserve. I’ve been waiting so long to find a bisexual protagonist, it’s unbelievable. I mean, there have been a few (Love in the Time of Global Warming comes to mind immediately) but none have really addressed what it’s like to be bisexual in a contemporary society full of people on both ends of the sexuality spectrum telling you that you don’t know yourself well enough to make that decision for yourself, or that your sexuality doesn’t actually exist, or you’re greedy, you’re a slut, etc, etc, etc. Not Otherwise Specified shoves its middle finger right in the air and gives a big fuck you to the sexual orientation binary. I mean, this book does a lot of other things too, and it does them almost perfectly, but goddamn I have been waiting for this book and it’s finally here.
Etta, the protagonist, is amazing. She’s been cast out by her friend group who call themselves The Dykes. The Dykes, as you can imagine, are a group of lesbians who attend Etta’s school, and honestly the only real thing they have in common in an attraction to other girls. But as you can imagine, it’s not easy being not-straight (and in Etta’s case, also black) in the middle of whiter and white, straighter than straight Nebraska, so Etta has latched onto them. But they abandon her when she dates a boy. It’s not like she lied to them; she has always been clear about her bisexuality, but The Dykes see this as a political move and use this opportunity to shun her and to bully her. Etta takes this all in stride – she’s got confidence issues just like all of us, but she’s still so fucking strong and she KNOWS this isn’t right. I love, love, absolutely love how Etta stands up for herself and how she internally processes all of this hatred toward bisexual people. The shit I’ve been working through for years is already apparent to Etta. And you have no idea how happy it makes me. It is so excited to see the word “bisexual” and to have a character call out another character when they refuse to acknowledge it. Like, this shit speaks directly to my soul; this book is screaming out loud all the things that I care about so passionately.
And Etta’s voice – you guys. I have never read a book where the character felt so authentic. She is a real person – she talks and acts like an actual teenager, she speaks just like all of us, do. Her brain is full of run on sentences and sarcasm and complete derailments from what’s going on right in the now. She goes off on tangents, she sorts through her feelings, she has this great internal stream of consciousness that is 100% real and 100% Etta. You’re going to know within the first two pages whether or not this book is for you when it comes to the writing style. It was hard for me to follow at first but once I got into Etta’s rhythm, I was all there.
I mean, seriously, this book has it all. There are a thousand and one theater references, there is racial diversity and sexual diversity like you wouldn’t believe (but actually you would because hello – this book is actually set in the real world.) The eating disorder angle is handled so honestly; between that and the bisexuality, I found myself basically just nodding my head vigorously every third sentence. There are sexy times! There are frank references to past sexy times! There is family, there is overcoming what you’ve always been told to believe, there is unconditional love, THERE ARE PARALLELS.
I had two teeny tiny issues with this book that obviously did nothing to lessen my enjoyment. One: the use of heterophobe. Look. There’s no such thing as heterophobia, okay? Stop trying to make it a thing. Etta’s ex best friend was acting like a leaking asshole because Etta dated a boy and Etta said she was being a heterophobe. Nope. What she was doing was perpetuating Biphobia. She could have use “biphobe” or even “misogynist.” “Asshole” works nicely here, too. Also: Etta’s current friends-with-benefits compares Etta’s race with her friend’s sexuality, saying that the cis, white male (who is gay) is living a worse experience than Etta because at least Etta’s family is black so she has someone who understands her. This seriously rubbed me the wrong way. Etta attempts to call him out on this – after all, James is still a white male and Etta can never do anything that makes her not black. I mean, this conversation is a lengthy one, and obviously I can’t speak for black people, specifically black women and the misogyny they face, but I felt this part of the book would have been better if it hadn’t been included at all.
Listen, we can talk all day about #WeNeedDiverseBooks, but none of that truly matters until we put our money where our mouth is. I know I’m trying to get better at diversifying my reading. If you are, too, (and even if you’re not – in which case, you need it even more than I thought) you need this book. This is laugh-out-loud, this is righteous anger, this is excitement and wanting to wrap your protagonist up in a giant hug. Not Otherwise Specified is such an important book – a book that would have saved teenage Bekka a lot of heartache.
Please tell me there will be a sequel.
--
This book. This book is pretty much the closest thing I’ve found to the perfect contemporary. It is the contemporary of my dreams. The contemporary we all deserve. I’ve been waiting so long to find a bisexual protagonist, it’s unbelievable. I mean, there have been a few (Love in the Time of Global Warming comes to mind immediately) but none have really addressed what it’s like to be bisexual in a contemporary society full of people on both ends of the sexuality spectrum telling you that you don’t know yourself well enough to make that decision for yourself, or that your sexuality doesn’t actually exist, or you’re greedy, you’re a slut, etc, etc, etc. Not Otherwise Specified shoves its middle finger right in the air and gives a big fuck you to the sexual orientation binary. I mean, this book does a lot of other things too, and it does them almost perfectly, but goddamn I have been waiting for this book and it’s finally here.
Etta, the protagonist, is amazing. She’s been cast out by her friend group who call themselves The Dykes. The Dykes, as you can imagine, are a group of lesbians who attend Etta’s school, and honestly the only real thing they have in common in an attraction to other girls. But as you can imagine, it’s not easy being not-straight (and in Etta’s case, also black) in the middle of whiter and white, straighter than straight Nebraska, so Etta has latched onto them. But they abandon her when she dates a boy. It’s not like she lied to them; she has always been clear about her bisexuality, but The Dykes see this as a political move and use this opportunity to shun her and to bully her. Etta takes this all in stride – she’s got confidence issues just like all of us, but she’s still so fucking strong and she KNOWS this isn’t right. I love, love, absolutely love how Etta stands up for herself and how she internally processes all of this hatred toward bisexual people. The shit I’ve been working through for years is already apparent to Etta. And you have no idea how happy it makes me. It is so excited to see the word “bisexual” and to have a character call out another character when they refuse to acknowledge it. Like, this shit speaks directly to my soul; this book is screaming out loud all the things that I care about so passionately.
And Etta’s voice – you guys. I have never read a book where the character felt so authentic. She is a real person – she talks and acts like an actual teenager, she speaks just like all of us, do. Her brain is full of run on sentences and sarcasm and complete derailments from what’s going on right in the now. She goes off on tangents, she sorts through her feelings, she has this great internal stream of consciousness that is 100% real and 100% Etta. You’re going to know within the first two pages whether or not this book is for you when it comes to the writing style. It was hard for me to follow at first but once I got into Etta’s rhythm, I was all there.
I mean, seriously, this book has it all. There are a thousand and one theater references, there is racial diversity and sexual diversity like you wouldn’t believe (but actually you would because hello – this book is actually set in the real world.) The eating disorder angle is handled so honestly; between that and the bisexuality, I found myself basically just nodding my head vigorously every third sentence. There are sexy times! There are frank references to past sexy times! There is family, there is overcoming what you’ve always been told to believe, there is unconditional love, THERE ARE PARALLELS.
I had two teeny tiny issues with this book that obviously did nothing to lessen my enjoyment. One: the use of heterophobe. Look. There’s no such thing as heterophobia, okay? Stop trying to make it a thing. Etta’s ex best friend was acting like a leaking asshole because Etta dated a boy and Etta said she was being a heterophobe. Nope. What she was doing was perpetuating Biphobia. She could have use “biphobe” or even “misogynist.” “Asshole” works nicely here, too. Also: Etta’s current friends-with-benefits compares Etta’s race with her friend’s sexuality, saying that the cis, white male (who is gay) is living a worse experience than Etta because at least Etta’s family is black so she has someone who understands her. This seriously rubbed me the wrong way. Etta attempts to call him out on this – after all, James is still a white male and Etta can never do anything that makes her not black. I mean, this conversation is a lengthy one, and obviously I can’t speak for black people, specifically black women and the misogyny they face, but I felt this part of the book would have been better if it hadn’t been included at all.
Listen, we can talk all day about #WeNeedDiverseBooks, but none of that truly matters until we put our money where our mouth is. I know I’m trying to get better at diversifying my reading. If you are, too, (and even if you’re not – in which case, you need it even more than I thought) you need this book. This is laugh-out-loud, this is righteous anger, this is excitement and wanting to wrap your protagonist up in a giant hug. Not Otherwise Specified is such an important book – a book that would have saved teenage Bekka a lot of heartache.
April 22, 2015
Not Otherwise Specified is the story of Ella, a girl struggling with all the labels in her life. Bi, eating disorder, dancing, black, etc.
Not Otherwise Specified was a breathless read. In that, no really, I felt breathless a lot of the time. The Narration was like an unending stream of consciousness funnelling you right into Ella's every uncensored thought.
You'll find all the hallmarks of a great Moskowitz novel here. Thorough characterisation, relationship heavy, stunning writing, heartbreak.
But what you'll also find it that there's nothing really new here either. Ella worries, in the novel, that the theatre auditioners would know her bag of tricks and I think it's the same for this novel. Moskowitz has a bag of tricks - great tricks, beautiful tricks, heart touching tricks, but they can start to also feel a little tired.
I didn't feel like Not Otherwise Specified was a stretch for Moskowitz. Teeth was deeper. Gone Gone Gone more heartbreaking, Marco Impossible more fun. Not Otherwise Specified felt, in comparison, like a nice book. And that's what I can say of it. I know I'm being unfair because writing about the eating disorder stuff and the bulling stuff must have been a real struggle for Moskowitz. She really reached deep for those.
And if anyone else had written it, I think I would have been more impressed, to be honest. But because it was a Moskowitz book, I expected more from it.
But this is where my excitement ramps up because A History of Glitter and Blood sounds very very different to the contemporaries that Moskowitz has written in the past. So Moskowitz is already expanding on her bag of tricks it seems, and I am so, so excited to see what she comes up for for that.
Not Otherwise Specified was a breathless read. In that, no really, I felt breathless a lot of the time. The Narration was like an unending stream of consciousness funnelling you right into Ella's every uncensored thought.
You'll find all the hallmarks of a great Moskowitz novel here. Thorough characterisation, relationship heavy, stunning writing, heartbreak.
