Welcome to Litsy!

4 people who were part of their high school speech team in the mid 80s reunite 25 years later as they discover they all had some distressing incidents with their speech coach. Since I graduated high school in the mid 80s, nostalgia was certainly part of the appeal. It considers how our perspectives change as we get older. What is socially acceptable has changed over time, making us reevaluate the things that we experienced in a new light.

Yep, the cover probably reminds you of “The Breakfast Club.” I‘m enjoying this #GenX version of “The Big Chill.” #1980s

Who‘s up for Gen X nostalgia? 🙋🏻‍♀️ After the suicide of one its members, a 1987 award-winning Speech Team reunites and begins to talk about the messed up things the coach said to them, some of which the dead member shared in his last FB post. As someone who had f***ed up things said to her by her Academic Team coach, I related. But the book isn‘t overly serious. It doesn‘t make light or excuse the coach, but these characters were darkly funny.

I was a huge fan of Tim Murphy's Christadora. In his latest, the author examines childhood traumas as a group of alumni Gen-X adults reform their speech team in in the wake of a tragedy. Convinced their former mentor and high school teacher is to blame, the set sought to confront him in order to find closure, understanding and healing.