Fiction Friday: Adequate Yearly Progress

I've been reading so much non-fiction over the last few months that getting back into fiction has been a challenge. In part, this is because I can usually find a comfortable stopping point in non-fiction and accomplish other things between reading sessions.  Often with fiction though, especially with an engaging book, I do not want to stop reading. At all. Like don't eat, don't sleep, get super cranky when other people interrupt me by (*gasp*) needing me for real-life stuff.

Today's book was not one of these. I'm not trying to be mean, just honest. I bought this book in February, it's taken me 10 months to not be able to finish it. Here's the thing, I have stacks and stacks of books in my To Be Read file, so if I have major issues and I'm not obligated to finish, I am going to dedicate my energy and time to ones that line up with my guidelines. Still, I felt writing the review was important, so here we go.

High school teachers have it hard. Especially when they are being graded on their performance too! In Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden, we follow the progress of five teachers and their principle as they try juggling work and personal lives. Not to mention disinterested students, family challenges, and a new superintendent whose education reforms feel more like a hindrance than a help.

Despite closing the book before the end, there were still a few things I liked. I like the setup and premise. I'm a huge fan of teachers, and the ones depicted in this book are in it for the love, definitely not for the glory. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of students and the many challenges they carry with them to school. It was also well edited, I didn't find myself distracted by grammatical errors or sloppy writing. However, there were two principal things that made trying to read this a grind.

My number one biggest problem was profanity. It was abundant and vulgar, much more than I could just skim over. I understand this is a reality, teenagers really talk this way. For me, it took the enjoyment out of a book I was already struggling to get into. 

Number two was the number of Points of View (POV) that we have to keep up with. For 372 pages, 6 POVs were too many. I only got a third of the way into the book, and there were a couple of characters I barely knew, much less felt like investing energy in. I honestly forgot I had even read anything from the coach's point of view. I think the story could have had a deeper impact and better arc had it followed only one or two characters. I found myself reluctant to pick this book back up time after time because I just could connect individually to such a large cast. Then, because I would let time go by before I attempted to jump in again, I would have forgotten details and people. It left me feeling tired instead of refreshed.

Writing a book and revising and getting it published is crazy hard work. I give major props to the author for putting her work out there. I don't doubt there are many readers who will connect with this book in ways I simply wasn't able to. I enjoyed the writing style; the author did a good job writing characters with personality. It was witty and emotional, and the early plot was engaging. It just wasn't a good fit for me. 

As a side note though, I am interested in reading her non-fiction book See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers. And I'd be willing to check out future fiction works by this author. 

I don't like leaving books unfinished, but sometimes it's a necessity. I'm not a fan of writing negative reviews either, but I appreciate frank reviews when I'm considering titles, and my commitment is to provide honest reviews, even when they aren't super positive.

Here's hoping you have a bookish weekend!

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 stars 

                          NR - Not recommended for readers sensitive to profanity.