The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary
Binding: Paperback
Age 14+
Social Issues
Told with laugh-out-loud humor and take-no-prisoners frankness, this is a story of incredible resilience amid the dangers and chaos of poverty, prejudice, and personal demons.
Macy's school officially classifies her as "disturbed," but Macy isn't interested in how others define her. She's got more pressing problems: her mom can't move off the couch, her dad's in prison, her brother's been kidnapped by Child Protective Services, and now her best friend isn't speaking to her. Writing in a dictionary format, Macy explains the world in her own terms—complete with gritty characters and outrageous endeavors. With an honesty that's both hilarious and fearsome, slowly Macy reveals why she acts out, why she can't tell her incarcerated father that her mom's cheating on him, and why her best friend needs protection . . . the kind of protection that involves Macy's machete.
Creators
NoNieqa Ramos spent her childhood in the Bronx, where she started her own publishing company and sold books for twenty-five cents until the nuns shut her down. With the support of her single father and her tias, she earned dual Masters degrees in creative writing and education at the University of Notre Dame. As a teacher, she has dedicated herself to bringing gifted-and-talented education to minority students and expanding access to literature, music, and theatre for all children. A frequent foster parent, NoNieqa lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with her family.
Reviews
Macy Cashmere’s one-of-a-kind, no-holds-barred teen memoir will blow your mind and break your heart. Her unforgettable voice is hard-hitting and unflinching, compassionate and streetwise, delivered with a linguistic and structural playfulness that both dazzles the reader and draws them in deep. With The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary, NoNieqa Ramos establishes herself as a literary star on the rise.
Nonieqa Ramos’s The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary comes at a relevant time and with a powerful and endearing cast. Macy’s story is necessary and unique, and both she and NoNi present voice and narrative unlike anything we’ve seen before.
These pages vibrate with Macy’s fury, beat with her enormous heart, and take flight. I wanted to burn down the whole damn world and build a new one worthy of her. Instead, I started the book over to witness again the alchemy that turns brokenness into a thing of beauty. Unforgettable.
