It's 6 pm and approximately 48 hours before I take my son to college...for the first time. Yikes. This feels way bigger than any other milestone.
Way...
There's one thing I must do before he can leave: finish the copy edited manuscript. I'm on page 233 (out of 328). It feels like my eyes are bleeding. Interesting timing, given that the book is about our SAT journey. The End must come before we can leave. Talk about closure.
There's a hold-up because I'm an "over-italicizer."
What is so wrong with italics? I like italics. Italics add tone. Contemplating italics for days hurts.
(Incidentally, I'm pretty sure italics are not tested on the SAT.)
I just received this galley letter from my fabulous editor, which helps.
Dear Reader:
I think you’ll find this bound galley hard to put down – even if you haven’t reflected much lately on standardized tests or worried how they may affect the students in your life.
Just as the best teachers wrap their lessons in a story, in The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT, Debbie Stier has skillfully embedded invaluable information and advice within a compelling personal narrative of a devoted and loving mother striving to relate to her teenage kids.
The book probes deep into a ritual of adolescence – in this case, taking the SAT. Debbie’s son was approaching the age when he’d begin grappling with the test, and to help him through the ordeal, she decided to research every test prep method imaginable. As it turned out, the quest played out like a fun Hollywood movie -- not what she expected.
It began with the College Board’s Question of the Day, which activated Debbie’s anxiety from her own high school SAT experience. Her efforts led her to re-take the SAT seven times, shuttling from the gothic halls of private boarding schools, to the cinder-block gyms of suburban public schools, to an urban high school in the Bronx, where, after passing through a metal detector, testers were greeted by posters advising them to “SAY NO 2 KNIVES.”
In reading the story of Debbie’s “whatever it takes” effort to rescue her son from underachievement, you may experience a shock of recognition and, yes, feel yourself propelled by the same fears and concerns about how your child is going to get into a decent college and realize his or her potential.
Certainly, you’ll come away from this book having learned a ton and feeling thoroughly entertained. The book is sad, hilarious, and, at times, poignant. There are some antic “Perils of Pauline” moments, some wacky characters, and even a parent/teenager war that breaks out. There’s reconciliation and, ultimately, a happy ending.
Enjoy the read,
Rick Horgan
V.P., Executive Editor
As soon as I get back I'm going to start posting SAT tips every day (famous last words). No, seriously. They're stacked up like little t.v. dinners, ready to roll.
You can read more about the book HERE, see what people are saying HERE, or pre-order a copy HERE. The book will be published in February 2014.
Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis
