One of the best messages from Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is that you are wanted. Libby Strout distributes this message to her entire high school, after years of struggling with the way she looks. It’s a message that she constantly has to tell herself, but it is worth the reminder.
Libby is all about dancing, expressing herself through movement. What better way to pay tribute to her character than to create a playlist for her?
Here’s to being yourself and dancing without a care in the world.
“Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar
Libby begins the morning before she goes back to school for the first time in five years dancing to Pat Benatar, getting herself psyched for the day ahead. Anyone can face the day after a good Pat Benatar song.
“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
Perhaps this is more Jack’s song than Libby’s–but I think she’d dance to it just the same. With a beat like that, it’s impossible not to. They’re bringing sexy back.
“Hurricane” by Panic! At the Disco
I picked this song mainly for the lyrics, “You’ll dance to anything,” because I believe they fit Libby to a tee. But, it also has an excellent beat, which makes it excellent to dance to.
“I Love to Love” by Tina Charles
Libby starts singing this song in the car on the way to Bloomington with Jack, and the two have the most epic dance party in the car on the way there.
“Ben” by Michael Jackson
Libby and Jack dance to this song on their first date, and it accurately describes their relationship. They are two lonely people that need each other.
“The Way We Get By” by Spoon
Before Jack and Libby meet each other, before they give each other the courage to be themselves, they’re just getting by. Hiding from themselves, hiding from other people, is the way they get by.
“Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars
If there’s any song that makes you want to get up and dance, it’s this one. And it’s about being comfortable in your own body, feeling confident in yourself. Which is exactly what Libby feels when she dances.
“It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning” by We Were Promised Jetpacks
Though Libby is trying to make things work, trying to hide her darkness and loneliness, sometimes that darkness shines through.
“Believer” by Imagine Dragons
When Libby finally takes things into her hands and stands up in front of her entire high school, preaching that everyone is wanted, I feel this song could have been coursing through her veins.
“We Are Young” by Fun.
By the end of the novel, I feel that Libby, and Jack, would sing this song from the rooftops, relishing in life. They are young, and they have so much to live for.