Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
Glory O'Brien is a senior in high school whose mother committed suicide when she was in preschool. She lives with her father across the street from her only friend, Ellie, who lives on a commune with "hippie weirdo freaks." Glory doesn't know why her mother chose to kill herself and she is sometimes afraid that she will end up with the same fate as her. She doesn't quite fit in to with the other kids at school and doesn't really care to. She takes pictures for the yearbook club, but doesn't participate in any club activities. Like her mother, she loves photography and sees the world in ways most people don't. One day she and Ellie drink the remains of a petrified bat which enables them to see the past and future of anyone they meet. Glory isn't sure what this means for her or her own future, but is determined to make a change in her life.
I love how unique this book is. It deals with a very difficult subject, like losing a mother to suicide, and intertwines a bit of magic realism to show how Glory copes with her loss and her looming future post-graduation. The relationship between Glory and her father and Glory and her best friend Ellie really transform throughout the book and reveal so many things about Glory's own transformation and journey as a character. Glory's voice as a seventeen-year-old girl is so insightful and real as she grapples issues like sexuality, feminism, and consumerism.
A.S. King's website:
Educator's Guide for Glory O'Brien's History of the Future:
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