Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories

A collection of Block's short stories, this is a quick but enjoyable read, a lighter serving of her longer fiction.

I love the story of Izzy the most, but the others are worthwhile as well. Not quite as enthralling as her other books; it didn't resonate with me the way most of the others do.

Francesca Lia Block writes absurdly hyper-poeticized novels about West-Coast punk kids. When I was thirteen or so, I read her entire "cannon," if you can call it that. For a young adult author, she was pretty prolific. Unfortunately, the last time I was at a bookstore I noticed that she hasn't written anything in the past six years or so, and that only one of her books was still even on the...more

Francesca Lia Block writes absurdly hyper-poeticized novels about West-Coast punk kids. When I was thirteen or so, I read her entire "cannon," if you can call it that. For a young adult author, she was pretty prolific. Unfortunately, the last time I was at a bookstore I noticed that she hasn't written anything in the past six years or so, and that only one of her books was still even on the shelf. Honestly, I never read any "teen fiction" more progressive or rad than the stuff F.L.B. wrote. If her books had not been around when I was coming of age, my teenhood would've been pretty much ruined. Not even exaggerating. Without F.L.B.'s whimsical view of reject-life, I would've probably never made it through middle school, let alone freshman year of high school.    hide

Some of the cutest stories.