Jawbreaker: Unlock the (U)niverse review by VBat
Jawbreaker - Unlock the (U)niverse
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Nonfiction

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 18
Reviewer's Location - Mechanicsburg, PA , United States
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Jawbreaker: Unlock the (U)niverse is a short self-help book that focuses on teaching self-love, confidence and self-awareness in 9 steps. The author, Jolene Stockman, compares each individual to a jawbreaker- made up of many complex layers that they have assembled throughout their lives.Using visualization, muscle testing, and extended metaphors, readers work to figure out who they are, what they want from life, and how they plan to get there. The book is part pep-talk and part advice, and uses funny anecdotes from the author's personal life to illuminate each step. 

Opinion: 

Jawbreaker: A Guide to the (U)niverse was a fun, confidence-boosting pep talk.  Extended metaphors, anecdotes and the use of 2nd person made the book easy to read and understand. I enjoyed trying out the "muscle testing," and the bold, confidence-boosting language definitely brightened my mood.

My favorite part about the book is it's light, entertaining tone. The book throws around words like "razamatazically" and "niggles," and includes anecdotes about fish, stealing, and bad job experiences. These elements, along with the confidence-boosting language, make the book perfectly suited for pre-teen and teen girls looking for inspiration in their quest for happiness and self-assurance. 

Despite this light and happy tone, I found some statements in the book to be very off-putting. These bold claims are meant to be empowering, but felt awkward and misplaced.  At one point, the author claims that "You are the center of everything. The world revolves around you." The book continues with the idea that the reader is the most important thing in the world, and even suggests that individuals can "decide exactly what [they] want, order it, and completely relax until it arrives." While I can certainly see the confidence-building potential of these statements, I feel as though they are not particularly relevant in today's society. This line of thinking could easily encourage self-centeredness, and blind trust in "the universe" to deliver our dreams on a silver platter is ridiculous in this economy. 

All in all, I would have preferred to see more practical ways for the reader to achieve their goals included in the book. However, I would definitely recommend this book to pre-teen and teen girls who need a confidence boost, feel stuck in their situation, or want to take some time to get to know themselves.

Rating:
3
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content

Explain your content rating: 

Some language that may be considered offensive

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