The Way I Used to Be

A New York Times bestseller!

In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn't change who she was. But the night her brother's best friend rapes her, Eden's world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved--who she once loved--she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she's supposed to tell someone what happened but she can't. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts--freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year--this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman's strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Author: Amber Smith
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 03/22/2016
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781481449359
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.4
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 180846 / Way I Used to Be


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/14/2015
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2016
School Library Journal 01/01/2016 pg. 110
Booklist 02/01/2016 pg. 51
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2016
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2017 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, Something Like Gravity, and The Way I Am Now. An advocate for increased awareness of gendered violence, as well as LGBTQ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue surrounding these issues. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. You can find her online at AmberSmithAuthor.com.