Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
type
TVTItem
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
label
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
page
HowOpalMehtaGotKissedGotWildAndGotALife
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
comment
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life is a 2006 young adult coming-of-age novel by Kaavya Viswanathan, best remembered for serious accusations of plagiarism.It follows Opal Mehta, a nerdy Indian-American teenager who has dedicated her entire adolescence to academic studies, in the hopes of making it into Harvard University. However, despite her 4.0 GPA, during her admissions interview Opal is stumped when the interviewer asks her what she likes to do outside of studies. Realizing she has no life and little sense of identity outside of being a good student, and that simply getting good grades may not be enough to be accepted into Harvard, Opal sets out to immerse herself in American teen culture outside of academia.The novel had a lot of hype around it prior to its publication, especially because the author was a Harvard freshman when she wrote it and light-hearted YA novels starring Indian-American protagonists were rare. Upon its publication on April 4th 2006, Opal Mehta made it onto The New York Times Bestseller List, there was a movie adaptation in the works and Viswanathan was already contracted for a sequel. Things were going well......Until less than a month later, people began noticing that Opal Mehta was very similar to other novels of its kind. And we're not just talking similar tropes and themes shared across the genre; we're talking plot points, characters and entire passages seemingly copied and pasted from other authors' works. Opal Mehta and its author were soon caught in the middle of a huge scandal, with the publisher Little, Brown and Company quickly pulling the plug on the book's release and cancelling Viswanathan's contract. To this day, Opal Mehta is largely remembered as a cautionary tale and intriguing case study about literary plagiarism.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
fetched
2024-04-15T16:49:44Z
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
parsed
2024-04-15T16:49:44Z
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
isPartOf
DBTropes
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_2676e225
type
Girl Posse
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_2676e225
comment
Girl Posse: The most popular and fashionable clique of girls at Opal's school are referred to as the HBz, short for "Haute Bitchez".
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_2676e225
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_2676e225
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_2676e225
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_3bc88a7f
type
Foregone Conclusion
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_3bc88a7f
comment
Foregone Conclusion: The title tells us that Opal succeeds in finding romance, growing beyond academia and getting "a life", with the novel chronicling how she does this.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_3bc88a7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_3bc88a7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_3bc88a7f
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_51a3ba7
type
We Used to Be Friends
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_51a3ba7
comment
We Used to Be Friends: Opal and Alpha Bitch Priscilla used to be best friends, but after Priscilla hit puberty and stating dating, she ditched her nerdy traits and stopped hanging around with Opal to pursue popularity. They start hanging out again as part of Opal's attempt to become 'cool' though Priscilla isn't much of a real friend due to her cattiness.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_51a3ba7
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_51a3ba7
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_51a3ba7
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_60985aa7
type
In with the In Crowd
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_60985aa7
comment
In with the In Crowd: Nerdy, introverted Opal tries to become more glamorous, outgoing and integrated with the popular kids at school so she can get into Harvard.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_60985aa7
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_60985aa7
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_60985aa7
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_72a1f533
type
Artistic License – University Admissions
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_72a1f533
comment
Artistic License – University Admissions: Several reviewers have found it odd that the Harvard admissions office cares so much about Opal's social life; while Harvard and other tertiary institutions often do look at prospective students' extracurricular activities and so on, it seems unlikely they'd care much about how popular Opal is and whether she has a boyfriend.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_72a1f533
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_72a1f533
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_72a1f533
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_9a279c3d
type
Bollywood Nerd
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_9a279c3d
comment
Bollywood Nerd: The book plays with this; Opal is Indian-American (born in India, lived in New Jersey since she was five), who has grown up aspiring to enter Harvard University and dedicating her entire life to achieving this. She has a 4.0 GPA, was her class' valedictorian and has won various academic awards. She's also very socially-awkward, unfashionable, knows little about popular culture, and has no real interests outside of studying. She believes women can be either smart or pretty, and has resigned herself to the former. When Opal is told by the Harvard admissions office that her lack of interesting traits outside of academia is hampering her acceptance, she becomes determined to shed her nerdiness and become 'cool'.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_9a279c3d
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_9a279c3d
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_9a279c3d
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_b1e8a3b3
type
Coming of Age Story
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_b1e8a3b3
comment
Coming of Age Story: The novel revolves around a seventeen year old girl trying to figure out who she is as she prepares to head for college, including getting a makeover, going outside her comfort zone and falling in love.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_b1e8a3b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_b1e8a3b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_b1e8a3b3
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_ce27dc3f
type
Protagonist Title
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_ce27dc3f
comment
Protagonist Title: Opal Mehta is the titular protagonist and narrator of the story.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_ce27dc3f
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_ce27dc3f
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_ce27dc3f
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_e6c88e42
type
Old Shame
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_e6c88e42
comment
Old Shame: Priscilla regards some things in her nerdy past as this, such as naming her dog Pythagoras and wearing a My Little Pony sweatshirt every day in eighth grade.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_e6c88e42
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_e6c88e42
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_e6c88e42
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_faa71569
type
Romantic False Lead
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_faa71569
comment
Romantic False Lead: Student president Jeff is this for Opal; she spends much of the book crushing on him and gets close to having a relationship with him, only to realize Jeff is a jerk. She instead ends up with Sean, a boy who always loved her even when she was a nerd.
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_faa71569
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_faa71569
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_faa71569
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
type
ItemName
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
comment
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life / int_name
itemName
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
American Literature (E to I) / int_57fe168d
 Artistic License – University Admissions
processingUnknown
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
Asian-American Media / int_57fe168d
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
Bollywood Nerd / int_57fe168d
 Chick Lit
processingUnknown
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
Creator Killer / int_57fe168d
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
Dancing Bear / int_57fe168d
 Lying Creator
processingUnknown
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
No Such Thing as Bad Publicity / int_57fe168d
 Realistic Fiction
processingUnknown
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 They Copied It, So It Sucks!
processingUnknown
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
 How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
hasFeature
Young Adult Literature / int_57fe168d