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Katie Pierson

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'89 Walls Kindle Edition

by Katie Pierson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 142 ratings

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Seth spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS that’s killing her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity. College-bound Quinn is finishing high school on top. That cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class, though, makes her doubt herself and her old assumptions. When their passionate romance takes them both by surprise, they keep it a secret: it’s too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it’s 1989. As politics suddenly get personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs and each other—in the clear light of day.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Pierson packs AIDS, abortion, suicide and more in her message-heavy 1989 romance. Quinn and Seth have different viewpoints on most things, as evidenced by their heated classroom debates. They've met their match in each other, and a mature and respectful first love story follows—although the plot is secondary to the setting. The author's passion for the periodis clear. The narrative is built around the events of the decade, instead of starting with a compelling story and then setting it in a specific time frame. Instead of delving deeply into a few issues, numerous big themes are only touched upon at a surface level. Stylistically, Pierson makes curious choices as to what details she provides in the story line and pacing and which ones are left out. Quinn's pregnancy reveal and the internal conflict that ensues on whether she should have an abortion is given short shrift while a sex scene with Seth garners pages of excruciating detail. Also, Quinn's breakup with her best friend seems rather abrupt. Politics, not the personal, drives the story. Pierson's novel reads like a primer on the 80s through the eyes of likable, although unmemorable, characters. VERDICT An exploration of the recent past with uneven pacing and ill-defined characters.—Laura Falli, McNeil High School, Austin, TX

Review

"As with the political discussions, issues of sex and sexuality in '89 Walls are rich and complex, a mix of desire, consequences, awkward embarrassment and intensely delightful exploration." --Carrie Mesrobian, Minnesota Book Award winning author of Sex & Violence and Perfectly Good White Boy

"Katie Pierson has written a book that is important as it is impossible to put down. '89 Walls is a smart, frank, and courageous novel that brings us back to a strange and important era, all the while shedding new light on the issues and taboos that haunt us till this day." --Nina De Gramont, author of Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, and The Boy I Love

"This lively and well-turned novel has serious value. It's stealth-history of a crucial year, 1989, when walls of all kinds come crashing down." --Will Weaver, Minnesota Book Award-winning author of Full Service, Defect, and "A Gravestone Made of Wheat," (adapted for the film, Sweetland)

From the Author

I never planned to write a novel. I just like to read them. But a conversation with a friend in 2006 about the pros and cons of potentially attending my 20th high school reunion brought to mind the random people you run into at those things: old crushes, old "frenemies." I suddenly had the idea for Seth and Quinn's reluctant romance in '89 Walls.

It wasn't until I was half done that I realized that the story was also a partisan allegory. Seth is the Democratic Party in the late 80's: reactive, angry, without a compass. Quinn's father, Tom is the Republican Party: optimistic, smug, still grounded in a true small government philosophy and underestimating the rising Religious Right with its creepy fascination with people's private lives. Mr. Levine, the teacher, is the moderator who allows two strong points of view to talk it out respectfully. Quinn is all of us, trying to find her way when tidy theories crash into reality.

My critics hate '89 Walls in an interestingly passionate sort of way. They say I have an agenda. This cracks me up. Of course I have an agenda. As does everyone I've ever met. One of my characters says, "If you think you're neutral, you're kidding yourself." '89 Walls is about the choices we make in love, sex, family loyalties, politics and friendship. It's a fast-paced summer read for older teens and anyone who remembers the 1980s. Message-wise, I'd describe it as pro-dialogue, pro-choice, and pro-young people.

Readers who experienced 1989 as teenagers may be surprised to discover how much went down that year: divestiture in apartheid South Africa, the Tiananmen Square protests, the Webster decision, the Iran-Contra scandal, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the savings and loan crisis, the growing AIDS epidemic, the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the premiere of Seinfeld.

I see YA less as a genre than a state of mind: there's no formula for plotting or world-building. The only criteria for young adult literature is that they feature a teen as the protagonist. Technically speaking, Shakespeare, Salinger, Mark Twain, Jane Austen and Margaret Mitchell all authored YA. I love it because it's inherently relatable. We've all been there.

From the Inside Flap

"As with the political discussions, issues of sex and sexuality in '89 Walls are rich and complex, a mix of desire, consequences, awkward embarrassment and intensely delightful exploration." -- Carrie Mesrobian, Minnesota Book Award-winning author of Sex & Violence and Perfectly Good White Boy "Katie Pierson has written a book that is important as it is impossible to put down. '89 Walls is a smart, frank, and courageous novel that brings us back to a strange and important era, all the while shedding new light on the issues and taboos that haunt us till this day." -- Nina De Gramont, author of Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, and The Boy I Love "This lively and well-turned novel has serious value. It's stealth-history of a crucial year, 1989, when walls of all kinds come crashing down." -- Will Weaver, Minnesota Book Award-winning author of Full Service, Defect, and "A Gravestone Made of Wheat," (adapted for the film Sweetland)

About the Author

Katie Pierson freelances for local non-profits, using her background in public policy and grassroots organizing to overthrow the patriarchy one introverted step at a time. When she's not writing fiction, she returns library books, makes soup, and tries to be cooler than she really is by hip-hopping at the YMCA. She lives with her husband and two daughters in a suburb of Minneapolis.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00YQNHT56
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wise Ink (June 8, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 8, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4935 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 267 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.2 142 ratings

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Katie Pierson freelances for local non-profits, using her background in public policy and grassroots organizing to overthrow the patriarchy one introverted step at a time. When she’s not writing fiction, she returns library books, makes soup, and tries to be cooler than she really is by hip-hopping at the YMCA. She lives with her husband and two daughters in a suburb of Minneapolis. You can reach her through her website, www.katiepierson.net, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/89walls/, and on Twitter @katiedoodles58.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

