Vicky Decker has perfected the art of hiding in plain sight, quietly navigating the halls of her high school undetected except by her best (and only) friend, Jenna. But when Jenna moves away, Vicky’s isolation becomes unbearable.
So she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other people’s pictures, posting them on Instagram under the screen name Vicurious. Instantly, she begins to get followers, so she adds herself to more photos from all over the world with all types of people. And as Vicurious’s online followers multiply, Vicky realizes she can make a whole life for herself without ever leaving her bedroom. But the more followers she finds online, the clearer it becomes that there are a lot of people out there who feel like her— #alone and #ignored in real life.
To help them, and herself, Vicky must find the courage to face her fear of being “seen,” because only then can she stop living vicariously and truly bring the magic of Vicurious to life.
In this beautiful and illuminating narrative, Sharon Huss Roat shines a light on our love of social media and how sometimes being the person you think you want to be isn’t as great as being the person you truly are.
So she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other people’s pictures, posting them on Instagram under the screen name Vicurious. Instantly, she begins to get followers, so she adds herself to more photos from all over the world with all types of people. And as Vicurious’s online followers multiply, Vicky realizes she can make a whole life for herself without ever leaving her bedroom. But the more followers she finds online, the clearer it becomes that there are a lot of people out there who feel like her— #alone and #ignored in real life.
To help them, and herself, Vicky must find the courage to face her fear of being “seen,” because only then can she stop living vicariously and truly bring the magic of Vicurious to life.
In this beautiful and illuminating narrative, Sharon Huss Roat shines a light on our love of social media and how sometimes being the person you think you want to be isn’t as great as being the person you truly are.
Coming from HarperTeen on August 15, 2017.
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PRAISE for How to Disappear:
“This is a witty, hard-to-put-down novel. Those who enjoy Laurie Halse Anderson’s works and Sophie Kinsella’s Finding Audrey will want to snap up this funny, important, touching, and, at times, profound title.”
— Starred Review, School Library Journal
"The dichotomy between Vicky and her online persona will ring true to many teen readers. Roat explores both the impulse to create an enhanced digital self and the desperation of those seeking connection through online platforms. Also noteworthy is Roat’s portrayal of Vicky’s paralyzing social anxiety."
— Booklist
“In this engagingly plot-driven crusade of kindness, Roat turns the voyeuristic isolation of social media on its ear to launch a community-building campaign that accommodates her message of kindness and acceptance without being corny. Just like the protagonist's virtual foil, this should have wide appeal to the Gen-Z crowd.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“How to Disappear is a heartfelt and heartwarming story for anyone who’s ever wanted to be someone else; for anyone who’s ever felt like they were on the outside looking in; for anyone who’s ever felt alone in a room full of people.”
– Jeff Zentner, author of Morris Award Winner
The Serpent King and Goodbye Days
“Through Vicky Decker's moving journey, Sharon Huss Roat has perfectly captured everything that's beautiful and terrible about social media, and all the ways it can't possibly compete with real life. If you're a fan of Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen or if you're, you know, any human being living in the 21st century, you need to read this.”
— Lance Rubin, author of Denton Little's Deathdate
and Denton Little's Still Not Dead
“This book. THIS BOOK. It punched me in the heart in the best possible way, reducing me to a small puddle of feels by the end. Flawlessly plotted. Gorgeously written. Absolutely perfect.”
– Marci Lyn Curtis, author of The One Thing
“Perfectly captures the agony and ecstasy of sharing who you are, whether online or IRL… how it feels to get attention, not knowing whether it will make you or break you. Powerful, tender, and real, Sharon Huss Roat provides a voice for every girl reaching out from the comments section.”
– Maggie Thrash, author of Honor Girl and We Know It Was You
“A beautifully touching, relevant book about who we are and who we pretend to be to feel connected. It’s a tribute to anyone who’s ever felt invisible, yet aching to be seen.”
– Lauren Gibaldi, author of The Night We Said Yes and Autofocus
“Eloquently captures the feeling of fear and loneliness we all experience when we part ways with our first real friend. Readers will root for Vicky as she finds strength through her online persona. Uplifting, empowering, romantic—it’s everything you want in a contemporary read.”
– Paula Stokes, author of Girl Against the Universe and Liars, Inc.
“Hopeful, relatable, and deeply empathetic How to Disappear is a bighearted story for the Instagram generation.”
– Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned
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I just recently finished reading "How to Disappear", and it is my all-time favorite book. Being as busy as I am, I started off by reading one chapter per night. I began to not be able to put the book down and started reading two to three chapters a night. Three weeks later, I finished the book. At first, I was happy that I finished the book, but then I was sad that it was over. After reading this blog, I really want to get the book "Between the Notes". Hopefully soon, I can leave a review on that book too! Overall, an amazing book. It is terribly difficult to put down, engaging, and very well written and in my case relatable.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading! Sorry I've been terribly slow in responding to comments... they stopped alerting me when they were posted and I just discovered a few that had gone unanswered!
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