The Denim Diaries: A Memoir

Gr 8 Up–In this memoir in verse, Crompton recounts striking moments from her childhood to early adulthood. Coupled with simple yet important doodles and line drawings, the vignette poems explore growing up with an alcoholic father, an eating disorder, and the pressing need to belong. Throughout the free verse poems, Crompton’s language is rich with imagery and shifts in the printed text—from bold to italics and sometimes scrambled on the page—emphasize powerful phrases. The composition and storytelling are lyrical and heartbreakingly beautiful, allowing readers to discover and relate to deep truths of the struggles of being an adolescent girl. Among this exploration is the role of media and marketing’s impact on youth image and societal standards. While modern beauty standards are somewhat akin to those of someone growing up in the 1980s, the references to products and pop culture of the time might be a miss for younger audiences. Vivid details of both her disordered eating and sexual assault may be difficult for some readers. Crompton is white.