But what you'll also find it that there's nothing really new here either. Ella worries, in the novel, that the theatre auditioners would know her bag of tricks and I think it's the same for this novel. Moskowitz has a bag of tricks - great tricks, beautiful tricks, heart touching tricks, but they can start to also feel a little tired.
I didn't feel like Not Otherwise Specified was a stretch for Moskowitz. Teeth was deeper. Gone Gone Gone more heartbreaking, Marco Impossible more fun. Not Otherwise Specified felt, in comparison, like a nice book. And that's what I can say of it. I know I'm being unfair because writing about the eating disorder stuff and the bulling stuff must have been a real struggle for Moskowitz. She really reached deep for those.
And if anyone else had written it, I think I would have been more impressed, to be honest. But because it was a Moskowitz book, I expected more from it.
But this is where my excitement ramps up because A History of Glitter and Blood sounds very very different to the contemporaries that Moskowitz has written in the past. So Moskowitz is already expanding on her bag of tricks it seems, and I am so, so excited to see what she comes up for for that.
April 1, 2017
I can't say I'm not used to lesbians being villified in fiction. I just want to warn any young lesbians to stay away from this book, as it has really upsetting, lesbophobic content.
The author should be more careful as to what kind of message she is sending writing this kind of stuff. There's nothing progressive about pitting lesbians and bisexual women against each other.
The author should be more careful as to what kind of message she is sending writing this kind of stuff. There's nothing progressive about pitting lesbians and bisexual women against each other.
April 1, 2017
sure, i like having a bisexual poc protagonist, but all of that becomes meaningless once you have a book where the lesbian characters are written in such a hateful way. the author must have an issue with lesbians. i dont know how else to interpret this.
so. dont read this unless you love seeing bisexual and lesbian women fighting and hating each other. not recommended.
so. dont read this unless you love seeing bisexual and lesbian women fighting and hating each other. not recommended.
July 14, 2015
Oh man, the VOICE. In books where the voice is this strong, whether you enjoy the character whose head you're in or not is everything, and I loved hanging out with Etta. I loved her humor and her strength and her honesty and her pride and her journey. I loved that she tried to succeed and was willing to fail. There's no area of her life in which she's unilaterally one thing; even when it comes to something like letting other people dictate who she is, she both does and doesn't. She's so fabulously ever-changing, so remarkably and authentically adolescent, you just know that as unique as she is, there are going to be so many teen readers who are grateful to see themselves in her, and adult readers who needed to when they were teens. This goes firmly on my list of Books I'm Glad Exist. But man, there's not a lot I wouldn't do for a prequel novella about Etta and Rachel...
June 3, 2019
Re-read in June of 2019
I was scared to re-read this. What if it didn't hold up? I had just gotten into reading after years of basically not reading when I read it the first time and it was the first time I ever saw a bisexual character. I was nearly 27...and I've known i'm bi since I was 13. So of course it ment so much to me. 3 1/2 years later, I finally did it. I re-read it.
And I should not have been scared. This book is awesome! It still made me cry. I added MORE tabs (which is quite a feat!). I know I found stuff in it I didn't see the first time and was reminded of things i'm sure I did see the first time, but needed to be reminded of.
Etta. A black bisexual girl recovering from an eating disorder, in love with ballet, not fitting into boxes other people want her to, flawed, human. Etta "kick it in the ass" Sinclair. I fucking love Etta. And Bianca! Can not forget Bianca, who also holds a place in my heart. I stand by what I originally said, which is below.
Also, I think because of how much this book ment to me (and still does, and always will) i've been scared to read Hannah Moskowitz's other books, though i've since bought 3 of them. But they sit, unread. I NEED TO FIX THAT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
--------------------
Where has this book been all my life?! This book would have the best thing ever when I was a young teen...and it still is.
I am bisexual like the main character Etta. I had a really hard time coming to terms with that because of my religious family (I know many wonderful religious people to, my family just has a bunch of nuts..to put it nicely).
So in ways I related to Etta, and to her friend Bianca as well.
This speaks so much about how bisexuals can struggle to find acceptance in either community, with straight people we often aren't "straight" enough. With gay people we aren't "gay enough", even within the LGBT community, like the B isn't there. I know there are many wonderful people in both communities, but there is so much hate as well.
Etta is also a recovering anorexic black girl in love with ballet but feels she doesn't fit, all of which play heavily into the story. I cried so much through this book and have a ridiculous amount of post-it tabs throughout! She struggles through so much.
She is flawed, she has strengths, she is layered, she is human. And she is awesome!
I was worried (for no good reason) about how it mentions Christianity in the blurb, I was worried it would be preachy. It's not. Religious or not you can enjoy this book!
In fact it's what helped me relate to Bianca too. She has a gay brother and her parents...aren't happy to say the least. She struggles with this. Her faith, her parents, everything she's been told, but she loves her brother. Never stops. She tries her hardest to figure it all out, and she's only 14 also anorexic. I loved her so much as well.
I could personally relate to a lot in this book. Even where I couldn't personally it was written so well, it tugged at my heart and my tears. Throughout the entire book from page 1, literally, to the end. I was rooting for the characters so strongly.
I highly recommend this book! I'd give it 500 stars if I could!
I was scared to re-read this. What if it didn't hold up? I had just gotten into reading after years of basically not reading when I read it the first time and it was the first time I ever saw a bisexual character. I was nearly 27...and I've known i'm bi since I was 13. So of course it ment so much to me. 3 1/2 years later, I finally did it. I re-read it.
And I should not have been scared. This book is awesome! It still made me cry. I added MORE tabs (which is quite a feat!). I know I found stuff in it I didn't see the first time and was reminded of things i'm sure I did see the first time, but needed to be reminded of.
Etta. A black bisexual girl recovering from an eating disorder, in love with ballet, not fitting into boxes other people want her to, flawed, human. Etta "kick it in the ass" Sinclair. I fucking love Etta. And Bianca! Can not forget Bianca, who also holds a place in my heart. I stand by what I originally said, which is below.
Also, I think because of how much this book ment to me (and still does, and always will) i've been scared to read Hannah Moskowitz's other books, though i've since bought 3 of them. But they sit, unread. I NEED TO FIX THAT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
--------------------
Where has this book been all my life?! This book would have the best thing ever when I was a young teen...and it still is.
I am bisexual like the main character Etta. I had a really hard time coming to terms with that because of my religious family (I know many wonderful religious people to, my family just has a bunch of nuts..to put it nicely).
So in ways I related to Etta, and to her friend Bianca as well.
This speaks so much about how bisexuals can struggle to find acceptance in either community, with straight people we often aren't "straight" enough. With gay people we aren't "gay enough", even within the LGBT community, like the B isn't there. I know there are many wonderful people in both communities, but there is so much hate as well.
Etta is also a recovering anorexic black girl in love with ballet but feels she doesn't fit, all of which play heavily into the story. I cried so much through this book and have a ridiculous amount of post-it tabs throughout! She struggles through so much.
She is flawed, she has strengths, she is layered, she is human. And she is awesome!
I was worried (for no good reason) about how it mentions Christianity in the blurb, I was worried it would be preachy. It's not. Religious or not you can enjoy this book!
In fact it's what helped me relate to Bianca too. She has a gay brother and her parents...aren't happy to say the least. She struggles with this. Her faith, her parents, everything she's been told, but she loves her brother. Never stops. She tries her hardest to figure it all out, and she's only 14 also anorexic. I loved her so much as well.
I could personally relate to a lot in this book. Even where I couldn't personally it was written so well, it tugged at my heart and my tears. Throughout the entire book from page 1, literally, to the end. I was rooting for the characters so strongly.
I highly recommend this book! I'd give it 500 stars if I could!
March 21, 2016
A copy of this novel was provided by Simon & Schuster for review via Edelweiss.
Not Otherwise Specified manages to tackle a lot of important and real issues without being an “issue book”, which is so important. I’m pretty much going to talk about the main themes that stood out to me when reading Not Otherwise Specified, because that’s how I roll.
1. Etta is bisexual, and open about it. She’s not hiding it from anyone, she’s open about ogling pretty boys and pretty girls alike. And I LOVED this. But Etta’s acceptance of herself, and the fact that she owns her sexuality in no way means that it was easy for her. Her friends ditched her because they’re lesbians and don’t believe Etta is “gay” enough to hang out with them. It was pretty petty and cruel, and makes Etta question herself, and think about how being bi is different to being gay and straight, because there are assumptions made based on whoever she’s with. She has a lot of painful thoughts about this, and how if she marries a guy the queer community won’t want her anymore. This broke my heart into pieces.
2. Etta is also recovering from an eating disorder, but being in recovery doesn’t mean that everything is better. She’s worried about her weight, and food – but she’s also happy with herself. And I think this is pretty accurate, whether or not you’re recovering from an eating disorder. Sometimes you feel good in your own skin, and sometimes you’re overwhelmed with fear about how you’re perceived by others.
3. Etta’s sexually active and owns it. Likes it. And I think this is SO IMPORTANT. I think way too often in YA girls are supposed to be these precious little creatures who’ve never even thought about sex, let alone wanted it and liked it. And it’s such complete bullshit that I was happy to finally have a female YA character that wanted and liked sex. *cheers all 'round*
4. Bianca is struggling with her brother, James (CUE ALL THE LOVE), being gay, and her religion. Whilst I couldn’t relate to this at all (being not at all religious), I appreciated this thread of the story. She loves her brother, and she doesn’t condemn him for being who he is, but she’s been taught all these things by the religion that she also loves. So it’s hard for her to come to terms with it all, but she tries and that’s the thing I took away from this. That even though she was uncomfortable and scared – she loves and supports James anyway. I was proud of her for this.
5. Be yourself and unapologetic about it. Etta has her insecurities, but she also knows who she is, and owns it (like her sexual activity and bisexuality). Her dancing plays a huge role in this, also with respect to her weight, and the way she comes to terms with it in the last few chapters is beautiful. I really wanted to be Etta’s best friend, to be honest, because she has such an effect on everyone around her, and I think that if I had a friend like that – I could learn from her. Because she’s flawed and amazing all at the same time. She’s insecure and proud. She’s such an enigmatic and real character, and it was great.
