What Would Rachel Do?

Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

"Sometimes when things are falling apart, you can’t rebuild. And sometimes, maybe you can."

Life is not fair. It certainly hasn’t been that way for Brynn. Her home life gives new meaning to the term dysfunctional. Older brother Nick, brilliant and caring, died due to a drug overdose. Dad abandoned the family. Mom remarried. Together her stepfather and mom have carved out a strange existence which has no room for Brynn, other than tormenting her whenever they fear that she might expose the shame of their situation. Her love life has hit an all-time low following the break-up with girlfriend Sarah.

"Loss isn’t motivating. It’s debilitating."

Then there’s school. Once a promising high school scholar, Brynn’s current academic status has resulted in dismissal from the school newspaper staff and reassignment to the Applied program, which meets in the basement of the high school and provides additional support for struggling students.

"Do you get lost effects from lost causes?"

Brynn has precious little to live for. To hope for. One of her lifelines is Mr. Grimm, her Applied Language Arts teacher. He assigns students to write a letter to a celebrity. Brynn opts to correspond with Rachel Maddow because she “pisses off my mom.” Much of the book consists of draft emails she composes and addresses to Maddow. Only once does she actually press the send button.

She grudgingly develops tenuous friendships with her new classmates and eventually, with their encouragement, takes on an inequity she uncovers in school government. She learns firsthand the nastiness of politics when she challenges a clique of Honors students, demanding equal representation for all members of the student body. Led by power-hungry Adam, the Honors group exerts considerable influence and resorts to a vicious smear campaign to sway popular opinion. Brynn is crushed.

There are a few glimmers of hope for Brynn. When she can no longer live at home, friends offer her a place to stay and a part time job. ​She gains the courage to walk away from toxic relationships and begins to believe in herself and in a possible future. She meets someone special who returns her affection.

I am generally not a fan of the epistolary novel. Sometimes, portions of this format seem contrived. However, in the case of Dear Rachel Maddow, I honestly can’t think of a more effective way to tell Brynn's story. The voice is so real, so raw. This girl drops traces of her anger and anguish in every sentence she writes.

I fell in love with Brynn from the very first page. Her brittle exterior and biting snark shield her bruised and battered inner self. She is smart, resourceful, and perceptive. She is a fighter. Even when the odds are impossibly stacked against her, she soldiers on. I ached for her, I cheered for her, I so wanted her to succeed.
​Thanks Adrienne Kisner for introducing me to Brynn Harper. Signed, Your fan always.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

​Pub date: June 5, 2018  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends  ISBN: 978-1250146021