The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart, and I know everything)

by Barbara Becker Holstein

I learned about The Truth thanks to Alessandra’s blog, Out of the Blue, and immediately ordered the book. It is written as a diary of 10-11-year old girl. Often the diary entries contain some of the “truths” of the title, for instance

Now I know how girls fall in love. It happened to me today and I’m only 10. And that’t the truth.

There is also an “adult women’s version” of the book called The Truth (I’m ten, I’m smart, and I know everything). Which makes me wonder: how adult? What about adult men? Boys in general? Is 11-year old boy adult enough to read “adult women’s version”? Reading these excerpts, I can’t really see what’s so especially adult there. OK, back to my (obviously, children’s) book.

I could teach grownups so much if only they would listen. Lots of times they pretend to listen and then they answer you, but they haven’t really heard what you said or asked. They think they are off the hook just because they answered.
They aren’t off the hook.