Teen Angst 101

I'm back from Italy and man it rocked. Of course some moments were better than others. Who knew Italy was so friggin hot in the summer? Holy oppressive heat Batman! Or that 5 minute walks are really 20 minutes long? Still the scenery was amazing and the artwork breathtaking.

For my first post back I decided to review By the time you read this I'll be dead.

Daelyn Rice's life sucks. She's tried suicide a few times, and has failed. One was so extreme I was like what...seriously? Who tries that? Things aren't going well for her so one day when she logs onto her computer she finds a website that is dedicated to people who want to kill themselves. They talk about their crappy lives, and how they want to end it. There is also a how to guide on how to conduct suicide, which is the least painful method and which one is the most accurate.

One day while in the park Daelyn meets Santana, a young man with his own demons. She wants nothing to do with the annoying teen, but as time goes by she realizes he's not as bad as she first thought.

I liked this book a lot more than 13 Reasons Why. The main character in this book seemed a lot more real and a lot more desperate. Unlike the main character in 13 Reasons Daelyn has legitimate reasons to off herself. She wasn't put on a hot butt list. She had to deal with bullying and molestation.

The book doesn't hold any punches. Its a frank and sometimes scary view of those who think about suicide. And while I loved the book I do take issue with Daelyn and Santana's relationship. I didn't buy the author's message(but I won't give it away). The ending may have some students annoyed. I know I was a bit put off by it.

Still, I think this is a great novel. I highly recommend it. And for students looking for another teen suicide book then they should give this one a go.

I want it Wednesday

After I read By the time you read this I'll be dead( review pending) I wanted to see what else the author had written. On her Amazon page I saw Rage: A love story. I mentioned this book before in passing, but after Peters' latest book I like her writing style and I thought other students might enjoy it as well.

Here is a summary:
Johanna, 17, watched her mother die while her older sister escaped to college, and she fantasizes about a relationship with Reeve Hartt. Reeve's mother is a junkie prostitute, and her mother's boyfriend, no surprise, physically and sexually abuses Reeve. Reeve is hypersexual and violently angry, and she beats Johanna.

I want it Wednesday

The title caught my attention. This book sounds interesting and I have heard of people doing this. Here is a summary from Amazon.

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light .com.

While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life.isn't it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge.