Diary of a Teenage Girl revisited

Diary of a Teenage Girl was a devastating and touching memoir and I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it is because I am a sucker for memoirs, especially ones about growing up and drug use but there was something about this book that kept drawing me in. It was really nice to have a female perspective on growing up, as most of the memoirs I've read that deal with drugs and sex are told by males. It is not often women novelists are so honest and open about their sexuality and opinions. I do think my generation is a lot more accepting of these issues, but the time that she was writing these things were very different, especially for girls.

What was so fascinating about Minnie was her "rawness." She was so free and honest. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of her desires, but rather acted on them quite frequently without apology or remorse. I really appreciated this novel because it wasn't censored or colorfully painted over. It is hard to believe Minnie was barely 16 years old when she was involved in this type of "adult" behavior. It is even harder to believe she was only 16 when she wrote most of the diary. She writes with a sense of maturity and sounds a lot older than she really is which is funny because I think she thought of herself as an adult to begin with. But really a lot of her actions are very immature even though her vernacular wasn't.

Her relationship with Monroe disgusted me, as it would most people with ideas about morality. Most of the men in this book seemed a bit corrupt, probably because her Mother tended to draw these types of men in. Monroe used her purely for his own sick fetishes and lead Minnie on. The poor girl was in love with him and was deeply tormented by his lack of affection outside the bedroom, which is what irked me so much. It is appalling how her Mother reacted to the situation. Any non doped up Mother would have kicked Monroe out of her life or worse, turned him into the police if she found out what he was doing with her underage daughter. It is sick how emotionless some of the people in her life were, especially her Mother. She was unsupportive and aloof. Minnie needed structure and affection and since her Mother wasn't proving any of that, she turned to men for it. It really is heartbreaking because you see how the Mother's actions, or lack thereof, affected Minnie and her sister Gretel in different ways. Minnie used sex as her outlet, Gretel used food. Both are dangerous and unfortunate.

I am so glad she grew up and was able to redeem herself and live a successful life despite her dysfunctional childhood. Minnie was easy to love and to side with. I really didn't want the book to end, especially how abruptly it did. It is interesting that the author, Phoebe denies the book being autobiographical even though it really is. I guess she doesn't want to admit it to herself, or she isn't ready to yet. I really wish there were a sequel though. I wonder if she continued writing in a new diary? It would be interesting to see her progression from teenager into adulthood and see how she overcomes her issues, or if she ever really does.