I'm back from my surgery/recuperation hiatus, although still definitely not recouperated entirely. I have a lot of ideas to write about, but thought I would begin today with another book review. Another great book by Laurie Halse Anderson...Speak, like Wintergirls, is one which touches close to home as it is, unfortunately, true to life for many teens.
Melinda Sordino begins her first day as a high-school freshman as a social outcast. Her best friends from junior high have deserted her, and no one wants to have anything to do with her. During a summer party, Melinda gets drunk, along with all of the other kids, and is raped by a popular high school "jock." She calls 911, but is so traumatized that even when the police get there, she can't "speak" to them about what happened. In fact, she doesn't tell anyone, even her parents, so all of her friends figure she called the police just to break up the party. Consequently, they turn against her for ruining the party and their good time.
Not only does Melinda not tell anyone about the rape, but she withdraws into herself so much that she barely speaks to anyone for any reason. She skips classes, doesn't do assignments, and in general becomes totally estranged from her world and everyone in it. The only person with whom she has any interaction or rapport at all is Mr. Freeman, her art teacher. Although he doesn't know what has happened, he is astute enough to realize that she has been traumatized in some way...something that her parents seem to have no clue about. Through Mr. Freeman, Melinda struggles within herself to express in her art all of her deeply repressed feelings.
When the boy who raped her accosts her again, she finds enough physical and emotional strength to fight him off, to scream and say NO! This new-found strength helps her to become whole again, and the book ends with her sitting down with her art teacher, and saying: Let me tell you about it.
It is not until almost the end of the book that readers know for sure that Melinda has been raped at the summer party, but there are clues throughout which make the reader believe that this is what happened. For most of the story, the senior is not seen or heard, but then one day in the hallway, Melinda sees him and is frightend all over again: "I see IT in the hallway...IT sees me. IT smiles and winks." And when her former best friend begins dating this boy, Melinda feels that somehow she must find her voice and speak out.
Personally, I thought the part where the boy tries to rape her again a little contrived. This is supposedly what gives her the strength to tell him NO, and then to talk to her art teacher. But she has already decided that she must tell someone what happened to her when she finds out that her best friend is dating this boy, so why isn't that enough to make her "speak out?" Hmm...just my opinion.
Anderson does a beautiful job, once again, of finding the innermost secret pains of today's teens and writing about them with honesty, poignancy, and compelling realism. Teen readers will empathize with Melinda, and adults will cringe at the cruelty that kids heap upon one another. No matter what, this is a powerfully written book that no one will want to put down.
Read it, and let me know what you think.
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Friday, June 4, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
BooK Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
I'm back with another book review. I've heard so much about the Percy Jackson books I decided to buy the first one, The Lightning Thief. Umm. Well, I read it all the way through, and then went back and read parts of it over again. It is one of those books I didn't like but had to finish to see how it ends. I didn't like it for several reasons;
First, I'm not into this kind of fantasy. Actually, I'm not much into fantasy at all...I mostly like things like The Bridge of Terabithia, where there is at least some realism in it.
Second, I've never been too impressed by the Gods of Olympia ( ducks head and waits for thunder) or by Greek mythology in any form.
Third, well, let me tell you what the book is about before I go further. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old 6th grader who is dyslexic and ADHD, is a terrible student and is about to get expelled from his fifth or sixth school, most of them specifically for 'troubled kids.' He's never known his father, and his stepfather is a lout who regular does nothing but play poker and beat on Percy's mother.
Suddenly, he becomes the star player in a world of Greek gods and mythical monsters, all of whom seem to be out to get him for no reason he can figure out. His best friend in school turns out to be a satyr, his Latin teacher is really a centaur, and worst of all, Percy discovers he is a Half-Blood...the son of a god, Poisidan, and his mortal mother. To make matters even more complicated, he is sent to a half-blood camp to be trained by others like himself, and there manages to anger the gods and then is accused of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt. He and his two friends have just 10 days to find the bolt, return it to Zeus, and get Percy off the hook.
The concept of this book is great, and I'm sure a lot of kids love it. I'm even more confident that those who see the movie, and DON'T read the book, will like it even more.