142 global ratings

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J. Reise

Bringing both the final days of the Cold War & high school to life

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2015

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It would seem that teenagers in Lincoln, Nebraska would be far removed from world events during the final days of the Cold War. Author Katie Pierson effectively connects the complicated mix of hope and relief, but also anxiety and risk, that came with the big changes on the world stage and the big changes as Seth and Quinn are finishing high school and facing the rest of their lives.
In ways I've seen few young adult books accomplish, '89 Walls effectively captures the inner monologue of young people experiencing their first romance, managing changing relationships with family, and encountering existential questions of who they are in the world, why life isn't fair, and the roll of politics in our personal lives.
The book deserves immense kudos for tackling hot-button social issues by realistically personalizing them. These are matters not frequently explored in these ways contemporary literature, especially young adult literature, but author Katie Pierson is fearless. And still, the reader is not bludgeoned with the "heavy issues." The book is simply honest about what many young people experience. We could use more books like this one.
Lastly, the scenes are beautifully descriptive. I loved how the appearance and changes in the buildings, trees, flowers, and the weather were woven into the story. The cracked concrete, the smell of grass, the movement of clouds, the blooming forsythia complimented the events of the book or the emotional state of the characters. The book made me miss having forsythia in my yard. I'm going to have to plant some now.
Highly recommend.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

What a beautiful novel!

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2015

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What a beautiful novel! A fast-paced pleasure to read, and by the end, it had also brought me to tears -- and rescued me from them. And it's a novel for all ages. For adults, it poignantly and brilliantly evokes the memory of being a teenager -- as either a girl or a boy. For teens, it's even a guide on falling in love. For the parents and grandparents of teens, it's a window on supporting your children's growth to adulthood -- and how that includes your child challenging you to grow more too. My own children are too young to read yet, but I want to one day recommend it to them for the brave dignity (and stumbles) with which the main characters approach their developing sexuality. And there's the grace with which the characters face a life-threatening illness in a single parent. The novel also transportingly brings back 1989 (I personally wish it also referenced that the voice of Mr. Magoo died that year -- but, of course, that's a just-me wish), and the startling history of that year in the national and global cultures, on tensions that continue today, but the personal story is both contemporary and timeless.

One person found this helpful

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kerkle

Good depiction of relationship challenges for teens and good for adults too.

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015

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As a child of the 80s this book was fun to read and a good story about overcoming stereotypes and liking who you like, not who you should. The teenagers in this book were far more politically aware and engaged than any teen I've ever met, but it's fun to read about all types of families and people. That's s what books are for! Great story for teens and adults about many of the relationship and friendship challenges teens face as they transition through the end of the senior year and into college. It was very real and lifelike to me, and made me recall friendship challenges and changes I had long forgotten. Great summer read!

One person found this helpful

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Bookaholic

Hard to rate

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2019

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I found this book very hard to rate. Possibly it is for teens. Don't know if I would've liked it better if I was a teenager. I think the most honest thing I can say about this book is that I started reading it quite some time ago and only just recently finished it. I was at the last chapter or two. And had to go back into the review on Amazon to remember what the plot was. And that's not a good thing. There are many books that I have read on Amazon that just the title will remind me of the story. In order for a book to really strike me, I have to remember what it was about. This one did not.

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B G Turner

Looking at all sides of the questions

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading ’89 Walls. I was impressed with the story line. The background of extremely important political events unfolding at the time was a great vehicle to illustrate emerging questions and the realization that everything is not black or white. To me the story is of dealing with the challenges of becoming an adult, determining who one hopes to become, and how to make that happen. I enjoyed the realization and discovery by both teens that while their parents lovingly brought them up, they needed to question, make their own decisions, and finally strike their own course.

As a sidebar, I grew up in Lincoln during a much earlier period and the various references to locations were a special treat for me. They prodded me to “Google Earth” my childhood homes and virtually walk to school and houses of old friends. My family has always had quite Liberal leanings and interestingly I have ended up living in ridiculously Conservative locations. I found that I adored the father in this book because while he was the Conservative voice, he seemed way more thoughtful, principled, and ultimately more reasonable than the old school folk screaming around us today.

2 people found this helpful

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Amy Bidrman

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2015

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brilliant YA, historical novel! w

Melissa

It was an OK book

Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2015

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Set in the year 1989; '89 walls is a tale of life, young love, and politics.

Quinn Ganey is the adolescent offspring of a hardcore conservative upbringing. On the other side of the spectrum we have Seth. Seth Burton is living a hard life; where familial circumstance has all but ruled out college for him. Can these two overcome their strong personal beliefs; and become the proverbial and politically driven Romeo and Juliet?

Before I begin this review, I want to thank the author for sending me this book; acknowledging the time and effort put into this work. I must confess that at first I was not overly taken with this novel; I found it a slow start where I really had to push myself to get into the plot. I strongly suspect that I was too Canadian to have fully grasped certain aspects of this politically driven plot.

Despite a rocky start, I found myself starting to enjoy the story about half way through; where the plot picked up and the characters became less arrogant and self-righteous.

This was a reasonably decent novel. However, I would have classified it as a New Adult book as opposed to its current ranking of Young Adult. I found many of the topics a touch too mature for a YA book. As such, I must conclude this review with a warning. This book contains sensitive topics such as abortion, politics, assisted suicide and sex; which may trigger or offend some readers.

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'89 Walls Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

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Katie Pierson

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