Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America

Product Information

I mean, God, her writing . . . That is the number one reason I want to own and devour every one of her books. The two words I can use to describe her writing are raw and real. Even if this book is about magic fish and a boy who happens to have scales and a tail fin, it still felt so real, as if I were reading a contemporary novel. I make no secret of the fact that I love Moskowitz’s work with the power of a thousand Beiber fans except I don’t need to suspend my disbelief in Moskowitz’s ability. No. He'll save me. It's his turn. He would never ever miss his turn. I'm smiling just thinking about it. I'm smiling... Teeth takes readers on a disturbing journey into the role teeth play in our health and our social mobility. Otto “doesn’t just dwell on the numbers,” according to NPR, “she makes what could have been a turgid health policy tome spark with outrage over the stories of people who have suffered.” Her subjects include the pioneering dentist who made Shirley Temple and Judy Garland’s teeth sparkle on the silver screen; an up-and-coming beauty queen awarded thousands of dollars of free cosmetic dental care; and Deamonte Driver, a young Baltimore boy whose death from an abscessed tooth sparked congressional hearings.

You don’t have to read the book to see the potential in that concept. It’s amazing, original, full of promise – and having read Gone, Gone, Gone, I believed Moskowitz could pull it off. She does actually, for the most part. Teeth and Rudy’s relationship forms the crux of the story and while it may take some getting used to, I don’t think Moskowitz could have done it any better. It’s understated, subtle and as real as any human-fish bond could possibly get. And something small and insignificant inside me shatters, just like every night, and feelings hit too hard for me to stand. I bend at the waist and cling to the windowsill. I won't scream. I won't throw myself against the walls until the supports give and we fall into the ocean. I won't think about swimming as hard as I can.

Praise

Rudy's younger brother, Dylan, has cystic fibrosis. In a last-ditch effort to save Dylan's life, Rudy and his family move to a remote island where the fish are known to have healing qualities. Rudy suffers his angst alone until he meets Diana, the only other human adolescent on the island, and Teeth, the only non-human adolescent he's encountered... ever. Rudy and Teeth develop a strange and electric bond, but Rudy soon learns that all miracles come at a price - especially the one involving his little brother eating magical fish.

Diana: Diana, on the other hand, i really disliked. Maybe it would be best to say that she really seemed, at least in my eyes, the same as all the other humans on the island. If i do say anything else, i would spoil the fun and enjoyment of reading. I hate the fact that this book is weird, but the points you can get from all the metaphors and symbols are just too damned real. That sometimes we have no control of our lives no matter how much we think we do, no matter how much we fight for it so we can become the actual hero of the story, but no, no the reality doesn't effing work that way. Something shitty will always comes out. It's given. It's life. Most of the time you can't control what's going to happen to you but you can control how you're going to act on it. As much as I loved the central idea of the book, there were times when I completely disconnected from it. Like when you’re talking on the phone and the network’s down so the voice at the other end keeps breaking now and again. Something like that. The whole picture was brilliant-weird and I loved it, but there were all these tiny details or ‘um, what?’ moments in between that were just weird-weird and lost on me.The one thing that was annoying me is how thensidr characters felt flat somehow, they couldn't touch me as much as Rudy did, maybe because the author only allowed us into Rudy's mind? Maybe. With such a strong family bond and attachment to Rudy, his parents, and his younger brother, we now have the dilemma that Teeth brings with him. At first, Teeth is a rather strange character, one that, as the reader, it is impossible to know what to think of. With the progression of the novel, however, Teeth becomes every bit as real to us as Rudy and his bond of friendship - or something a little more - with Rudy is just as compelling as Rudy's bond with his younger brother. With each chapter that we read, layers of Teeth's past and his difficult life are slowly revealed to us, beginning the progression of heart-break throughout the novel. Teeth is such a deep, devastating, and depressed being that it is impossible not to love him, to want to help him and be there for him always. Even better, it is him who is willing to sacrifice his family of magical fish if push comes to shove. For Teeth, who has no family and whose existence itself is a mystery, it is the magical fish of the island that he is related to who make up his life. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review. The relationships between the characters were so beautiful and endearing that they just ... got to me like few manage. Do we need words to express what we feel? Do we need to put a name on a box? I don't think so. Friendship, guilt, expectations, but love love love. So much love that my heart can't contain it. I love great writing and I love when a book surprises me. Teeth did both of these things. Let me put it this way. I kept highlighting passages that stunned me with how emotional and gorgeous they were and at the end, I'd highlighted about 50 different passages. That's just a bit crazy. I can honestly say this was one of the best written books I've read in a while.