I’m Still Cringing: A Junior High Journal Paperback – March 11, 2026

If you’ve ever felt like you never truly escaped the seventh grade, you’re not alone. In I’M STILL CRINGING, Patty LaNoue Stearns takes readers back to Detroit in 1962.Twelve-year-old Patty is a Girl Scout on the brink of a breakdown. Growing an inch an hour and towering over every boy she likes, she is "frayed around the edges," swearing like a sailor and experimenting with "borrowed" cigarettes in the school bathroom.From the tragic loss of a first love to the dark humor of a drunken encounter saved by a stubborn piece of shapewear, Stearns doesn't shy away from the messy reality of puberty. It’s a journey through "footwear foibles," unrequited love, and the "terrible secrets" of growing up in a house of nine.I’M STILL CRINGING is a hilarious, relatable, and sometimes heartbreaking reminder that while we grow up, the "gut-wrenching humiliation" of our teenage years stays with us forever like dandruff on a black sweater. Read more