Now there are things I haven’t even mentioned here – like Etta and Rachel (her best friend) and how incredibly intense and confusing their relationship is – like Bianca being right in the throes of her eating disorder, and how everyone acts about that, and how it isn’t right but they’re trying so hard – like how there’s bullying, and it’s disgusting – like how Etta realises the things she’s done wrong (most with respect to her sister throughout the book) and ACKNOWLEDGES them – and how the person that Etta is in love with isn’t even a character, and you don’t know ANYTHING about her, and how that’s completely awesome.
There’s so much in this book, and so much of it is done so well. Not Otherwise Specified is a freaking great novel. It’s fabulous. Go read it.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
Not Otherwise Specified manages to tackle a lot of important and real issues without being an “issue book”, which is so important. I’m pretty much going to talk about the main themes that stood out to me when reading Not Otherwise Specified, because that’s how I roll.
1. Etta is bisexual, and open about it. She’s not hiding it from anyone, she’s open about ogling pretty boys and pretty girls alike. And I LOVED this. But Etta’s acceptance of herself, and the fact that she owns her sexuality in no way means that it was easy for her. Her friends ditched her because they’re lesbians and don’t believe Etta is “gay” enough to hang out with them. It was pretty petty and cruel, and makes Etta question herself, and think about how being bi is different to being gay and straight, because there are assumptions made based on whoever she’s with. She has a lot of painful thoughts about this, and how if she marries a guy the queer community won’t want her anymore. This broke my heart into pieces.
2. Etta is also recovering from an eating disorder, but being in recovery doesn’t mean that everything is better. She’s worried about her weight, and food – but she’s also happy with herself. And I think this is pretty accurate, whether or not you’re recovering from an eating disorder. Sometimes you feel good in your own skin, and sometimes you’re overwhelmed with fear about how you’re perceived by others.
3. Etta’s sexually active and owns it. Likes it. And I think this is SO IMPORTANT. I think way too often in YA girls are supposed to be these precious little creatures who’ve never even thought about sex, let alone wanted it and liked it. And it’s such complete bullshit that I was happy to finally have a female YA character that wanted and liked sex. *cheers all 'round*
4. Bianca is struggling with her brother, James (CUE ALL THE LOVE), being gay, and her religion. Whilst I couldn’t relate to this at all (being not at all religious), I appreciated this thread of the story. She loves her brother, and she doesn’t condemn him for being who he is, but she’s been taught all these things by the religion that she also loves. So it’s hard for her to come to terms with it all, but she tries and that’s the thing I took away from this. That even though she was uncomfortable and scared – she loves and supports James anyway. I was proud of her for this.
5. Be yourself and unapologetic about it. Etta has her insecurities, but she also knows who she is, and owns it (like her sexual activity and bisexuality). Her dancing plays a huge role in this, also with respect to her weight, and the way she comes to terms with it in the last few chapters is beautiful. I really wanted to be Etta’s best friend, to be honest, because she has such an effect on everyone around her, and I think that if I had a friend like that – I could learn from her. Because she’s flawed and amazing all at the same time. She’s insecure and proud. She’s such an enigmatic and real character, and it was great.
Now there are things I haven’t even mentioned here – like Etta and Rachel (her best friend) and how incredibly intense and confusing their relationship is – like Bianca being right in the throes of her eating disorder, and how everyone acts about that, and how it isn’t right but they’re trying so hard – like how there’s bullying, and it’s disgusting – like how Etta realises the things she’s done wrong (most with respect to her sister throughout the book) and ACKNOWLEDGES them – and how the person that Etta is in love with isn’t even a character, and you don’t know ANYTHING about her, and how that’s completely awesome.
There’s so much in this book, and so much of it is done so well. Not Otherwise Specified is a freaking great novel. It’s fabulous. Go read it.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
May 2, 2015
Yaaaaasssss, Hannah, yaaaaaaaaaaasssssss gurl. This book made me feel my oats.
July 6, 2023
content/trigger warnings; ableism, eating disorders, biphobia, lesbophobia, d slur, slut shaming, alcohol consumption, bullying, harassment,
rep; etta (mc) is black, bisexual, and has ednos. rachel (sc) is japanese and a lesbian. natasha (sc) is a lesbian. biance (sc) has an eating disorder. james (sc) is gay.
this book pissed me off. everything about it. the biphobia and misconceptions about bisexuality. the lesbophobia. the only lesbians in the books being the actual worst people ever and being called “the dykes.” the term “gold-star lesbian.” the ableism. the ignorance. certain comments made about eating disorders. the slut shaming. the dismissive parent. the bullying/harassment. calling a biphobic character “heterophobic” instead of biphobic, as if that’s even a real thing. the bisexual character making excuses for one of the biphobes’ biphobia. the main character predictably nailing that high note she never could at her audition. the main character taking a drunk anorexic fourteen year old to a club, and then saying, “i’m her friend, not her mom,” when she got called out for it. nothing felt resolved at the end. the fact that the author screenshots negative reviews and tweets them, dismissing any criticism and crying “biphobia!!!” i wonder if i’ll end up on their twitter. the one thing i liked was that it was never really about romance, and the main character didn’t end up with the biphobe. but, all in all, i didn’t like this book at all, and i really do not understand the hype and praise. i can’t ignore all the glaringly problematic shit about this book, just because there’s some diversity.
rep; etta (mc) is black, bisexual, and has ednos. rachel (sc) is japanese and a lesbian. natasha (sc) is a lesbian. biance (sc) has an eating disorder. james (sc) is gay.
this book pissed me off. everything about it. the biphobia and misconceptions about bisexuality. the lesbophobia. the only lesbians in the books being the actual worst people ever and being called “the dykes.” the term “gold-star lesbian.” the ableism. the ignorance. certain comments made about eating disorders. the slut shaming. the dismissive parent. the bullying/harassment. calling a biphobic character “heterophobic” instead of biphobic, as if that’s even a real thing. the bisexual character making excuses for one of the biphobes’ biphobia. the main character predictably nailing that high note she never could at her audition. the main character taking a drunk anorexic fourteen year old to a club, and then saying, “i’m her friend, not her mom,” when she got called out for it. nothing felt resolved at the end. the fact that the author screenshots negative reviews and tweets them, dismissing any criticism and crying “biphobia!!!” i wonder if i’ll end up on their twitter. the one thing i liked was that it was never really about romance, and the main character didn’t end up with the biphobe. but, all in all, i didn’t like this book at all, and i really do not understand the hype and praise. i can’t ignore all the glaringly problematic shit about this book, just because there’s some diversity.
March 5, 2015
I'm in love with Hannah Moskowitz. I love her writing, her characters, the way that I feel like I personally know her solely from reading her books. I feel like she puts a lot of herself into her stories. Not Otherwise Specified isn't... a bad book by any means. But it is a what the fuck just happened ? kind of book. From the setting to the dialogue, all the way to the fucking cover I just...
I don't think I ever encountered a book by an author I loved that has had info-dumping, but Not Otherwise Specified has it to the max. I'm not even kidding. Sure there are a lot of witty comments that make some of the several info-dumping parts bearable but just barely. Also, the dialogue is really bad. It's all cookie cutter edge with 'he says' or 'I say' 'she says'. They say a lot of shit, I get it. Now make it interesting by adding actions. And I don't know if it's just me but all anyone talks about are eating disorders and theater and a dash of the LGBT community thus making the characters not as fleshed out as I would have liked. I got bored quite easily reading this one because I was waiting for something out of the ordinary. It didn't really come. Anyway, the relationship between Bianca and Etta is so crazy and unbelievable that I had a hard time taking to it. Bianca barely talks and somehow, she's clinging to Etta for dear life after like a month? Of course these scenarios happen, but I'm sorry there's just so much planning that could have made it seem realistic. Bianca has too much to lose (I think) to just allow Etta into her life instantly.
Still, this is Hannah Moskowitz and after a while, the random-all-over-the-place-but-not-really-I-don't-know writing didn't stand out so much to me. In addition to this, Etta is such a handful, not only for the secondary characters but for readers as well but I liked her for the most part. She's loud, confused, happy, and pissed off. I liked her because of how strong she is and how strong she makes the other characters. The struggle that goes on in the story is so true. She tries so hard to work on herself, so hard to get her old friends back, to get healthy, to get in really that I felt for her. It's so hard to really 'fit' in somewhere and I felt as if Etta is the memory for all of us, because I'm sure that everyone has felt like a sore thumb at least once in their life.
Let me say it again: I love Hannah Moskowitz and I believe that this love for her has made me second guess my thoughts on the book. I really want to believe that I got a faulty copy because it just didn't work for me. Especially the cover, just looking at it makes me mad not because of the person on it, but just the fact that the publisher probably paid a lot of money for something that looks thrown together in ten minutes. It's poorly photoshoped, poorly lighted, and just all around, poor colour choices. I know for a fact, they could have done better. But anyway, yes, I think I would still recommend it solely because it is Hannah Moskowitz and she's awesome but Not Otherwise Specified is not that great. It's a solid, 'meh' book with 'meh' characters and a 'meh' setting.
I don't think I ever encountered a book by an author I loved that has had info-dumping, but Not Otherwise Specified has it to the max. I'm not even kidding. Sure there are a lot of witty comments that make some of the several info-dumping parts bearable but just barely. Also, the dialogue is really bad. It's all cookie cutter edge with 'he says' or 'I say' 'she says'. They say a lot of shit, I get it. Now make it interesting by adding actions. And I don't know if it's just me but all anyone talks about are eating disorders and theater and a dash of the LGBT community thus making the characters not as fleshed out as I would have liked. I got bored quite easily reading this one because I was waiting for something out of the ordinary. It didn't really come. Anyway, the relationship between Bianca and Etta is so crazy and unbelievable that I had a hard time taking to it. Bianca barely talks and somehow, she's clinging to Etta for dear life after like a month? Of course these scenarios happen, but I'm sorry there's just so much planning that could have made it seem realistic. Bianca has too much to lose (I think) to just allow Etta into her life instantly.
