That Crazy April by Lila Perl

That Crazy April Reviews

• 
  AJ Torres

  "I feel that the times in which we are living are too complex, too challenging to be ignored, particularly by the writer of young people's literature. Contemporary settings and characters, situations and problems, in both fiction and nonfiction, lay claim to me. My concern is to sort out some of the turmoil, evoke, elucidate, and enrich the life of the imagination within that frame of reference." - Lila Perl
  
  About 13 years ago, when I was around 8 or 9, I was walking with my parents around my suburban town in the state of Indiana. With my younger brothers at my side, we stumbled upon a "garage sale". With me knowing that my parents wouldn't be able to afford much or anything, I was grateful when I heard the voices of my parents saying that we could choose a few cheap items. Excitement filling my body, I ran to the used book bin. That Crazy April found my hands.
  
  Thirteen years later, I decided to clean out my closet, and what did I find? A bag of collected used books that I never read over the years. Among them was That Crazy April. Out of spontaneity, I lifted the book in my hands and read it within a few hours over a course of two days. The edition that I found at the garage sale spanned over 202 pages and flew by quick. Depending on your reading skill, you can finish it anywhere between 1.5-4 hours.
  
  That Crazy April, a young adult novel written in 1974, is a story of an 11 year old girl growing up in the era of which women were fighting for equal rights. Cress Richardson is just like any ordinary girl growing up with circumstances that any girl in this day and age may still suffer. Cress and her family which consists of only her mom and dad have lived in a town north of New York city for about a year. Her father is a wealthy man while her mother is an educated "liberated" woman who will not work for anything less than what any human deserves.
  
  To Cress' and her best friend Davey's dismay, April Fools Day received its shortcomings with no pranks being delivered. For them being kids, it would be understandable to be upset after a day of prankless schooling. April Fools Day is the kickstart to Cress receiving the short end of the stick by Davey, a boy of her age who has seen his fair share of chocolate chip cookies (made by Cress), and his judgmental criticisms on Cress' mom. Walking home from school, a surprise was found when they realized that the mom, Mary (or M - not em - for short) has changed the mailbox name to her legal maiden name.
  
  The year being 1974, it came as a surprise to have women everywhere, realizing and fighting for the rights that all should receive. What makes a woman any less than a man? Going by ones' maiden name is no different. As the story progressed, pages flew by and multiple crisis start to arise. Arguing with her "best friend" Davey, her favorite cousin Xandra moving to Ireland, and her "liberated" mother all proved to be realistic issues for a young girl.
  
  With her cousin Xandra deciding to drop out of college so she can move with her recently announced fiance, certainly raised tension and a profound insight on the mother's point of view for women's struggles. In the beginning, it wasn't easy to connect with the mother, as she felt like a feminist character who acted in a way that women were greater than men. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I didn't allow this to be a problem as I've never been in a women's shoes and faced the daily problems that they get blasted from society. With the cousin subplot, and a story that involves Cress deciding to "join" a bridal fashion show, I began to understand what Cress' mother M felt.
  
  The story is simple. The characters were good but sometimes felt a little too contrived. I couldn't stop myself from thinking how young adults approximately ages of 11-13 could speak in such mature dialogue. The writing was good, but it felt as if the writer would forget that kids were talking, and not adults.
  
  With a satisfying, yet abrupt ending, problems were concluded and most were solved. Easily remembering being a child and stumbling across this book allowed me to put myself in a state of mind that would connect more with Cress Richardson. I couldn't help but feel that this town and characters were alive. The ending felt... real. For some writers, it's a struggle to give their characters a proper ending. Sometimes most stories don't deserve "happy" endings; there is a standard where humane conclusions should find itself in a story.
  
  Finishing the book, I was curious as to what happened to the author Lila Perl. The first link that I found was her obituary. She passed away at the end of 2013, a few months ago. Her thoughts on the world didn't cease to spark an interest to look for more of her literary writings.
  
  Cress' cousin Xandra properly implanted a well received thought. Find out who you are. Not what society carves you out to be.
  
  4.5/5 Great - Highly Recommended
  
  We the people struggle every day to realize who we truly are as a person. It's easy to let others mold us into the being that we are told we should be. But the reality is that we need to learn and figure it out on our own. Nobody can tell you who you are.
• 
  Jacob

  A fairly straight forward story told through the eyes of a preteen girl, during a time when women's rights was still coming about and men were pigs. Nothing that fabulous for my adult self, though it's certainly a worthy read for the young who are still developing. And for something first published in 1974, its story ages well enough so that our youth can still accept it.
• 
  Kaitlin

  Really enjoyed it! Interesting and entertaining. I would probably suggest it.