BUT: being a children's writer myself, there were a lot of things that struck me wrong. One of the main things was that Percy's character came off as someone a lot older than 12. He just overcame his problems and obstacles too easily. He handled his new-found sword as though he'd been practicing with it for years. He defeats one monster after another with little thought or effort. He always seems to know where danger lurks. He goes one on one with Ares, the God of War, and defeats him. Really? Hmmm. Hopefully, the Gods aren't reading this book, or we all might have some 'splaining to do ! The result of that was that a lot of the excitement was lost, because if Percy can defeat the God of War so easily, there doesn't seem like much is left to the imagination as to what he can or cannot do in the rest of the book.
The second thing I couldn't relate to is the voice. Percy just doesn't 'sound' like a 12 year old, nor do the other kids. They all, but especially Percy, sound like an adult who's trying to sound like a 12 year old. I didn't feel there was much distinction between the voices, either.
And then...there is the resemblance to the Harry Potter books.
1) Percy, like Harry, is half mortal and half-god ( half-wizard.)
2) Percy has two friends, Annabeth and Grover ( Hermoine and Ron.)
3) Percy and his friends have a method of invisibility, Annabeth's cap ( cloak of invisibility)
4. Percy is sent away to a "summer camp" where there are other 'half bloods' like him ( Hogwarts Academy)
5. The camp has individual cabins ( Houses) which compete against each other in strange games.
6. The winner of the famous Capture the Flag ( Quittich) gets to hang their cabin banners all over camp.
7. One of the cabins house the "mean kids" that Percy gets into trouble with ( Slytherin.)
Okay, the kids that love Harry will most likely love Percy almost as much, and they won't care about these little things I listed above, and in fact, I seriously doubt that they will even recognize them. I guess it takes another kids' writer to pick up on things like that, but it really grated on me. The funny thing is...I don't usually "analyze" books while I'm reading them. I prefer just getting into the book and letting it take me away from my reality. But the elements in this one were so obvious, it didn't take any real analysis to discover them.
There are 6 or 7 more of the Percy Jackson books, but I won't be reading them. This kind of fantasy is enough for me in one book. However...I am wondering if the other books are clones of Harry Potter, too...
If you read the book, let me know what you think.
First, I'm not into this kind of fantasy. Actually, I'm not much into fantasy at all...I mostly like things like The Bridge of Terabithia, where there is at least some realism in it.
Second, I've never been too impressed by the Gods of Olympia ( ducks head and waits for thunder) or by Greek mythology in any form.
Third, well, let me tell you what the book is about before I go further. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old 6th grader who is dyslexic and ADHD, is a terrible student and is about to get expelled from his fifth or sixth school, most of them specifically for 'troubled kids.' He's never known his father, and his stepfather is a lout who regular does nothing but play poker and beat on Percy's mother.
Suddenly, he becomes the star player in a world of Greek gods and mythical monsters, all of whom seem to be out to get him for no reason he can figure out. His best friend in school turns out to be a satyr, his Latin teacher is really a centaur, and worst of all, Percy discovers he is a Half-Blood...the son of a god, Poisidan, and his mortal mother. To make matters even more complicated, he is sent to a half-blood camp to be trained by others like himself, and there manages to anger the gods and then is accused of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt. He and his two friends have just 10 days to find the bolt, return it to Zeus, and get Percy off the hook.
The concept of this book is great, and I'm sure a lot of kids love it. I'm even more confident that those who see the movie, and DON'T read the book, will like it even more.
BUT: being a children's writer myself, there were a lot of things that struck me wrong. One of the main things was that Percy's character came off as someone a lot older than 12. He just overcame his problems and obstacles too easily. He handled his new-found sword as though he'd been practicing with it for years. He defeats one monster after another with little thought or effort. He always seems to know where danger lurks. He goes one on one with Ares, the God of War, and defeats him. Really? Hmmm. Hopefully, the Gods aren't reading this book, or we all might have some 'splaining to do ! The result of that was that a lot of the excitement was lost, because if Percy can defeat the God of War so easily, there doesn't seem like much is left to the imagination as to what he can or cannot do in the rest of the book.
The second thing I couldn't relate to is the voice. Percy just doesn't 'sound' like a 12 year old, nor do the other kids. They all, but especially Percy, sound like an adult who's trying to sound like a 12 year old. I didn't feel there was much distinction between the voices, either.
