On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to Britta Lundin all about her new book, Like Other Girls, which is described as, “Fiercely charming and achingly relatable—a glorious, empowering touchdown, Britta Lundin’s sophomore novel will give readers all the feels and make them stand up and cheer.”
Here’s the summary….
After getting kicked off the basketball team for a fight that was absolutely totally not her fault (okay maybe a little her fault), Mara is dying to find a new sport to play to prove to her coach that she can be a team player. A lifelong football fan, Mara decides to hit the gridiron with her brother, Noah, and best friend, Quinn-and she turns out to be a natural. But joining the team sets off a chain of events in her small Oregon town-and within her family-that she never could have predicted.
Inspired by what they see as Mara’s political statement, four other girls join the team. Now Mara’s lumped in as one of the girls-one of the girls who can’t throw, can’t kick, and doesn’t know a fullback from a linebacker. Complicating matters is the fact that Valentina, Mara’s crush, is one of the new players, as is Carly, Mara’s nemesis-the girl Mara fought with when she was kicked off the basketball team. What results is a coming-of-age story that is at once tear-jerking and funny, thought-provoking and real, as Mara’s preconceived notions about gender, sports, sexuality, and friendship are turned upside down.
Like Other Girls does several things well, one of which is giving us a very realistic look high schoolers in a small conservative American town. These aren’t hyper-realized versions of teens that we normally get, they feel very real and very age appropriate, making the book land somewhere between a slice of life and local state football championship. With a good look at both internalized and externalized misogyny, Britta’s book is at times a very funny look at the fragility of the male ego, and at others, a very important coming-of-age story.
Steve and Britta talk about her glorious but short stint on HBO’s “Betty”, growing up in small towns, women’s sports, Like Other Girls of course, and much, much more.
Like Other Girls is out now, click HERE to order a copy today!
About the Author:
Britta Lundin is a TV writer and author. She has written for show such as Riverdale, The Big Leap, and Betty, definitely have some Betty questions. A longtime fanfiction reader and writer, she can track her life milestones by what she was shipping at the time. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she went to film school in Austin, Texas (Austin School of Film), and now lives with her wife and their dog and lemon tree in Los Angeles.
