Deborah Emin creates an authentic child’s voice that bubbles forth from a freckle faced, red-headed seven year old
who christens herself “Scags”, a name she gave to her father’s red tipped glowing cigars when she was two years old.
Scags at 7 takes us on a journey back to childhood replete with observations and insights that make us squint and
nod, dislodging our adult filter, conjuring the myriad forgotten details that pulsed and burned and danced our own
childhoods to life. With deceptively simple language, Emin weaves a tale that begins with Scags’ unconditional love
for “Pops”, a fun-loving, gregarious father who allows her such ecstasies as steering the family car and walking on the
kitchen ceiling.
As Pops’ behavior becomes more and more erratic, Scags bears witness to the hard lessons life has to offer. This is
a refreshing book that reveals the sweet honesties of childhood without ever descending into the realm of maudlin
manipulation.
-- Neil Intraub
Scags at 7 is the beautifully written story of a young girl whose dreamy visions of early childhood are about to be
shattered by the encroaching realm of adults. Deborah Emin has given us a novel which captures the heartbreaking
innocence of young Celia Harper Morgenstern in the face of a juggernaut of reality. Her adventures in the summer
between the second and third grade take her on a journey filled with heartache and laughter, confusion and the crystal
clarity of an eastern sage. Indeed, she sometimes sees through the haze of adult sophistication with a mature
simplicity which belies her age. Scags is the unifying factor in the web of characters who define her world. Her
allegiance to her “Pops” through it all will reassure the most jaded among us that love can not only carry us through
the hard times, it can keep the promise of the future alive in all of us. Scags at 7 is a buoyant, wonderful homage to the
human spirit. I enthusiastically recommend it.
-- Kevin McTighe
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