Still, this is Hannah Moskowitz and after a while, the random-all-over-the-place-but-not-really-I-don't-know writing didn't stand out so much to me. In addition to this, Etta is such a handful, not only for the secondary characters but for readers as well but I liked her for the most part. She's loud, confused, happy, and pissed off. I liked her because of how strong she is and how strong she makes the other characters. The struggle that goes on in the story is so true. She tries so hard to work on herself, so hard to get her old friends back, to get healthy, to get in really that I felt for her. It's so hard to really 'fit' in somewhere and I felt as if Etta is the memory for all of us, because I'm sure that everyone has felt like a sore thumb at least once in their life.
Let me say it again: I love Hannah Moskowitz and I believe that this love for her has made me second guess my thoughts on the book. I really want to believe that I got a faulty copy because it just didn't work for me. Especially the cover, just looking at it makes me mad not because of the person on it, but just the fact that the publisher probably paid a lot of money for something that looks thrown together in ten minutes. It's poorly photoshoped, poorly lighted, and just all around, poor colour choices. I know for a fact, they could have done better. But anyway, yes, I think I would still recommend it solely because it is Hannah Moskowitz and she's awesome but Not Otherwise Specified is not that great. It's a solid, 'meh' book with 'meh' characters and a 'meh' setting.
December 30, 2014
3.5
Etta is a mess of a person and it pointedly comes across in her narration, with trademark Moskowitz rambling sentences of paragraphs, and boy did I enjoy it.
On top of that, you have Etta herself with a crazy, maybe stolen, personality. A BIG personality. She's the kind of bouncy, excited person with whom you actually understand what a big personality means besides the obvious euphemisms.
Etta's orientation is bisexual and she used to be a part of the Disco Dykes at an all girls' private school. They have been inimical towards her, however, since she got together with a boy. A SHAME TO TEH LGBT COMMUNITY AND OUR PRIDE, she is, they say, never mind that there's also a 'B' in there somewhere. She's also kinda, sorta anorexic or toiling towards it and the object of shit-load of bullying. Not to mention the fact that somebody on this side of the story is pining away for a lost girlfriend and best friend and times of the past.
Her life's kinda a mess, too. She is Etta Not Otherwise.
She's still happy though. And that's the mystery. And a bit of a tragedy.
I keep repeating the word: mess. That's the one true description of Not Otherwise Specified, if perhaps a bit misleading and/or incomplete. It's a sort of deliberate, acceptable mess that works.
There are so many threads to follow in her story that Etta herself gets confused and tangles them up. A major theme is friendship and self formation. Etta is all up in others' business and wishes others were in hers. She lets her future be shaped by whims not her own.
Etta knows all about doing right by herself, feeling secure and shit and all that, but it doesn't mean she works that way in reality.
It's a great story wherein a girl learns, with many hitches and backtracks, to own herself.
One of the things I appreciated most about Hannah Moskowitz's soon-to-be-pub book is that despite all the in-your-face-political-correctness that the characters learn/try to preach/want, the story itself is more subtle about shitting on labels, pardon my french-ness.
Etta finds new friends in a sylph of a girl, Bianca, and makes her her pet project, though she wouldn't admit so. She goes after Bianca, tries to save her so desperately, defends her and in there, in that frenzy, you can see there's more to it than just bringing a beloved back to life; it's more personal, more selfish. Etta focuses the energy she can't to rescue herself on Bianca and there our story goes.
It's not my favorite* Moskowitz but still a great read. Better than many recently but I guess, I wanted something a little more: to put it plainly, sometimes the story annoyed me. And felt a bit repetitive. Etta also constantly defends Bianca with the excuse that the latter is only fourteen, which in turn got old and inadequate as an explanation/plea too soon. However, overall, a wonderful and original addition to the literary, and in particular, young adult fiction, world. Not your usual diatribe or trivialities.
*Actually, it's the only HM book I've read that's not my favorite.
Review copy provided by Simon Pulse in exchange for my memories of My Little Pony. Thankfully I had few and not very pleasant ones at that.
Etta is a mess of a person and it pointedly comes across in her narration, with trademark Moskowitz rambling sentences of paragraphs, and boy did I enjoy it.
On top of that, you have Etta herself with a crazy, maybe stolen, personality. A BIG personality. She's the kind of bouncy, excited person with whom you actually understand what a big personality means besides the obvious euphemisms.
Etta's orientation is bisexual and she used to be a part of the Disco Dykes at an all girls' private school. They have been inimical towards her, however, since she got together with a boy. A SHAME TO TEH LGBT COMMUNITY AND OUR PRIDE, she is, they say, never mind that there's also a 'B' in there somewhere. She's also kinda, sorta anorexic or toiling towards it and the object of shit-load of bullying. Not to mention the fact that somebody on this side of the story is pining away for a lost girlfriend and best friend and times of the past.
Her life's kinda a mess, too. She is Etta Not Otherwise.
She's still happy though. And that's the mystery. And a bit of a tragedy.
I keep repeating the word: mess. That's the one true description of Not Otherwise Specified, if perhaps a bit misleading and/or incomplete. It's a sort of deliberate, acceptable mess that works.
There are so many threads to follow in her story that Etta herself gets confused and tangles them up. A major theme is friendship and self formation. Etta is all up in others' business and wishes others were in hers. She lets her future be shaped by whims not her own.
Etta knows all about doing right by herself, feeling secure and shit and all that, but it doesn't mean she works that way in reality.
It's a great story wherein a girl learns, with many hitches and backtracks, to own herself.
One of the things I appreciated most about Hannah Moskowitz's soon-to-be-pub book is that despite all the in-your-face-political-correctness that the characters learn/try to preach/want, the story itself is more subtle about shitting on labels, pardon my french-ness.
Etta finds new friends in a sylph of a girl, Bianca, and makes her her pet project, though she wouldn't admit so. She goes after Bianca, tries to save her so desperately, defends her and in there, in that frenzy, you can see there's more to it than just bringing a beloved back to life; it's more personal, more selfish. Etta focuses the energy she can't to rescue herself on Bianca and there our story goes.
It's not my favorite* Moskowitz but still a great read. Better than many recently but I guess, I wanted something a little more: to put it plainly, sometimes the story annoyed me. And felt a bit repetitive. Etta also constantly defends Bianca with the excuse that the latter is only fourteen, which in turn got old and inadequate as an explanation/plea too soon. However, overall, a wonderful and original addition to the literary, and in particular, young adult fiction, world. Not your usual diatribe or trivialities.
*Actually, it's the only HM book I've read that's not my favorite.
Review copy provided by Simon Pulse in exchange for my memories of My Little Pony. Thankfully I had few and not very pleasant ones at that.
December 22, 2015
"Bisexual, Rachel. I'm bisexual. It's a fucking WORD."
Am I biased in judging this book because it has an actual Bi main character? Absolutely. But that knowledge doesn't make me love it any less. I raced through it in a day (despite being at work for most of that) and I wish I could spend more time in this story, with these people.
I think, reading this book, you're either gonna love Etta and her fierce, non-stop, messy stream-of-consciousness narration or hate it, and it's pretty obvious where I fell in. It's honest and loud and has not only a wonderful, flawed and real narrator, but a supporting cast to match her. The story flows easily and swiftly, and I had a really hard time putting it down at all today.
But the main reason why I loved this so fiercely is obvious, and it's the first line of this review. Anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty much never without a book by my side. And yet in all my years of reading (Graphic novels excluded. You're doing great, guys. Keep writing Bi people until regular fiction catches up), this is the FIRST AND ONLY TIME I have come across a bisexual character who is just that. Not someone who is into one gender and then suddenly, shockingly, finds themselves having feelings for the other. Not someone who pretends to like one gender and really secretely likes another.
In 31 years of passionate reading of all literary genres, Etta is the first central character I have ever come across who is this blatantly, unapologetically and authentically Bi. And I didn't really realize how much I was waiting for someone like her until I found her.
Am I biased in judging this book because it has an actual Bi main character? Absolutely. But that knowledge doesn't make me love it any less. I raced through it in a day (despite being at work for most of that) and I wish I could spend more time in this story, with these people.
I think, reading this book, you're either gonna love Etta and her fierce, non-stop, messy stream-of-consciousness narration or hate it, and it's pretty obvious where I fell in. It's honest and loud and has not only a wonderful, flawed and real narrator, but a supporting cast to match her. The story flows easily and swiftly, and I had a really hard time putting it down at all today.
But the main reason why I loved this so fiercely is obvious, and it's the first line of this review. Anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty much never without a book by my side. And yet in all my years of reading (Graphic novels excluded. You're doing great, guys. Keep writing Bi people until regular fiction catches up), this is the FIRST AND ONLY TIME I have come across a bisexual character who is just that. Not someone who is into one gender and then suddenly, shockingly, finds themselves having feelings for the other. Not someone who pretends to like one gender and really secretely likes another.
In 31 years of passionate reading of all literary genres, Etta is the first central character I have ever come across who is this blatantly, unapologetically and authentically Bi. And I didn't really realize how much I was waiting for someone like her until I found her.
March 23, 2017
Someone hates lesbians, wow
April 6, 2015
As usual, Hannah kills it. This is the first book of hers I've read with a female narrator, and I have to say that I adored Etta. She was awesome all around. This book hits so many different topics—queerness (Etta is bi), race, eating disorders—but, in my opinion, the most important topic it explores is learning to accept yourself for who you are and follow you're own path.
I would read anything Hannah wrote.
I would read anything Hannah wrote.
July 9, 2014
If you're looking for a diverse book, look no further. Not Otherwise Specified is the picture of diversity, including a black bisexual main character, gay side characters, an asian, lesbian former best friend, religious side characters, and eating disorders.
Etta, our main character, feels like she doesn't really belong anywhere. Due to a recent relationship with a boy, her former group of lesbian friends has cast her out. She once was bulimic, but is well on the way to recovery, in contrast to some of the members of her guidance group. She loves ballet, but doesn't look like a ballerina: she's too chubby, too black (unfortunately, most ballerinas are very much white), too much curves where there should be straight lines.
Throughout the book, though, she starts finding her place in the world. She learns who are true friends and where her passions lie, and that she can excel at certain things. Moskowitz subtly let Etta grow into a more grown-up version of herself. Though I immensely loved that growth, Etta had my heart from the start. She tells it like it is: she's straightforward and not ashamed of anything. She's tough, but not perfect: sometimes she makes mistakes, sometimes she doubts herself, sometimes she falls back into not very healthy habits. She was just such a real person.