And then...there is the resemblance to the Harry Potter books.
1) Percy, like Harry, is half mortal and half-god ( half-wizard.)
2) Percy has two friends, Annabeth and Grover ( Hermoine and Ron.)
3) Percy and his friends have a method of invisibility, Annabeth's cap ( cloak of invisibility)
4. Percy is sent away to a "summer camp" where there are other 'half bloods' like him ( Hogwarts Academy)
5. The camp has individual cabins ( Houses) which compete against each other in strange games.
6. The winner of the famous Capture the Flag ( Quittich) gets to hang their cabin banners all over camp.
7. One of the cabins house the "mean kids" that Percy gets into trouble with ( Slytherin.)
Okay, the kids that love Harry will most likely love Percy almost as much, and they won't care about these little things I listed above, and in fact, I seriously doubt that they will even recognize them. I guess it takes another kids' writer to pick up on things like that, but it really grated on me. The funny thing is...I don't usually "analyze" books while I'm reading them. I prefer just getting into the book and letting it take me away from my reality. But the elements in this one were so obvious, it didn't take any real analysis to discover them.
There are 6 or 7 more of the Percy Jackson books, but I won't be reading them. This kind of fantasy is enough for me in one book. However...I am wondering if the other books are clones of Harry Potter, too...
If you read the book, let me know what you think.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Hero's Journey
So okay, I said I wouldn't be back for about a month. But I'm so bored that I'm going to brave the one-handed writing and try to do this post...even if it takes me all day.
Have you heard of the writing concept, The Hero's Journey? It's a concept that came to life many years ago, but has been renewed recently by Christopher Vogler. It was written primarily for fantasy stories that are character driven, as opposed to being plot driven. However, I discovered that if your story is character driven, you can fit your main character into the Acts, Stages and Character Arcs that compose the Hero's Journey, even if it is a contempory or even an historical novel. I've just done that with Ben, my 'hero' in my historical fiction novel, and it's working out very well.
The Hero's Journey is divided into three "acts" which correspond to our beginning, middle and end. Acts One and Two have five stages, Act Three has two stages, and all have character arcs to correspond with each stage.
Act One begins with the hero realizing that some problem exists in his sphere of life, but has very limited knowledge or awareness of it. As the stages of Act One continue, the hero progresses from having increased awareness and knowledge of the problem to being reluctant to attempt to change or rectify the problem to finally overcoming his reluctance and being commited to trying to change things.
Act Two continues with the hero going through stages where he decides gradually to try different things to change the problem, then prepares for his final decision, faces his drawbacks and all the things that seem designed specifically to prevent him from achieving his goal of change, and finally sees him as totally committed to making the change or achieving his goal.
Act Three is the climax, where he finally accomplishes the change or the goal that he set out to do.
Look, we all know that there are NO new stories. Every story in the history of mankind has already been told. As writers, all we can hope to do is to put a different spin on an old story, to make it unique because of our voice, our characters, our settings, our dialogue, and etc. But this way of looking at our main character(s) makes things easier. What is it we are always told about writing fiction?
1. Our mc wants something.
2. There are forces ( situations, experiences, people) who are going to try to keep the MC from getting what she wants or achieving her goal.
3. How does she deal with these forces?
4. She either gets what she wants or achieves her goal, or she doesn't.
5. How does #4 affect her in the long run.
The hero's journey addresses all these points, but in a more concise way. I guess you can call it a type of outline, but for someone like me...who absolutely hates to outline...it just works better.
I'm going to give you two websites to check out. The first is the one I printed out originally, and worked Ben ( my historical fiction MC) into. The second is one I found recently, which has a good explanation of each of the Three Acts.
For the "questionnaire":
www.darkcloudpress.com/blog_files/Death_Percept_Heroes_Jrny_Quest.pdf
This is where you will find the outline of Acts, Stages, and Character Arcs.
www.hotnottowrite.com/big-huge-book-reviews/the-writers-journey-by-Christopher-Vogler/
This is a good explanation of each act, although it is written a bit differently than the 'questionnaire' above. Still worth reading, however.
Take a look, and see if you can't use it in your own work. If you want to see how I worked Ben into each act and stage, let me know and I'll email a copy to you.
Hope it works for you. Let me know.
