Why you should not ignore Please Ignore Vera Dietz.
In A.S. King’s Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Vera isn't the regular girl at school, she has secrets that can clear the name of her deceased best friend, Charlie Kahn. Charlie Kahn and Vera Dietz hang out together, go to school on the bus together, and they even construct a tree house together. Although they are so close, the two are polar opposites. Vera is on top of her schoolwork while balancing a full time job while Charlie smokes cigarettes all day and really does not push himself academically. Their homelife is also different. Ken Dietz, Veras Dad, pushes Vera to be her best self although she might not always see that as the case. Charlie's Dad abuses his mom and seems to not really care about Charlie’s well being. Despite these circumstances, they are still great friends but this was soon to change. Charlie began to hang out with Jenny Flick, Bill Corso, and other members of the “detention heads”, as Vera calls them. Charlie steers away from Veras friendship and starts a lifestyle of lust and risky decisions. As Jenny pulls Charlie into her bad and corrupted morals, Vera tries to stay low and be ignored by others. As things get worse Charlie realizes that he is in danger and asks his once best friend for help to save him.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a good read because of the life lessons that are displayed throughout the book. A.S. King demonstrates the importance of parenthood, good decision making, and friendship throughout her writing. All of these things are relatable to anyone reading the book whether it be a teenager still developing in life, or an adult looking to or starting a family. Through all the hardships that Vera goes through in the novel, she finds who she truly wants to be in life, something that everyone should strive for. She was bullied, forgotten about, and looked over, but she was done being quiet. Vera says, “I am no longer an ex-stripper’s daughter, either. I have gone from invisible Vera Dietz to invincible Vera Dietz” (323). Vera wants to be ignored no longer, and won't be. This is a part of the novel that whoever is reading the novel can possibly relate to in his or her life.
A component of Please Ignore Vera Dietz that makes it a tough read is the constant flashbacks and “history” chapters. One chapter Vera is 17 and is set in the present day, the next she is 11. These chapters make the book more confusing than it needs to be. Also, it makes up a great majority of the reading, there are 19 “history” chapters in Please Ignore Vera Dietz. In a history chapter, Vera is at a funeral and talking about her drinking problems. Vera says, “I took those shots of vodka, but it did talk to me and I did eat it. I’ve been waiting ever since” (312). The next page, and in the modern day of Vera’s life, the chapter starts off with something irrelevant from the previous history chapter. Vera says, “There are three more napkins” (313). The overall storyline is very captivating as a reader but the chapters in the past often times make the reading confusing, dull, and boring. There are certain times, however, that the past chapters help the reader better understand Veras, Charlies, and Ken's character and how they develop throughout the book. Overall the history chapters make Please Ignore Vera Dietz a hard read.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King was an interesting read, but not my type of book. I still really enjoyed reading this novel but I never really felt an urge to want to read more than I was assigned. With the previous book I read, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, I could not put the book down and I was always on the edge of my seat. Please Ignore Vera Dietz just did not do that for me. I also like books that throw me right into the action. It seemed as though when I read this novel I would have to read 300 pages then it got to the point of being intense. I have realized that I enjoy books that are super thrilling, suspenseful, action-packed, and have a touch of science fiction. Although this was not my favorite novel ever, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was still a good book to read and I think many people would benefit from reading this novel and learn from the life lessons within it.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a good read because of the life lessons that are displayed throughout the book. A.S. King demonstrates the importance of parenthood, good decision making, and friendship throughout her writing. All of these things are relatable to anyone reading the book whether it be a teenager still developing in life, or an adult looking to or starting a family. Through all the hardships that Vera goes through in the novel, she finds who she truly wants to be in life, something that everyone should strive for. She was bullied, forgotten about, and looked over, but she was done being quiet. Vera says, “I am no longer an ex-stripper’s daughter, either. I have gone from invisible Vera Dietz to invincible Vera Dietz” (323). Vera wants to be ignored no longer, and won't be. This is a part of the novel that whoever is reading the novel can possibly relate to in his or her life.
A component of Please Ignore Vera Dietz that makes it a tough read is the constant flashbacks and “history” chapters. One chapter Vera is 17 and is set in the present day, the next she is 11. These chapters make the book more confusing than it needs to be. Also, it makes up a great majority of the reading, there are 19 “history” chapters in Please Ignore Vera Dietz. In a history chapter, Vera is at a funeral and talking about her drinking problems. Vera says, “I took those shots of vodka, but it did talk to me and I did eat it. I’ve been waiting ever since” (312). The next page, and in the modern day of Vera’s life, the chapter starts off with something irrelevant from the previous history chapter. Vera says, “There are three more napkins” (313). The overall storyline is very captivating as a reader but the chapters in the past often times make the reading confusing, dull, and boring. There are certain times, however, that the past chapters help the reader better understand Veras, Charlies, and Ken's character and how they develop throughout the book. Overall the history chapters make Please Ignore Vera Dietz a hard read.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King was an interesting read, but not my type of book. I still really enjoyed reading this novel but I never really felt an urge to want to read more than I was assigned. With the previous book I read, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, I could not put the book down and I was always on the edge of my seat. Please Ignore Vera Dietz just did not do that for me. I also like books that throw me right into the action. It seemed as though when I read this novel I would have to read 300 pages then it got to the point of being intense. I have realized that I enjoy books that are super thrilling, suspenseful, action-packed, and have a touch of science fiction. Although this was not my favorite novel ever, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was still a good book to read and I think many people would benefit from reading this novel and learn from the life lessons within it.
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