Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Jacket Art Copyright: The Heads of State

Inside jacket summary:

"Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, Sam's best friend is dead. All he left Sam was a playlist and a note, saying that he took his own life. But what Sam doesn't know is: why? To figure out what happened, Sam must rely on the playlist and his own memory. But the more he listens, the more he realizes that his memory isn't as reliable as he thought."

Based off the jacket, you really expect the story to center around the significance of this playlist Hayden leaves Sam before committing suicide. Very disappointingly, it really doesn't. The chapter names are songs on the playlist and while they are mentioned briefly at the beginning of the chapter, there is no real significance to the playlist in the story. So while some very cool songs are picked, there is no real meaning there and seems to be just a selling point for the book. Lame. 

There is no answer to why Hayden killed himself, which I understand the author choice in not answering that for Sam or any of the other characters, because ultimately with suicide one can't really ever know for sure. That being said, the author never really explained why Hayden kept something a secret from Sam. We are told that Sam and Hayden are more like brothers. Despite Hayden's awful parents and brother, he is able to find escape by being at Sam's house where he liked it more. Nothing that Hayden was facing really gives you the sense that he lead the worst life, especially when he had Sam. 

That wasn't the worst offense by the author. In the end, the author throws in the character of Astrid, who is a "friend" of Hayden, unbeknownst to Sam. After Hayden's death, Sam's search for answers really then just turn into a romance with Astrid. Which ultimately doesn't work out because Sam finds something out about Astrid that he simply can forgive. There was just way too many things and characters that just didn't do anything for the story which a shame. The premise of learning about your best friend through a playlist is interesting and is why I picked up this book, but don't be fool.

my rating: C-

A.B.

Until It Hurts to Stop

Maybe you were teased, made fun of, bullied in grade school or middle school and maybe your tormentor changed schools.  Maybe you had begun to believe all that was over, that you could have friends, talents, succeed.  Then that person reappears and you are on red alert sensing that the worst could start all over again, thinking, feeling you could lose everything you have.  So you start acting towards and thinking about everything that is going on as if it means something different than it does and you really do almost lose the most important people and stuff in your life.  That's exactly what happens to Maggie.  It takes her a while to see that it isn't all about her and that all is not lost and that her one time tormentors have issues too, aren't so perfect.  Twice I had nemeses while in elementary and middle schools.  Twice they kept popping up other places when I least expected it.  Twice, I got to see these people for the flawed pathetic people they really were.  Having gone through some of what Maggie experienced, I really appreciated this book about trying to move on and being too insecure to do it.  Others may see themselves here too.  Its quite a good read.
JDW11/4/13

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Although this book was written in the 70s, it is a timeless tale with themes that are still relevant today.

In an all boys school there is a secret society called the Vigils that creates "assignments" for select boys to complete. Archie creates the assignments and is relatively revered in the school. A change is coming at the school, though, when the headmaster is out and the current man in charge, Brother Leon, sets out a plot to sell 20,000 boxes of old Mother's Day chocolates. While the school is used to chocolate sales, it was only half this amount and Brother Leon calls upon the Vigils to make sure every box is sold. There's only one flaw in his plan and it's a new boy named Jerry Renault. At first Jerry says no to selling chocolates because of an assignment but when the time period is over, he continues to refuse to sell. Brother Leon is furious because this boy is disrupting the system and soon others begin the start thinking like Jerry. The Vigils aren't happy either, especially after they told him to start selling and he continues to refuse. Can order be brought back or will free will reign?

This novel plays on a lot of important themes for teens such as peer pressure, bullying, free will and standing up for what you believe in. That said, the message at the end of the book isn't that uplifting, even if it is a bit realistic because sometimes the bad guys to succeed and wills are broken. Some of the ideas in the book are a bit perposterous and the characters caricatures, but maybe you have to go extreme to get your point across. I would have liked a little bit more character development. I wanted to know a little bit more with regards to motivation for certain characters. Most of all though, I wanted to see the bad guys taken down a peg and that never really happened.

This book is realistic in the point that the good guys don't always succeed, but unrealistic in certain situations. My expectations and hopes left me disappointed with the book, but I think it has merit for the themes that it presents.
MMK

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

First, although Anderson is well respected and popular, I don't especially like stories where issues are more important than character development. The subject is bullying and perhaps emotional abuse.

Tyler, took out his rage over being bullied by vandalizing the school. He received probation and community service for his evil deed. The story starts with both of these mostly out of the way but with an increase in the verbal attacks on him. His best friend is also being bullied by the same group of kids.

The sister of one of the bullies has taken an unexpected interest in Tyler. She sits with him at lunch and texts him. When her girl friends are around though she hangs with them instead. She invites Tyler to a big underage drinking party. Then goes with the girls. Tyler walks there so arrives late. Many are already drunk and making out. Tyler who is on probation and not supposed to be partying and drinking, mostly abstains. Still going is not his brightest decision.

He winds up driving the girl and a boy, both drunk to near toxicity home. Then walking home. Someone from the party has posted not very nice pictures of the girl on the Internet. Tyler is accused. The bullying in school gets out of hand to the point that Tyler is beaten up and made to go to school in isolation though he is not at fault. His computer is confiscated, he considers suicide. His father, who works for the girl's father is fired and takes it out on his already beaten son. From here the story winds down with Tyler deciding to take some control of his life and plan for the future and leave the mess at school behind. jdw 1/15/11

By the time you read this, I'll be dead by Julie Anne Peters

Suicide is never a happy topic and this book proved rather depressing. I personally did not like this novel. With such a serious topic, I felt like there needed to be powerful message and I didn't find one. The ambiguous ending left me feeling uncertain about the whole story.