Moskowitz also shows the struggles of being "different" from the norm. Basically, everyone who isn't a straight white male faces a struggle, some more often that others.
Etta has doubts, she struggles with herself and the world sometimes. Not Otherwise Specified is really about problems and learning to face them, to handle them. It's about finding out what you really want in life and pursuing that dream until it becomes reality. It's about acceptance, both of yourself and others. And above all, it was just really, really good.
The focus with Etta's difficulties lies mainly with her sexuality (and figuring out what she wants). However, there's also a large focus on eating disorders. Etta herself has more or less recovered from her bulimia, but her newfound friend Bianca isn't nearly there yet when it comes to her anorexia. I thought it was handled really well, and I loved how Moskowitz focused on recovery and hope, though it never got unbelievably sappy and sunshine-y. There were ups and downs, but the final message is one of hope, and I loved that.
In all: highly recommended. Not Otherwise Specified is another gem by Hannah Moskowitz. It was written really well, with believable characters, problems many people will be able to relate to, and a whole lot of diversity.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the review copy!
Etta, our main character, feels like she doesn't really belong anywhere. Due to a recent relationship with a boy, her former group of lesbian friends has cast her out. She once was bulimic, but is well on the way to recovery, in contrast to some of the members of her guidance group. She loves ballet, but doesn't look like a ballerina: she's too chubby, too black (unfortunately, most ballerinas are very much white), too much curves where there should be straight lines.
Throughout the book, though, she starts finding her place in the world. She learns who are true friends and where her passions lie, and that she can excel at certain things. Moskowitz subtly let Etta grow into a more grown-up version of herself. Though I immensely loved that growth, Etta had my heart from the start. She tells it like it is: she's straightforward and not ashamed of anything. She's tough, but not perfect: sometimes she makes mistakes, sometimes she doubts herself, sometimes she falls back into not very healthy habits. She was just such a real person.
Moskowitz also shows the struggles of being "different" from the norm. Basically, everyone who isn't a straight white male faces a struggle, some more often that others.
If I end up marrying a guy, what the hell queer community is ever going to want me?
Etta has doubts, she struggles with herself and the world sometimes. Not Otherwise Specified is really about problems and learning to face them, to handle them. It's about finding out what you really want in life and pursuing that dream until it becomes reality. It's about acceptance, both of yourself and others. And above all, it was just really, really good.
The focus with Etta's difficulties lies mainly with her sexuality (and figuring out what she wants). However, there's also a large focus on eating disorders. Etta herself has more or less recovered from her bulimia, but her newfound friend Bianca isn't nearly there yet when it comes to her anorexia. I thought it was handled really well, and I loved how Moskowitz focused on recovery and hope, though it never got unbelievably sappy and sunshine-y. There were ups and downs, but the final message is one of hope, and I loved that.
In all: highly recommended. Not Otherwise Specified is another gem by Hannah Moskowitz. It was written really well, with believable characters, problems many people will be able to relate to, and a whole lot of diversity.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the review copy!
May 6, 2015
What I love the most about Hannah Moskowitz books is that they make me feel . And I'm not talking wincing when something bad happens, I'm talking, the book ends and my heart feels like it's not there, like there's just a cavity in my chest and I can't breathe and even if there's a happy ending just the mix of the absolute glory that is the writing and the absolute reality that encompasses the characters that just - makes me feel .
I didn't honestly know if I'd be able to write a review for this. There are parts of it that hit really close to home, and i didn't know if I'd have to just rate it five stars and scram, or if I could do this. But I think I can do this. So let's start out with a quick little plot synopsis, later to fall into unorganized rambling.
The book's about Etta, a bisexual black girl with an eating disorder, and her attempts to get into this musical theater school. She's got a lot of problems - one of them being that, since she's bisexual, she obviously likes dudes as well as chicks, and her former little clique sort of viewed it as betrayal when she had a relationship with one. And so - she's got her problems.
One thing that I really love about Moskowitz is that she really just - gets people. She just gets people. The way that she writes people and their struggles and their relationships is just amazing. She writes these amazing, flawed characters that are just super relatable and leave you with that empty feeling in your chest because you just love them so much.
And Etta. I really - I really liked her. She was one of those characters that I could relate to. I've had kind of a... strange track record when it comes to relating to characters, because some of them don't really seem to match up, like, at all, and I can pinpoint reasons for some of them - for example, I relate to Sawyer from Fall from Grace because his actions seem perfectly logical to me and I'd do the exact same thing, yo - but for some of them I have no clue why I connect to them so much - Seth from More Than This comes to mind. But Etta was...
Yeah.
This was a good one.
I didn't honestly know if I'd be able to write a review for this. There are parts of it that hit really close to home, and i didn't know if I'd have to just rate it five stars and scram, or if I could do this. But I think I can do this. So let's start out with a quick little plot synopsis, later to fall into unorganized rambling.
The book's about Etta, a bisexual black girl with an eating disorder, and her attempts to get into this musical theater school. She's got a lot of problems - one of them being that, since she's bisexual, she obviously likes dudes as well as chicks, and her former little clique sort of viewed it as betrayal when she had a relationship with one. And so - she's got her problems.
One thing that I really love about Moskowitz is that she really just - gets people. She just gets people. The way that she writes people and their struggles and their relationships is just amazing. She writes these amazing, flawed characters that are just super relatable and leave you with that empty feeling in your chest because you just love them so much.
And Etta. I really - I really liked her. She was one of those characters that I could relate to. I've had kind of a... strange track record when it comes to relating to characters, because some of them don't really seem to match up, like, at all, and I can pinpoint reasons for some of them - for example, I relate to Sawyer from Fall from Grace because his actions seem perfectly logical to me and I'd do the exact same thing, yo - but for some of them I have no clue why I connect to them so much - Seth from More Than This comes to mind. But Etta was...
Yeah.
This was a good one.
July 14, 2015
reaction after reading:
Eh. Nothing special
Mason was just there for Etta to have sex with, James was cool, Etta was annoying as fuck, Bianca was sad.
Rachel and Ettas relationship was fucking weird. They were best friends who Etta was sort of in love with they had sex tons, then fell out, became friends again and then Etta goes all 'who cares that I have feelings for her and we've been friends since forever, I'm leaving her behind, fuck this'
In fact, 'fuck this' is pretty much Ettas whole attitude towards everything. :/
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up this book expecting, I don't know, a story of friendship. And that's mostly what I got.
It was a nice (if not flimsy) friendship and getting better story, but it didn't really do much for me.
On one hand, I liked that we had a bisexual narrator. There are many (actually, most) YA books about straight girls, and some about lesbians- but rarely do we get a bisexual narrator. So many people don't "get" or "believe in" bisexuality, and this book definitely shows you it's a "real" thing. (sorry, I "love" doing that)
I also did like Bianca's getting better story, it was very uplifting. The side story with James, Bianca's brother, being gay and Bianca trying to accept that (being from a religious upbringing) was a complex part of the book, too.
I liked that Etta chased her dreams, and eventually realised that her best friend, Rachel, wasn't that good for her- they had such a weird relationship. It was obvious that they had feelings for each other, and it mentioned that they'd slept together on numerous occasions, yet they didn't ever officially get together.
I didn't like Etta's attitude for most of the book- she calls herself a "slut", she complains about everything- I mean, sure, she had a hard time but lemons make lemonade, you know?
She was way too hard on herself. It was hard to not feel sorry for her when her ex-friends started bullying her, though.
I didn't like that she used Mason, James' friend, when she knew full well that he liked her more than she liked him. She led him on, when it was clear she wasn't over her ex, Danielle, or her best friend, Rachel.
I didn't like that at first she was willing to just date girls so her friends would like her again. I didn't like that she was bullied- severely, in fact, Natasha was physically violent towards her, and Etta was locked in a bathroom by her old friends- and never got help from anyone. It gave the message that if you ignore bullying it goes away, and that is NOT a message teens should be hearing.
I was glad that Etta got some self-confidence back by the end, realised she was a curve and not a line, got into a dance school, and everything, but lots was left not completed.
The book was pretty much what I expected- not bad, but nothing special.
Eh. Nothing special
Mason was just there for Etta to have sex with, James was cool, Etta was annoying as fuck, Bianca was sad.
Rachel and Ettas relationship was fucking weird. They were best friends who Etta was sort of in love with they had sex tons, then fell out, became friends again and then Etta goes all 'who cares that I have feelings for her and we've been friends since forever, I'm leaving her behind, fuck this'
In fact, 'fuck this' is pretty much Ettas whole attitude towards everything. :/
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up this book expecting, I don't know, a story of friendship. And that's mostly what I got.
It was a nice (if not flimsy) friendship and getting better story, but it didn't really do much for me.
On one hand, I liked that we had a bisexual narrator. There are many (actually, most) YA books about straight girls, and some about lesbians- but rarely do we get a bisexual narrator. So many people don't "get" or "believe in" bisexuality, and this book definitely shows you it's a "real" thing. (sorry, I "love" doing that)
I also did like Bianca's getting better story, it was very uplifting. The side story with James, Bianca's brother, being gay and Bianca trying to accept that (being from a religious upbringing) was a complex part of the book, too.
I liked that Etta chased her dreams, and eventually realised that her best friend, Rachel, wasn't that good for her- they had such a weird relationship. It was obvious that they had feelings for each other, and it mentioned that they'd slept together on numerous occasions, yet they didn't ever officially get together.
I didn't like Etta's attitude for most of the book- she calls herself a "slut", she complains about everything- I mean, sure, she had a hard time but lemons make lemonade, you know?
She was way too hard on herself. It was hard to not feel sorry for her when her ex-friends started bullying her, though.
I didn't like that she used Mason, James' friend, when she knew full well that he liked her more than she liked him. She led him on, when it was clear she wasn't over her ex, Danielle, or her best friend, Rachel.
