Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins, 666 pages

I had been searching for this book for a while when I found it while searching our catalog in our new Evergreen library system.  I enjoyed reading this book, even though it dealt with many taboo subjects.  But, I really felt like I connected with the three main characters in the book. Vanessa feels flawed as a person and only feels good when she is cutting herself.  Tony is a young, homosexual drug user who is living on the streets, trying to recover from the lose of his partner and from being abandoned by his father.   Conner is a teen who feels he cannot live up to the high standards his parents have set for him and recovering from having a sexual relationship with a teacher.  Each of the three find themselves locked up together in a psychiatric hospital called Aspen Springs.  The three each tried to commit suicide in their own way: Vanessa by cutting, Tony by pills, and Conner by shooting himself in the chest.  They are each sent to Aspen Springs to recover.  The three connect in a very special way.  The ending was shocking.

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins, 546 pages

I think I have read most of Ellen Hopkins books, and I must say this is probably one of my least favorites.  Matthew Turner is a teen in high school dealing not only with everyday issues but also dealing with the suicide of his homosexual brother, Luke. Luke was driven to suicide by the bullying he faced at school after he came out.  All this has made Matthew question his religion, his faith and his relationship with his girlfriend. All of Ellen Hopkins books are a little depressing, but this one was hard to get into.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, 288 pages

Thirteen Reasons Why is a teen book which may be considered controversial, but I found it a great story about teens and is really quite relevant in today's society where kids may be bullied. Clay Jenson finds himself on the receiving end of mysterious tapes that contain the thirteen reasons why Hannah Baker committed suicide.  Listening to this book on a playaway made the story all that more intense as you are listening to Hannah's voice on the tapes.  I recommend this read to both teens and adults.  It was really eye opening.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight- 400 pgs

Kate Baron is in the middle of a meeting with a client of her high profile law firm when she gets a call telling her she needs to come pick up her daughter, Amelia, from school immediately.  Amelia has been caught cheating on a paper.  This is way out of the ordinary for Amelia.  She has a 4.0, goes to an exclusive private school in Brooklyn, etc.  When Kate arrives at the school, it's worse than she can imagine:  Amelia has committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the school.  A few weeks after Amelia's death, Kate receives a text that says Amelia didn't jump.  What follows, is a mother who realizes that she doesn't know her daughter as well as she thought she did.  Told through Kate's eyes and flashback's told by Amelia, it all leads up to what happened that fateful day on the roof.

It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, 444 pages

It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, 444 pages

First of all, it's not really funny- it's about suicide, depression, and mental health- but the parts that are funny are because they're so realistic.  Remember being a kid and not understanding the nuances between "making out" and "hooking up,"the stupid things kids do at high school parties, or the intense pressure that comes as early as middle school?   (That is all there and is sometimes funny, brings back awkward memories.)  But more importantly, the story is about a teenager, Craig, who plans to kill himself, and then decides that he wants to live.  It's about coming to terms with depression- there's no pill that will make it go away, but rather it will always stay with Craig, and he will have to manage it in order to survive.  The book is painfully honest and real, but the ending is incredibly sad when you know that the author recently committed suicide (Dec 2013).  I felt all of the emotions reading this- while the critic in me wanted to pick apart writing style or hate some of Craig's friends, that eventually all falls away when you realize that this book, itself, was a way for Vizzini to help manage what ultimately turned out to be a losing battle with depression.

A Gift of Hope, Helping the Homeless by Danielle Steel

A Gift of Hope, Helping the Homeless by Danielle Steel,  128 pages

I have not read a Danielle Steel book in about 20 years.  This is the first nonfiction book I have read by her.  This was truly a very eye opening book.  This book not only gives insight into the life of Danielle Steel, but also into the plight of the homeless in San Francisco.  Danielle Steel shares the tragic death of her son Nick Traina who committed suicide by overdosing.  She talks about how after his death she went to church almost daily to pray.  It hit her that she needed to do something.  That something was helping the homeless anyway she could.  She began by handing out gloves, coats, and sleeping bags.  It started with just her, a van, and a few friends.  The effort grew to two vans and many friends, even former police officers.  She details many of the interesting people she met on the streets.  Her efforts increased to include packing all the items into duffel bags for each individual.  She kept giving by including toiletries and food.  She continued doing this until she could no longer fund it.  What Danielle Steel showed the homeless was there are people out there who care.  The bags she distributed gave hope to many desperate people on the streets.  At Christmas time, she even included teddy bears!!

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler, 209 pages

Missy is a cutter. It's the one way she knows how to release all the anger, frustration, hurt and other emotions that war inside her body. Cutting herself brings release, she believes. One day, she meets Death... and slams the door in his face. She learns she is to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - WAR. As she comes to terms with her life and who she is, changes for the better will start to take place. Don't worry, it isn't all doom and gloom. There is a bit of romance, peace and love in this novel, too.
While Rage is an emotional journey through one young teenage girl's life, it is also a good guide for parents and peers to understand a little more of what an "emo" might go through. It's a real eye opener. The author really did her homework by researching various sites and speaking with different people about the psyche of a cutter.

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 288 Pages

Clay Jenson returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself - a truth he never wanted to face.