Have you heard of the writing concept, The Hero's Journey? It's a concept that came to life many years ago, but has been renewed recently by Christopher Vogler. It was written primarily for fantasy stories that are character driven, as opposed to being plot driven. However, I discovered that if your story is character driven, you can fit your main character into the Acts, Stages and Character Arcs that compose the Hero's Journey, even if it is a contempory or even an historical novel. I've just done that with Ben, my 'hero' in my historical fiction novel, and it's working out very well.
The Hero's Journey is divided into three "acts" which correspond to our beginning, middle and end. Acts One and Two have five stages, Act Three has two stages, and all have character arcs to correspond with each stage.
Act One begins with the hero realizing that some problem exists in his sphere of life, but has very limited knowledge or awareness of it. As the stages of Act One continue, the hero progresses from having increased awareness and knowledge of the problem to being reluctant to attempt to change or rectify the problem to finally overcoming his reluctance and being commited to trying to change things.
Act Two continues with the hero going through stages where he decides gradually to try different things to change the problem, then prepares for his final decision, faces his drawbacks and all the things that seem designed specifically to prevent him from achieving his goal of change, and finally sees him as totally committed to making the change or achieving his goal.
Act Three is the climax, where he finally accomplishes the change or the goal that he set out to do.
Look, we all know that there are NO new stories. Every story in the history of mankind has already been told. As writers, all we can hope to do is to put a different spin on an old story, to make it unique because of our voice, our characters, our settings, our dialogue, and etc. But this way of looking at our main character(s) makes things easier. What is it we are always told about writing fiction?
1. Our mc wants something.
2. There are forces ( situations, experiences, people) who are going to try to keep the MC from getting what she wants or achieving her goal.
3. How does she deal with these forces?
4. She either gets what she wants or achieves her goal, or she doesn't.
5. How does #4 affect her in the long run.
The hero's journey addresses all these points, but in a more concise way. I guess you can call it a type of outline, but for someone like me...who absolutely hates to outline...it just works better.
I'm going to give you two websites to check out. The first is the one I printed out originally, and worked Ben ( my historical fiction MC) into. The second is one I found recently, which has a good explanation of each of the Three Acts.
For the "questionnaire":
www.darkcloudpress.com/blog_files/Death_Percept_Heroes_Jrny_Quest.pdf
This is where you will find the outline of Acts, Stages, and Character Arcs.
www.hotnottowrite.com/big-huge-book-reviews/the-writers-journey-by-Christopher-Vogler/
This is a good explanation of each act, although it is written a bit differently than the 'questionnaire' above. Still worth reading, however.
Take a look, and see if you can't use it in your own work. If you want to see how I worked Ben into each act and stage, let me know and I'll email a copy to you.
Hope it works for you. Let me know.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
OOOPS!
OOOPS! I made a big mistake in my last post. In giving you some of the 101 Best Websites, I left out a letter in one of them and it goes to something that has nothing to do with writing.
The website is: www.authonomy.com. The one I gave you is "autonomy.com" and it is some kind of technological website. The correct spelling is above, and it is the Harper-Collins site. It's pretty interesting if you've written a book, or have a finished manuscript that isn't published yet...you can upload it to this site and have registered users of the site read it. There's also a possibility of having Harper-Collins actually pick it up for publication.
That's all for now...still having to type with one hand, which is slow and annoying, but I wanted to correct this mistake when I realized what I had done.
I hope to be back on a half-way regular basis in another couple of weeks.
The website is: www.authonomy.com. The one I gave you is "autonomy.com" and it is some kind of technological website. The correct spelling is above, and it is the Harper-Collins site. It's pretty interesting if you've written a book, or have a finished manuscript that isn't published yet...you can upload it to this site and have registered users of the site read it. There's also a possibility of having Harper-Collins actually pick it up for publication.
That's all for now...still having to type with one hand, which is slow and annoying, but I wanted to correct this mistake when I realized what I had done.
I hope to be back on a half-way regular basis in another couple of weeks.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Websites Part Two
I promised you some more websites that I found in the latest issue of Writers Digest, so here they are.
Duotrope's Digest: http://www.duotrope.com/
There are over 2,000 markets at this site for fiction writers and poets.
Absolute Write: http://www.absolutewrite.com/
A forum for freelancers, novelists, bloggers and more.
Autonomy: http://www.authonomy.com/
This site was developed by the book editors at Harper Collins, and it allows you to upload your manuscript for free and have others look at it. HarperCollins editors read the most popular manuscripts and have even signed a few for publication.
Backspace: http://www.bksp.org/
This site features articles, columns and news from indudtry insiders. You have to pay a small annual fee for access to the forum, but it hosts literary agents, editors and authors, and it could be worth the money, as 47 of the original 110 have been publshed.
Author Tech Tips: http://www.authortechtips.com/
This site breaks down everything in social networking, blogging, and podcasting into basic explanations and advice for everyone who is a non-techie. ( Like me.)
Mystery Writing Is Murder: http://www.mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/
This mystery-writing mom talks about good guys, bad guys, plot twists and more.
WOW! Women on Writing: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/
This is a great site about women writers supporting other women writers throughout the whole writing process.
Well, that's it for web sites. There are a lot more in the May/June issue of Writers Digest, but you will have to buy the magazine or take a subscription to see them all. It's worth it!
This will be my last post for awhile. I'm having surgery tomorrow and will have my right shoulder/arm in a cast/sling for 4 weeks...if I'm lucky, only 4 weeks. So I apologize for being gone for about a month, but typing with only one hand is definitely for the birds.
Be good and play nice. See you later.
Duotrope's Digest: http://www.duotrope.com/
There are over 2,000 markets at this site for fiction writers and poets.
Absolute Write: http://www.absolutewrite.com/
A forum for freelancers, novelists, bloggers and more.
Autonomy: http://www.authonomy.com/
This site was developed by the book editors at Harper Collins, and it allows you to upload your manuscript for free and have others look at it. HarperCollins editors read the most popular manuscripts and have even signed a few for publication.
Backspace: http://www.bksp.org/
This site features articles, columns and news from indudtry insiders. You have to pay a small annual fee for access to the forum, but it hosts literary agents, editors and authors, and it could be worth the money, as 47 of the original 110 have been publshed.
Author Tech Tips: http://www.authortechtips.com/
This site breaks down everything in social networking, blogging, and podcasting into basic explanations and advice for everyone who is a non-techie. ( Like me.)
Mystery Writing Is Murder: http://www.mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/
This mystery-writing mom talks about good guys, bad guys, plot twists and more.
WOW! Women on Writing: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/
This is a great site about women writers supporting other women writers throughout the whole writing process.
Well, that's it for web sites. There are a lot more in the May/June issue of Writers Digest, but you will have to buy the magazine or take a subscription to see them all. It's worth it!
This will be my last post for awhile. I'm having surgery tomorrow and will have my right shoulder/arm in a cast/sling for 4 weeks...if I'm lucky, only 4 weeks. So I apologize for being gone for about a month, but typing with only one hand is definitely for the birds.
Be good and play nice. See you later.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Best Websites for Writers: Part One
How many of you get the Writers Digest? I just started getting it, and was amazed at so many of the articles that pertain to writing for children/young adults. I took the magazine years ago, and seldom saw anything I could use. This last issue had 101 best websites for writers, so I thought I would pass some of them along ( not all 101, however.)
The first ones are on "Writing Advice." A couple I already have listed but I'll share them again, anyway.
Editorial Anonymous: http://www.editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/
An unnamed children's book editor gives practical advice about everything from rejections to book promotions, and does so with a bit of wit.
Evil Editor: http://www.evileditor.blogspot.com/
A straight-talking editor dispenses tough-love advice on queries, snyopses, and the first pages of books, and does so humorously.
Long Story Short: An E-zine for Writers: www.alongstoryshort.net
This e-zine gives excellent writing tips and also offers a personal touch that most others don't. The editors of Long Story Short reply personally to every author who queries for advice on how to improve their work.
Novel Journey: http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/
There is great advice here from the sites 12 contributors, who offer a collection of interviews with authors, editors and freelancers.
Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: http://www.plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/
The always inspiring Martha Alderson helps you work out your plot problems.
That's all for now. I know, I know, 5 out of 101 isn't very much, but if you want to get them all, you'll just have to subscribe to Writers Digest !
I'll be back later with a few more.
The first ones are on "Writing Advice." A couple I already have listed but I'll share them again, anyway.
Editorial Anonymous: http://www.editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/
An unnamed children's book editor gives practical advice about everything from rejections to book promotions, and does so with a bit of wit.
Evil Editor: http://www.evileditor.blogspot.com/
A straight-talking editor dispenses tough-love advice on queries, snyopses, and the first pages of books, and does so humorously.
Long Story Short: An E-zine for Writers: www.alongstoryshort.net
This e-zine gives excellent writing tips and also offers a personal touch that most others don't. The editors of Long Story Short reply personally to every author who queries for advice on how to improve their work.
Novel Journey: http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/
There is great advice here from the sites 12 contributors, who offer a collection of interviews with authors, editors and freelancers.
Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: http://www.plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/
The always inspiring Martha Alderson helps you work out your plot problems.
That's all for now. I know, I know, 5 out of 101 isn't very much, but if you want to get them all, you'll just have to subscribe to Writers Digest !
I'll be back later with a few more.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Thoughts on Wintergirls
When I first began reading Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, I almost returned the book to the library. It is morose, it is chilling, it is frightening because it strikes so close to home in its truth.
Lia and Cassie have been friends forever. In high school, they enter into a pact to see who can lose the most weight the quickest. However, by the time both are totally caught up in the throes of anorexia, they have a falling out, and refuse to speak to each other. Before long, Cassie is found dead, alone, in a motel room...where she had called and texted Lia 33 times, but Lia refused to listen or read the calls until after she found out that her best friend was dead.
Cassie's death sends an already fragile Lia into a morass of painful self-destruction. Cassie ( who died as a result of a ruptured esophagus, in turn a result of violent bulima) becomes a ghost who haunts Lia and tries to draw her even further down into self-destruction. Lia's parents and step-mother are too busy and self-involved to really see what is going on with her, especially since she convinces them she is gaining weight...merely by adding clothing before she weighs. Finally, it is her art teacher who begins to slowly nudge her back from the edge of death.
This is not a story for the faint-hearted, nor should it be read in the midst of feeling "blue." But it is a marvelous book, written with understanding, sensitivity and passion from a first-person present-tense point of view. It is a book to be read by any parent who knows or believes that her/his daughter in involved in anorexia or bulimia. It is a book to be read by any teen who is considering trying to be "the skinniest person in school" or who, perhaps, is already experiencing the mentality of anorexia...where every bite of food is not to be thought of in terms of name, type or nutrition, but merely as a caloric number...the lower the better. It is a book to be read by every teen who believes that self-perception is tied to being thin, the thinner the better, and who is already exploring the caverns of self-starvation and the painful disconnection between perception and reality.
A hard-to-read book, but one which is even harder to stop reading.
Lia and Cassie have been friends forever. In high school, they enter into a pact to see who can lose the most weight the quickest. However, by the time both are totally caught up in the throes of anorexia, they have a falling out, and refuse to speak to each other. Before long, Cassie is found dead, alone, in a motel room...where she had called and texted Lia 33 times, but Lia refused to listen or read the calls until after she found out that her best friend was dead.
Cassie's death sends an already fragile Lia into a morass of painful self-destruction. Cassie ( who died as a result of a ruptured esophagus, in turn a result of violent bulima) becomes a ghost who haunts Lia and tries to draw her even further down into self-destruction. Lia's parents and step-mother are too busy and self-involved to really see what is going on with her, especially since she convinces them she is gaining weight...merely by adding clothing before she weighs. Finally, it is her art teacher who begins to slowly nudge her back from the edge of death.
This is not a story for the faint-hearted, nor should it be read in the midst of feeling "blue." But it is a marvelous book, written with understanding, sensitivity and passion from a first-person present-tense point of view. It is a book to be read by any parent who knows or believes that her/his daughter in involved in anorexia or bulimia. It is a book to be read by any teen who is considering trying to be "the skinniest person in school" or who, perhaps, is already experiencing the mentality of anorexia...where every bite of food is not to be thought of in terms of name, type or nutrition, but merely as a caloric number...the lower the better. It is a book to be read by every teen who believes that self-perception is tied to being thin, the thinner the better, and who is already exploring the caverns of self-starvation and the painful disconnection between perception and reality.
A hard-to-read book, but one which is even harder to stop reading.
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