I didn't like that at first she was willing to just date girls so her friends would like her again. I didn't like that she was bullied- severely, in fact, Natasha was physically violent towards her, and Etta was locked in a bathroom by her old friends- and never got help from anyone. It gave the message that if you ignore bullying it goes away, and that is NOT a message teens should be hearing.
I was glad that Etta got some self-confidence back by the end, realised she was a curve and not a line, got into a dance school, and everything, but lots was left not completed.
The book was pretty much what I expected- not bad, but nothing special.
March 20, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. There aren't many YA novels that deal with bisexuality or the misunderstanding of bisexuality in both the gay and straight communities. But there were too many fact and stylistic faults to make this book a success.
First the fact issues: Nebraska in January is cold and most often snowy. Hanging out in cornfields, barefoot, is just not realistic. Then, I don't believe evangelical Christians (at least, that's what was implied in the novel) would have alcohol in their house; and even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be freely accessible to a 14 year old. Also, to have a "reasonable" 17-year-old ask another 17-yo if she's slept with a 14-yo "yet" seems absolutely implausible to me -- sex is sex, heterosexual or not. Lastly, the school (or at least some of the faculty) have a sense that there is bullying going on, but other than one general assembly mentioned in passing, I find it curious that nobody takes this more seriously. This book needed a much stronger hand from the Editing Department; too bad the publisher didn't take its job more seriously here.
Stylistically, throughout the novel we are told rather than shown. Other than bowing their heads once at a meal, how do we know that Bianca and James are from a strict Christian family? Etta tells us that Bianca is working through the conflicting opinions of her church and her heart when it comes to her brother, but we don't see it. Race seems to be a fill in the blank for the characters: Etta is black -- but other than having dreads, would we know this? How about the fact that Rachel is Asian? Mentioned once, then dropped -- not even subsequent descriptions of Rachel have her seem like anything other than another rich white girl.
Lastly, I would like to note that although early on Etta tells us that a frustrating aspect of being bisexual is that everybody thinks you have lots of sex with lots of people, what the book shows us is a young person who has: lots of sex with lots of people. And who uses young men to fill a temporary need, but who has no problems ignoring these young men when she no longer needs them.
I applaud the author for thinking about incorporating bisexuality in a YA novel. But I'm still waiting for a good novel about this issue.
First the fact issues: Nebraska in January is cold and most often snowy. Hanging out in cornfields, barefoot, is just not realistic. Then, I don't believe evangelical Christians (at least, that's what was implied in the novel) would have alcohol in their house; and even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be freely accessible to a 14 year old. Also, to have a "reasonable" 17-year-old ask another 17-yo if she's slept with a 14-yo "yet" seems absolutely implausible to me -- sex is sex, heterosexual or not. Lastly, the school (or at least some of the faculty) have a sense that there is bullying going on, but other than one general assembly mentioned in passing, I find it curious that nobody takes this more seriously. This book needed a much stronger hand from the Editing Department; too bad the publisher didn't take its job more seriously here.
Stylistically, throughout the novel we are told rather than shown. Other than bowing their heads once at a meal, how do we know that Bianca and James are from a strict Christian family? Etta tells us that Bianca is working through the conflicting opinions of her church and her heart when it comes to her brother, but we don't see it. Race seems to be a fill in the blank for the characters: Etta is black -- but other than having dreads, would we know this? How about the fact that Rachel is Asian? Mentioned once, then dropped -- not even subsequent descriptions of Rachel have her seem like anything other than another rich white girl.
Lastly, I would like to note that although early on Etta tells us that a frustrating aspect of being bisexual is that everybody thinks you have lots of sex with lots of people, what the book shows us is a young person who has: lots of sex with lots of people. And who uses young men to fill a temporary need, but who has no problems ignoring these young men when she no longer needs them.
I applaud the author for thinking about incorporating bisexuality in a YA novel. But I'm still waiting for a good novel about this issue.
February 27, 2015
There are few writers out there with the talent and focus of Moskowitz, and Not Otherwise Specified is a vibrant and fully realised portrait of a woman who is complex, prickly, ambitious, scared, self-deprecating, brave and altogether entirely human. Character pieces this beautifully done are hard to come by in any category of fiction.
4.5 stars.
Read the full review at Bibliodaze.
http://bibliodaze.com/2015/02/review-...
4.5 stars.
Read the full review at Bibliodaze.
http://bibliodaze.com/2015/02/review-...
Want to read
June 28, 2014POC bisexual main character? YES!
This is one book I def can't wait for.
This is one book I def can't wait for.
January 12, 2016
AAAAHHHH THIS BOOK MAKES MY LITTLE BISEXUAL HEART SO HAPPY
CONTEMPORARY AT ITS FINEST
March 16, 2016
This review is also posted on my blog.
I received a copy free from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2015
For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.
Not Otherwise Specified was my third Hannah Moskowitz novel, so I thought I knew what to expect. I liked the other two. Not Otherwise Specified, though, has this totally unfortunate cover compared to the others, and I don’t know. Basically, my body was not ready for the emotional impact this book had on me. Moskowitz blew my mind with this one, making me laugh and even cry.
The thing about this book is that I’m sort of surprised I loved it so much. I mean, it’s written in this stream of consciousness style, which, let me just tell you, is very much not my thing. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with it, because it generally feels very artificial or like the author was on a lot of drugs. That’s not the case with Not Otherwise Specified. Pretty much immediately, I was caught up in that VOICE. Etta’s voice is vibrant and real and she felt one hundred percent real to me.
My heart ached for Etta throughout this book. She’s a black, bisexual former ballerina struggling with an eating disorder in Nebraska. She’s the very definition of not fitting in, but also fitting in too much. What Etta hates more than anything is that she’s not otherwise specified. She can identify herself as having an eating disorder and as being bisexual, but everyone still puts her in these boxes. She hates that she doesn’t qualify by the technical definitions as anorexic, which just makes her feel like more of a failure, even more out of control, the same reason she gave up ballet which she loves so much.
Etta sums herself up so well with this quote. She’s vibrant, full of life, and charismatic as hell. However, she tries so hard to fit in, like she did with the Dykes, her group of lesbian friends, who ejected her when she dated a guy, despite the fact she always said she was bi. She tried to be the ballerina that everyone wanted, but became so obsessed with control and how her body was wrong that she developed an eating disorder. Not Otherwise Specified is partially the story of Etta coming to terms with her Ettaness.
A big part of Not Otherwise Specified is about friendship. Friends, even when they love you, can be bad for you. Etta loved the Dykes, but they’ve turned on her and are bullying her. Even so, she kind of wants them back. It’s hard for her to let go, especially of Rachel. She makes a new group of friends through an audition for Brentwood Academy, a school for theater. They still all make mistakes with one another, but the difference between the friendship dynamics is stark.
Not Otherwise Specified gets dark. I mean, the issues are really heavy, but that’s counteracted by Etta’s voice, which is so full of life and humor. Etta doesn’t let things get her down for long; she’s really sweet and optimistic. She sticks up for people and cares so hard. Yes, it hurts, and I marked a lot of quotes for how much they saddened me but also struck this really honest chord. The ending, though, made me happy cry for the progress that’s being made.
I fucking loved this book. I think it’s beautiful and important. READ IT READ IT READ IT.
Not Otherwise Specified was my third Hannah Moskowitz novel, so I thought I knew what to expect. I liked the other two. Not Otherwise Specified, though, has this totally unfortunate cover compared to the others, and I don’t know. Basically, my body was not ready for the emotional impact this book had on me. Moskowitz blew my mind with this one, making me laugh and even cry.
The thing about this book is that I’m sort of surprised I loved it so much. I mean, it’s written in this stream of consciousness style, which, let me just tell you, is very much not my thing. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with it, because it generally feels very artificial or like the author was on a lot of drugs. That’s not the case with Not Otherwise Specified. Pretty much immediately, I was caught up in that VOICE. Etta’s voice is vibrant and real and she felt one hundred percent real to me.
My heart ached for Etta throughout this book. She’s a black, bisexual former ballerina struggling with an eating disorder in Nebraska. She’s the very definition of not fitting in, but also fitting in too much. What Etta hates more than anything is that she’s not otherwise specified. She can identify herself as having an eating disorder and as being bisexual, but everyone still puts her in these boxes. She hates that she doesn’t qualify by the technical definitions as anorexic, which just makes her feel like more of a failure, even more out of control, the same reason she gave up ballet which she loves so much.
You’re not supposed to look at a girl’s body when she dances, not in that way. She’s supposed to be unobtrusive. She’s supposed to just be part of the music, and here I come in all attention-grabbing and ETTAETTAETTA and you can make that sound as awesome and special0snowflakey as you want but at the end of the day that’s not what people want ballerinas to be.
Etta sums herself up so well with this quote. She’s vibrant, full of life, and charismatic as hell. However, she tries so hard to fit in, like she did with the Dykes, her group of lesbian friends, who ejected her when she dated a guy, despite the fact she always said she was bi. She tried to be the ballerina that everyone wanted, but became so obsessed with control and how her body was wrong that she developed an eating disorder. Not Otherwise Specified is partially the story of Etta coming to terms with her Ettaness.
A big part of Not Otherwise Specified is about friendship. Friends, even when they love you, can be bad for you. Etta loved the Dykes, but they’ve turned on her and are bullying her. Even so, she kind of wants them back. It’s hard for her to let go, especially of Rachel. She makes a new group of friends through an audition for Brentwood Academy, a school for theater. They still all make mistakes with one another, but the difference between the friendship dynamics is stark.
Not Otherwise Specified gets dark. I mean, the issues are really heavy, but that’s counteracted by Etta’s voice, which is so full of life and humor. Etta doesn’t let things get her down for long; she’s really sweet and optimistic. She sticks up for people and cares so hard. Yes, it hurts, and I marked a lot of quotes for how much they saddened me but also struck this really honest chord. The ending, though, made me happy cry for the progress that’s being made.
I fucking loved this book. I think it’s beautiful and important. READ IT READ IT READ IT.
October 8, 2014
Huge thank you to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for this ARC!
This book wasn't entirely on my radar at all, despite having heard good things about Hannah Moskowitz's writing. It was actually seeing Courtney Summers' tweets about the book that made me intrigued to check this book out. It's a shame that this book doesn't release until next year, but having now read it, I wish it would be coming sooner so you all can experience how thoughtful and smart this novel in.
