The Secret Life Of Debbie G| Book Review by Deeksha, 12, Chennai
Need a book recommendation? 12 year old Deeksha has one that touches upon body shaming and mental health. Check it out!
This book is written by Vibha Batra and illustrated by Kalyani Ganapathy. It is published by Harper Collins.
This story is about Soundarya, a sixteen-year-old girl from a south Indian family who goes to a fancy school in Mumbai. She is a plump teenager who embraces her curves and is unapologetic about the whole thing. It doesn’t bother her, but that’s not the case with the meanies. She has had enough of bullying and wants to get back at the bullies and mean students at school. While she is at that, she unexpectedly becomes an online sensation overnight. Unfortunately, it’s her online personality that everyone loves. From there, everything goes for a toss.
This book takes a close look at how social media can influence a youngster’s behaviour and affect their emotional health. The world that goes towards a number of followers and very little following in real life is made obvious.
My favourite part was probably when she finds the truth about her best friend and brother. I would tell you, but I do not want to ruin it, so find it out yourself! My least favourite part was when she behaves immaturely about her mother’s second marriage. That is one more good thing about this book. They address issues like divorce and normalize it, which is much needed.
I also liked the modern lingo effortlessly woven in, which made this fun and relatable coming-of-age tale.
This book is a graphic novel, and I loved the intricate detailing in the illustration. This is not like any other comic that you read. Even though it is black and white, it is quirky and different and gives you a doodle-like vibe. This combined with Vibha Bhatra’s funny writing style makes it a fabulous read.
This book talks about how social media can affect a teenager’s life. It teaches people what teenagers go through at school in the digital age. They might get bullied or pressured by teachers and there is so much that is going on in their lives. And this story is the best description of it.
This book address issues like bullying, divorce, fat shaming, slut shaming etc. This book is a perfect recommendation for young adults and I give it 4.5 stars.
Warning: Bullies and meanies use swear words in this book. So do some of my classmates. You cannot avoid including them especially when you are talking about bullying.
