Okay, so, as my students know, there is one reality show I can't flip past without becoming glued in the same way you can't turn away from a car wreck: Buried Alive. Extreme hoarding. The worst episodes feature minor children living in these homes, often explaining the ripple effect on their lives. And so when I read the review of this book I had to have it. Having finally wrested it from the student population, I got to read it this week.
Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu.
Told from the perspective of sixteen year old Lucy, whose mom is an extreme hoarder, Omololu paints a vivid and believable picture of what it's like to navigate adolescence while living in self imposed squalor. Her terror of a first best friend finding out (having been dubbed "garbage girl" after the last friend accidentally discovered the truth) and her inability to lead anything close to a normal life is laid out here with pitch perfect clarity, no whining involved. Lucy's intelligent, thoughtful reflections on her present dilemma and past experiences make clear why children in her circumstances would keep the secret. Her dilemma is horrible enough to keep you turning the pages to find out what might happen next while entertaining all the pitfalls and possibilities of each option.
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