Future Perfect - Hardcover

Larsen, Jen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062321234 ISBN 13: 9780062321237

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2015

Synopsis

Jen Larsen, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Stranger Here and a subject of the Oprah Winfrey Network TV show In Deep Shift with Jonas Elrod, tells a liberating story of hard-won self-acceptance—a tale of one girl, who knows that weight is just a number, and that no one is completely perfect.

This is a distinct, complex debut from a new voice in YA with an unforgettable main character whose doubts and insecurities will resonate with readers, and shed light on the dangers of taking on others' expectations instead of your own.

Underscored by a fierce intelligence and a dry, disarming wit, Future Perfect will satisfy fans of such authors as Maureen Johnson.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Ashley Maria Perkins.
50 pounds for a trip to Disneyland.

Ashley Maria Perkins.
75 pounds for a shopping trip in Paris.

Ashley Maria Perkins.
80 pounds for a new car.

Every year on her birthday, Ashley Perkins gets a card from her grandmother. Pretty standard, right? But like clockwork, every year, Ashley's card also contains a promise: lose enough weight, and I will buy your happiness.

Ashley doesn't think there's anything wrong with the way she looks. She knows exactly how she fits into her life, wide hips and all. But no amount of arguing can persuade her grandmother that "fat" isn't a dirty word—that Ashley is happy with her life, and her body, as it is.

But Ashley wasn't counting on having her dreams served up on a silver platter at her latest birthday party. She falters when Grandmother offers the one thing she's always wanted: tuition to attend Harvard University.

Ashley wants it—she can't deny it. But their annual negotiation has upped its stakes—Grandmother wants her to get weight-loss surgery in return for the money.

As Ashley grapples with the choice that little white card has given her, she feels pressured by her friends, her family, even administrators at school. They all believe that Ashley could be her best self if she would just listen to them. But what's a girl to do when the reflection in her mirror seems to bother everyone but her?

About the Author:

Jen Larsen is the author of the widely acclaimed adult memoir Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head, which chronicles her own real-life journey with weight-loss surgery. This is her first work of fiction.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062321234
• ISBN 13: 9780062321237
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320