Tobin, Tobi. Door to door, a novel.

Pocket Books, MTV. 259p. c2003. 0-7434-6496-6. $11.95. S

You can open many doors in your life, but it's the ones that you shut that will make the difference. For Tobi, life in the fast lane is what it is all about. It doesn't matter who she hurts and where she has to go--she is determined to get there. "There" is what she considers success. Young and beautiful, from a hard childhood in Michigan, Tobi decided early on that she wanted to make the big time. Maybe she will be a model (she has the looks) or maybe a movie star. After many starts and stops along the way and on a temporary basis, Tobi takes the job of being the "door person" at a couple of nightspots in Los Angeles. Life does not improve, except in a monetary way.

As Tobi makes the decisions about who gets into the club or who doesn't, she learns to survive a hard-edged nightlife that eventually takes a terrible toll. She meets glamorous people--movie stars, producers, models, directors--all must go through Tobi's Door to get in the swanky clubs. She must have bodyguards at all times because she receives threats. She discovers that she has a natural talent: she knows how to gauge the crowd, knows how to pick the right people, knows when to pick and choose. She works hard and her reputation as a bitch works for her in this business. She works at night, sleeps during the day, drinks too much and to keep herself relaxed, she smokes joints. The hardness around her makes her numb. She knows she is dying. She knows she must get out and eventually she is actually able to make the break. Tobi opens another door and this one takes her to a church service with her friend Charlotte. As this book ends, you know that Tobi's real life is just beginning.

Librarians and teachers need to know that Tobi's language is pretty raw, but reflective of her life. This first, semi-autobiographical novel is a riveting story of a young woman's spiritual journey that teens will find very appealing. Sally Tibbetts, LRC, Maine H.S., Des Plaines, IL

S--Recommended for senior high school students.