Daelyn is suicidal. For years she's been bullied for her weight and, while other suicide attempts have failed, this time she'll succeed. She's discovered a website for people to talk about suicide without being discouraged from completing the task. The website offers different chat forums for people to tell their story, as well as information on ways to commit suicide. Daelyn has 23 days to complete the task and during those days, as she "purges" her pain on the website, she also meets Santana, a neighboring boy who has a keen interest in her. She, though, has disconnected with the world, not feeling anything, and struggles when she does have those moments of connection with others.

My first complaint about this book is the actual discussion of ways to commit suicide. I personally felt that breaking down suicide methods by effectiveness, time, availability, and pain is in poor taste, especially when it gives notes on ways to be most successful. I don't want to say that this book encouraged suicide, but I as I read, I didn't see any alternatives offered. To me it almost felt like if you're bullied, things are never going to get better and the only solution is suicide. I think that's part of the reason I don't like the ambiguous ending. Maybe if it was clear that she didn't kill herself, then the book wouldn't feel so "pro-death" but that's not how I'm left feeling. I can see why the author might not have wanted a black and white ending because for her to live is too "happily ever after" but to flat out say she did the deed, is insensitive. With a topic like suicide, there is a thin line but to not choose a side even with subtle hints leaves me as the reader unsettled. True this topic is completely unsettling, but I personally needed some sort of comfort and closure for Daelyn

In terms of the book creating a suicidal character, I think the author did a great job. Since Daelyn isn't speaking in the novel, there's a lot of reflection to what she'd like to say and how she'd feeling and the disconnect is definitely there. As she explores certain incidents on the chat forum, you can really feel her pain. Santana is a good contrasting character because as much as Daelyn wants to die, he wants to live. Another character, Emily - the new fat girl in school - also proves a good contrast for Daelyn.

I don't like suicide. I don't understand it and while this book did a great job getting into the mind of a suicidal character, I don't like how it handled the actual topic of suicide. Maybe I'm just too sensitive and oblivious to the clear clues for the ending but this book left me thoroughly unsettled.
MMK

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

This is a new take on a violent school shooting by an angry student in which one teacher and several students died. The cause is believed to be caused by anger at being bullied. The story
is named for a list of people, places, things that first a girl then she and her boy friend made. On it were popular kids who had been calling them names and otherwise mistreating the kids. The final straw seems to be that of a popular female athlete yanking the girl's mp3 player away on the bus and destroying it. The girl says she must pay then turns to boy friend and says make her pay. Valerie did not know that Nick would take her so seriously. Valerie did not know what Nick was planning. Valerie tried to stop the shooting and was injured herself. At least that is the conclusion reached by police investigators. There are those who doubt that. The shooting took place just before the end of the school year. Valerie has been healing from her wounds both physical and mental all summer. Now its time to start her senior year at the same high school at which the shooting took place. Valerie faces all the anxiety, negative reactions, false fronts, lies as best she can. She is an artist and begins painting and drawing to help herself. She seeks refuge first in the commons of the school where no one hangs out anymore then in a counselor's office. She, at first reluctantly helps student council with a memorial for the victims. Her parents were in the process of breaking up, this added to their problems, of course. Neither parent trusts her anymore and she makes matters worse by disappearing for hours as she struggles with the aftermath of the shooting. A younger brother Frankie all but disappears, said to be staying with a friend temporarily. He pops up again here and there but doesn't really fit in the story very well. Its an interesting view of the aftermath of a shooting, from a survivor who may be partly responsible. Its an unsatisfactory ending with Valerie hopping a train and riding into the sunset. That's with her parents who had been distrustful and controlling suddenly completely letting go and with Valerie having no idea where she is going or seemingly why. She seems to be running, giving up away rather than dealing. Her future doesn't look too bright. Maybe that's realistic. I don't know. I would rather have had her travelling to different colleges and art schools looking for a fit than giving up. This is very popular with the teens and mostly a good read. I would recommend it. JDW 3/26/10

Bad Apple by Laura Ruby

Bad Apple is one of those books that leaves me unimpressed, but I can't pinpoint why I feel this way. All I know is it was forgettable.

Tola is considered weird because she has green hair and is obsessed with Grimm's fairy tales. Now the vast majority of her school is against her because of a supposed affair with the art teacher. She denies any affair ever happened, but no one seems to care what she has to say. Just the same, a witch hunt ensues to destroy her and the teacher, lead by a fellow student who delights in messing with people's reputations. In the meantime, Tola has to deal with a mother who wants to see the end of the teacher's career and a sister suffering from depression. Feeling she has nothing to lose, Tola starts to act out, but then her grandfather gets sick and the truth about what happened between the teacher and Tola is revealed.

I think this story had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat. The witch hunt has already begun by the time the story starts and to be thrown into the middle, you don't really have a chance to pick sides. Maybe if I saw more of Tola before hand, I'd be more sympathetic to her, but I didn't particularly care about her as a character. Even now, having just finished the book ten minutes ago, I can't tell you what honestly made her stand out compared to the other narrators I've read about. I'd be more outraged over the attacks on her and the teacher if I could have seen before it all happened, rather than be told about how nice he was. At the same time, she has a fascination with the Grimm fairy tales, and while that was obvious, I think it could have been played up more to accentuate the "weirdness" of the character.

If this novel is supposed to be about the persecution of people who are different, it failed to move me. If it's supposed to be about a wrongly accused teacher - who was barely even in the novel - I didn't care enough about the character. Yes we see her struggles with the high school villain and she has a snarky personality, but in the big picture, it didn't go anywhere. I'm probably too critical, but I just walked away from this book feeling blah and unable to really say why.
MMK