Etta isn't the most likeable protagonist, but I found her completely charming. Like the title states, she's "Not Otherwise Specified" and has no place to truly call her own. She's not butch enough for the lesbian clique (and is in fact, bullied by this group for hooking up with a dude), she's not tiny enough to continue ballet with the same passion she once had, and she's not sick enough to be anorexic. However, it's meeting someone who is, in a lot of ways, her exact opposite, and that is what really gets the story moving.
I actually love both Etta and Bianca. I love Bianca because she is someone who means so well and yet she struggles with her own imperfections. Etta wears her imperfections loud and proud, yet she can't seem to catch a break with anything in her life. Despite being snarky and sassy, Etta struggles in a lot of ways to love herself, and that really is the main connection the two girls have. It made me love their relationship throughout the story because even when they didn't agree with one another, there was this air of understanding between them. I also love how the two girls are constantly teaching each other about friendship, privileges and hardship. It made for great characterization and strong story telling.
Also Natasha was horrid, but did not read like she was a one-dimensional kind of horrid. It's interesting that she's the lead bully and yet Etta always can get under her skin and strikes back. We need more of this in YA, the push back, the "I'm not afraid." Why isn't there more of this? Seriously, we need this so much in YA. We do, we do, we do.
There is an intense amount of richness in this story, and one I could go on about forever, but that would likely spoil this book. If you love wonderfully flawed protagonists and gritty contemporary, then this must be checked out when it releases next March. As for me? I now plan to check out more of Hannah Moskowitz's books.
This book wasn't entirely on my radar at all, despite having heard good things about Hannah Moskowitz's writing. It was actually seeing Courtney Summers' tweets about the book that made me intrigued to check this book out. It's a shame that this book doesn't release until next year, but having now read it, I wish it would be coming sooner so you all can experience how thoughtful and smart this novel in.
Etta isn't the most likeable protagonist, but I found her completely charming. Like the title states, she's "Not Otherwise Specified" and has no place to truly call her own. She's not butch enough for the lesbian clique (and is in fact, bullied by this group for hooking up with a dude), she's not tiny enough to continue ballet with the same passion she once had, and she's not sick enough to be anorexic. However, it's meeting someone who is, in a lot of ways, her exact opposite, and that is what really gets the story moving.
I actually love both Etta and Bianca. I love Bianca because she is someone who means so well and yet she struggles with her own imperfections. Etta wears her imperfections loud and proud, yet she can't seem to catch a break with anything in her life. Despite being snarky and sassy, Etta struggles in a lot of ways to love herself, and that really is the main connection the two girls have. It made me love their relationship throughout the story because even when they didn't agree with one another, there was this air of understanding between them. I also love how the two girls are constantly teaching each other about friendship, privileges and hardship. It made for great characterization and strong story telling.
Also Natasha was horrid, but did not read like she was a one-dimensional kind of horrid. It's interesting that she's the lead bully and yet Etta always can get under her skin and strikes back. We need more of this in YA, the push back, the "I'm not afraid." Why isn't there more of this? Seriously, we need this so much in YA. We do, we do, we do.
There is an intense amount of richness in this story, and one I could go on about forever, but that would likely spoil this book. If you love wonderfully flawed protagonists and gritty contemporary, then this must be checked out when it releases next March. As for me? I now plan to check out more of Hannah Moskowitz's books.
March 16, 2015
Hannah writes books that give me feelings. Lots of them.
I read this book over the course of two days, but even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Usually, it takes a fantasy novel to get me wrapped up in a world and think about it while cooking, eating, and sleeping, but Not Otherwise Specified did it for me too. Loved it.
Etta is a ball of beautiful energy (like Hannah herself, n'est-ce pas?) and wobbles back and forth between almost understanding the impact of her positivity on others and feeling not good enough. She is bisexual in a time (that is to say, now) when some people still see that as "indecisive", "slutty", or "not a thing". In her all-girls school, the fact that she dated a guy caused her to be ostracized from her clique of lesbians. We meet her trying to get back in with them (but does she care, really?), but ultimately facing even more brutal bullying at their hands. Where will she fit in now?
Etta has also struggled/is struggling/will struggle with an eating disorder, and meets a girl at her therapy group. In Etta's words, they have "more than one thing in common" and they click in this incredible way. Etta and Bianca have crazy friendship chemistry dancing across every page. Etta's world expands with even more new-found friends as she begins the audition process for a competitive arts high school in New York City. Will she finally find that place where she belongs?
Not Otherwise Specified also brings a unique voice to the market. I'm not talking about the fact that Etta is bisexual in a community that only sees "straight" and "gay", or the fact that Etta is black in a mostly-white Nebraska town -- I'm talking about the voice on the page. Etta thinks a million miles a minute and her social anxiety (mostly hidden from her peers) is clear to the reader as she considers to yes no maybe go, but only if she can control the environment but Bianca wants to go so maybe they should and live in the moment, Etta, but remember to be careful live free stay safe. Hannah so perfectly captures the back-and-forth of being a teenager trying to find yourself, and I still relate to this, being an adult trying to find myself.
Also, can we get some love for an amazing cover?
Thanks, HM, for another book that made me laugh, cry, wonder, and dream.
I read this book over the course of two days, but even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Usually, it takes a fantasy novel to get me wrapped up in a world and think about it while cooking, eating, and sleeping, but Not Otherwise Specified did it for me too. Loved it.
Etta is a ball of beautiful energy (like Hannah herself, n'est-ce pas?) and wobbles back and forth between almost understanding the impact of her positivity on others and feeling not good enough. She is bisexual in a time (that is to say, now) when some people still see that as "indecisive", "slutty", or "not a thing". In her all-girls school, the fact that she dated a guy caused her to be ostracized from her clique of lesbians. We meet her trying to get back in with them (but does she care, really?), but ultimately facing even more brutal bullying at their hands. Where will she fit in now?
Etta has also struggled/is struggling/will struggle with an eating disorder, and meets a girl at her therapy group. In Etta's words, they have "more than one thing in common" and they click in this incredible way. Etta and Bianca have crazy friendship chemistry dancing across every page. Etta's world expands with even more new-found friends as she begins the audition process for a competitive arts high school in New York City. Will she finally find that place where she belongs?
Not Otherwise Specified also brings a unique voice to the market. I'm not talking about the fact that Etta is bisexual in a community that only sees "straight" and "gay", or the fact that Etta is black in a mostly-white Nebraska town -- I'm talking about the voice on the page. Etta thinks a million miles a minute and her social anxiety (mostly hidden from her peers) is clear to the reader as she considers to yes no maybe go, but only if she can control the environment but Bianca wants to go so maybe they should and live in the moment, Etta, but remember to be careful live free stay safe. Hannah so perfectly captures the back-and-forth of being a teenager trying to find yourself, and I still relate to this, being an adult trying to find myself.
Also, can we get some love for an amazing cover?
Thanks, HM, for another book that made me laugh, cry, wonder, and dream.
December 14, 2019
Longtime Twitter follower of Hannah Moskowitz, first time reader. Why did I pick Not Otherwise Specified? No idea! This was the one that came up and got added to my to-read list. No regrets.
Trigger warning, obviously, for discussions of eating disorder and weight loss. Also for use of potential queer slurs, bullying, and depictions of controlling/manipulative behaviour from friends.
Etta Sinclair is a Black, bisexual girl at an all-girls school. Her decision to date (and then subsequently break up with) a (gasp) boy has alienated her from friend group, lesbians who collectively call themselves "the Dykes." Etta has also struggled with an undiagnosed eating disorder (hence the title) and attends group therapy sessions, where she meets a new friend—Bianca. Along with Bianca’s gay brother, as well as another friend who offers Etta a lust interest, Etta and Bianca tackle auditions for Brentwood. All of these events put a lot of stress on Etta, who’s really just trying to figure out what any teenager is figuring out: who am I? What do I want from life? Which relationships should I value and prioritize?
From the start, Moskowitz establishes Etta’s voice in a way that makes me nod my head and go, “Yes, I want to keep reading this.” I love that first line: “Time for the Etta-gets-her-groove-back party.” Etta is the right balance between charming and self-deprecating, yet Moskowitz manages to avoid making her sound like every other sarcastic teenage narrator we might be exposed to in this day and age. Etta is thoughtful, but you can also tell that she still has a lot of thinking to do—her understanding of her own identities, and the way she relates to other people like the Dykes, demonstrates she still has a lot to unpack and consider, a lot of maturing to do, which is expected for someone at her stage in life. Almost from page-one, Etta feels like a realistic and fleshed-out character.
Then we get into all the drama! And for a book that involves some intense bullying (to the point of assault), the drama actually feels very … low key? In a way, this feels like the obverse of Holly Bourne’s approach to YA, in that both are valid and equivalent yet the presentation is different. Bourne’s books build and build towards what you just know is going to be a single, emotionally-devastating climax. In contrast, Not Otherwise Specified has a series of dramatic encounters—the plot graph is more spiky than it is a single pyramid. The result is a rich experience with a lot to unpack, some of which isn’t really in my lane.
For example, I’m reading a lot of angry reviews from lesbians saying the use of Dyke and the portrayal of “all lesbians” as biphobic is harmful … and I can see where that’s coming from, sure. But I’m not sure how else the book would explore this issue of Etta being bullied by her former friends for the way in which she’s exploring her sexuality? Etta herself isn’t saying that all lesbians are bad or biphobic—she’s just having a rough time with this particular group of lesbians, no doubt compounded by the fact they’re at an all-girls school that doesn’t seem to have a very good anti-bullying policy. The bullying happens because Etta’s friends are behaving badly, not because they are lesbians. Nevertheless, I recognize that this whole issue is outside my own lived experiences, and so I could be missing a crucial dimension to this discussion. So just be aware that this might not be the book for you if this is something more critical to you.
I could have gone for a little more nuance in the way that Moskowitz portrays the Dykes’ activities and actions against Etta. It seems like Tasha is the most active, most forthright bully—but in my experience, when friend groups have a falling out like this, there’s always a moment here or there when at least one of the former friends is softer, or a bit wistful, regarding the good, ol’ days. Or perhaps that’s the role Rachel is supposed to serve. I do like the portrayal of Rachel and Etta’s relationship. It’s so rich and complex.
