First published 1991
Sam Simon remembers his teenage years with vivid clarity. He was among the pioneering male students admitted to what had always been an all-girls school. The hallways buzzed with new energy as boys and girls navigated this unprecedented social experiment together. Sam found himself captivated by Berry Mansfield, a classmate who occupied his thoughts far more than his studies did. The school's transformation from single-sex to coeducational created a unique backdrop for his coming-of-age story. Sam recalls the awkwardness, excitement, and confusion of adolescence amplified by being part of this historic change. His memories center on the intensity of first love and the particular challenges of growing up in an environment where every interaction between boys and girls felt charged with significance. The story captures the universal experience of teenage longing through the specific lens of educational and social change.
Genres: fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, adolescence
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Period: Teenage Years
288 pages · Paperback · Bantam Books Ltd