First, Moskowitz acknowledges how blurry the lines can get between platonic and romantic/sexual relationships among friends, especially when they're friends of the same gender exploring how to express their queer identities. Rachel is a best friend and also a lover. They are “experimenting” but also being incredibly vulnerable and intimate with one another. Their membership in this high school clique is a political statement as much as it is a relational one. So much of this happens before the book even begins; when Rachel re-enters Etta’s life during Act 2 and we learn more about her as a person, the pieces start falling into place. Rachel is a great example of how someone in your life can be a great and a terrible presence all at the same time. She made Etta feel so good, so high … yet she also gave Etta terrible advice, tried to control Etta’s behaviour based on what Rachel thought was good for Etta:
Ugggggh this is so good! Coming as it does near the very end of the book, it’s such a great example of how Etta has grown throughout this whole experience. And it rings so true. Some people are shining beacons in our lives; some people are monsters. Many of the people we meet and befriend will not be one or the other but somewhere in between. Recognizing this complexity, and then being able to recognize when it’s happening in your relationships and react in the way that’s healthiest for you, is so important.
Similarly, Moskowitz ensures Etta is herself flawed and has lots of maturing to do. This is most obvious in her relationship with Bianca, of course. In many ways the two are very good for each other: Bianca is the one who unwittingly nudges Etta back into dancing ballet, while Etta bolsters Bianca’s self-confidence. Yet there is still a great deal of friendship turbulence here, compounded by what’s happening with Bianca’s brother and their parents. Etta’s behaviour towards the climax of the novel, the way she just acquiesces to Bianca’s demands to go out clubbing, but then realizes before it’s too late that she needs to be more responsible—not to mention that point where Etta confesses to us that she didn’t realize how sick Bianca actually was—that’s so powerful.
Not Otherwise Specified is a well-structured, deeply rich book, particularly when it comes to characterization. I didn’t even touch on Bianca’s brother, James, much, or Etta’s sister, or Etta’s relationship with her mom, or with Mason … there’s a lot more depth here than I can get into in this review. This book is under 300 pages!! I’m glad it lives in my local library, and hopefully some teens going through issues similar to Etta’s, who need to see themselves in a book, will find this one.
Trigger warning, obviously, for discussions of eating disorder and weight loss. Also for use of potential queer slurs, bullying, and depictions of controlling/manipulative behaviour from friends.
Etta Sinclair is a Black, bisexual girl at an all-girls school. Her decision to date (and then subsequently break up with) a (gasp) boy has alienated her from friend group, lesbians who collectively call themselves "the Dykes." Etta has also struggled with an undiagnosed eating disorder (hence the title) and attends group therapy sessions, where she meets a new friend—Bianca. Along with Bianca’s gay brother, as well as another friend who offers Etta a lust interest, Etta and Bianca tackle auditions for Brentwood. All of these events put a lot of stress on Etta, who’s really just trying to figure out what any teenager is figuring out: who am I? What do I want from life? Which relationships should I value and prioritize?
From the start, Moskowitz establishes Etta’s voice in a way that makes me nod my head and go, “Yes, I want to keep reading this.” I love that first line: “Time for the Etta-gets-her-groove-back party.” Etta is the right balance between charming and self-deprecating, yet Moskowitz manages to avoid making her sound like every other sarcastic teenage narrator we might be exposed to in this day and age. Etta is thoughtful, but you can also tell that she still has a lot of thinking to do—her understanding of her own identities, and the way she relates to other people like the Dykes, demonstrates she still has a lot to unpack and consider, a lot of maturing to do, which is expected for someone at her stage in life. Almost from page-one, Etta feels like a realistic and fleshed-out character.
Then we get into all the drama! And for a book that involves some intense bullying (to the point of assault), the drama actually feels very … low key? In a way, this feels like the obverse of Holly Bourne’s approach to YA, in that both are valid and equivalent yet the presentation is different. Bourne’s books build and build towards what you just know is going to be a single, emotionally-devastating climax. In contrast, Not Otherwise Specified has a series of dramatic encounters—the plot graph is more spiky than it is a single pyramid. The result is a rich experience with a lot to unpack, some of which isn’t really in my lane.
For example, I’m reading a lot of angry reviews from lesbians saying the use of Dyke and the portrayal of “all lesbians” as biphobic is harmful … and I can see where that’s coming from, sure. But I’m not sure how else the book would explore this issue of Etta being bullied by her former friends for the way in which she’s exploring her sexuality? Etta herself isn’t saying that all lesbians are bad or biphobic—she’s just having a rough time with this particular group of lesbians, no doubt compounded by the fact they’re at an all-girls school that doesn’t seem to have a very good anti-bullying policy. The bullying happens because Etta’s friends are behaving badly, not because they are lesbians. Nevertheless, I recognize that this whole issue is outside my own lived experiences, and so I could be missing a crucial dimension to this discussion. So just be aware that this might not be the book for you if this is something more critical to you.
I could have gone for a little more nuance in the way that Moskowitz portrays the Dykes’ activities and actions against Etta. It seems like Tasha is the most active, most forthright bully—but in my experience, when friend groups have a falling out like this, there’s always a moment here or there when at least one of the former friends is softer, or a bit wistful, regarding the good, ol’ days. Or perhaps that’s the role Rachel is supposed to serve. I do like the portrayal of Rachel and Etta’s relationship. It’s so rich and complex.
First, Moskowitz acknowledges how blurry the lines can get between platonic and romantic/sexual relationships among friends, especially when they're friends of the same gender exploring how to express their queer identities. Rachel is a best friend and also a lover. They are “experimenting” but also being incredibly vulnerable and intimate with one another. Their membership in this high school clique is a political statement as much as it is a relational one. So much of this happens before the book even begins; when Rachel re-enters Etta’s life during Act 2 and we learn more about her as a person, the pieces start falling into place. Rachel is a great example of how someone in your life can be a great and a terrible presence all at the same time. She made Etta feel so good, so high … yet she also gave Etta terrible advice, tried to control Etta’s behaviour based on what Rachel thought was good for Etta:
“I’m going to go,” I say. I don’t say, you’re a good person, Rachel, but you don’t want to be friends with me unless you can control me. There’s no point in saying it. I know it. And once I’m gone, she will too.
Still, I hope she comes and visits me sometimes. I’d like to get coffee with her.
Ugggggh this is so good! Coming as it does near the very end of the book, it’s such a great example of how Etta has grown throughout this whole experience. And it rings so true. Some people are shining beacons in our lives; some people are monsters. Many of the people we meet and befriend will not be one or the other but somewhere in between. Recognizing this complexity, and then being able to recognize when it’s happening in your relationships and react in the way that’s healthiest for you, is so important.
Similarly, Moskowitz ensures Etta is herself flawed and has lots of maturing to do. This is most obvious in her relationship with Bianca, of course. In many ways the two are very good for each other: Bianca is the one who unwittingly nudges Etta back into dancing ballet, while Etta bolsters Bianca’s self-confidence. Yet there is still a great deal of friendship turbulence here, compounded by what’s happening with Bianca’s brother and their parents. Etta’s behaviour towards the climax of the novel, the way she just acquiesces to Bianca’s demands to go out clubbing, but then realizes before it’s too late that she needs to be more responsible—not to mention that point where Etta confesses to us that she didn’t realize how sick Bianca actually was—that’s so powerful.
Not Otherwise Specified is a well-structured, deeply rich book, particularly when it comes to characterization. I didn’t even touch on Bianca’s brother, James, much, or Etta’s sister, or Etta’s relationship with her mom, or with Mason … there’s a lot more depth here than I can get into in this review. This book is under 300 pages!! I’m glad it lives in my local library, and hopefully some teens going through issues similar to Etta’s, who need to see themselves in a book, will find this one.
March 3, 2015
First conversation Etta has with her younger sister:
She brings me to her room, and I root through her closet until I find this tight black skirt that I think will fit, bless my baby girl's hips, and this pink shirt that says "BITCH" on it in jewels.
"Uh. Later we're going to be talking about why you have these."
"Halloween."
"What were you for Halloween?"
"You."
"...Right." (3)
(How can I not love a book that puts that on page 3?)
Really, though, I basically loved this. It's a mythical trifecta book—one that hits three of my reading interests—and it was excellent. Etta's funny and insecure and dealing with difficult issues, but she also manages to be self-aware and realistic about the situation (and the people around her).
I did want a bit more from 1) Etta's family, who we didn't see a ton of, and 2) the Dykes, who are...harsh. Etta's no longer part of their crowd when the book opens, and they're just...nasty and violent almost every time she sees them. Would have liked more complexity there. (But the 70s thing...that makes me laugh.)
Technically I think this book isn't out until tomorrow, but my library didn't seem to realise that, and I wasn't about to correct them. Am rather sorry to be done, though; I'll be surprised if this doesn't end up as one of my favourite YA books of 2015.
Chatter on the mythical trifecta here.
She brings me to her room, and I root through her closet until I find this tight black skirt that I think will fit, bless my baby girl's hips, and this pink shirt that says "BITCH" on it in jewels.
"Uh. Later we're going to be talking about why you have these."
"Halloween."
"What were you for Halloween?"
"You."
"...Right." (3)
(How can I not love a book that puts that on page 3?)
Really, though, I basically loved this. It's a mythical trifecta book—one that hits three of my reading interests—and it was excellent. Etta's funny and insecure and dealing with difficult issues, but she also manages to be self-aware and realistic about the situation (and the people around her).
I did want a bit more from 1) Etta's family, who we didn't see a ton of, and 2) the Dykes, who are...harsh. Etta's no longer part of their crowd when the book opens, and they're just...nasty and violent almost every time she sees them. Would have liked more complexity there. (But the 70s thing...that makes me laugh.)
Technically I think this book isn't out until tomorrow, but my library didn't seem to realise that, and I wasn't about to correct them. Am rather sorry to be done, though; I'll be surprised if this doesn't end up as one of my favourite YA books of 2015.
Chatter on the mythical trifecta here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews