Stop Pretending- What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy- Sonya Sones

This book is fun in two ways.  First, like Ellen Hopkins, the book is a collection of poems that tell the story of a girl with a “crazy” older sister.  Secondly, instead of focusing on the elder sister, we get to see how otherwise “healthy” people are affected by mental illness.

It’s much shorter than an Ellen Hopkins book and would be an appropriate read for a student in middle school.  There is no explicit language or material that can be found in a more mature problem novel.  Sometimes it can be difficult to find a problem novel that is appropriate for those that are younger since many are geared to a 16+ crowd.  However, this book meets the criteria of being interesting and perhaps pertinent to a younger student, while not exposing them to material that is too mature for them to read.

RX- Tracy Lynn

If you watch any TV at all, then you know that we are all dying of some illness or have some awful condition that can only be solved by our friends the pharmaceutical company.  Don’t get me wrong, Rx drugs have saved many a life and they can do amazing things.  Like grow longer and thicker eyelashes… because how could we survive without that?  However, as is becoming more common place everyday, RX drugs are being abused, especially among teens that both want a readily available high, as well as a “boost” in academic performance.

Rx drugs are 2nd in drug-of-choice behind marijuana among teens.  Most new Rx users are 13.   Perhaps the fact that is most surprising for parents is that kids are getting these drugs right out of the medicine cabinet.  Parents, what is in your cabinet right now?  Vicodin from that knee surgery a year ago?  Xanax for when works gets tough?  What about in grandma and grandpa’s house?  Oxycontin for the arthritis?  Prescription drugs are everywhere!  And if grandma can take them, then surly they would be ok for my healthy teen body right?

“This whole pill addiction is here to stay, and the reason why is because we are raising a culture of kids on pills,” said Brett Bagley, program director for Purple Inc., a Lawrenceville drug treatment center for men. “All these kids have been taking pills since they were 7 or 8 years old for ADD [attention-deficit disorder].” -nineronline.com

We are used to people taking drugs to get “high.”  But, there is another side to this problem.  Teens aren’t just using Rx drugs to get buzzed  They are using them to handle the extreme pressure of simply growing up in our modern world.

Students call them “study drugs” while scientists call them “cognitive enhancers,” but nevertheless, the use and distribution of such drugs is illegal without a prescription, and yet, college students are abusing them at an increasing rate.

One such drug is Adderall, an amphetamine drug commonly prescribed to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. “Addy,” as students call it, is the most popular study drug on college campuses across the country, according to an article from NPR’s Michelle Trudeau. -nineronline.com

This is where Tracy Lynn’s “Rx,” comes in.  Thyme, honor student (in the top 20 of the class), student council, NHS, applying to Ivy League Schools, takes and deals prescription drugs to her peers.  Why?  She takes Adderall to study.  It helps her to focus on the content as well as not sleep so she can study late into the night after her extracurriculars are over.  Her friends?  Valium for public speaking, Paxil for social anxiety, Oxy for the injuries of the hocky team.  This book is not about stereotypical drug users.  It’s the high flyers no one ever expects.  But, as the book illustrates, the pressures teens face today can be overwhelming.  Teens that would never do “drugs” like pot or acid casually take prescriptions just to make it through the day.  This is not a fantasy.  I myself have known many people who “share” drugs because they have to speak in front of the class and are nervous.  I knew two people who were neuroleptic and would overdose on their meds the week of finals so they could stay awake and study for days on end.  Xanax is gold and Oxy is diamonds.

So, what to do?  As always, parents need to be made aware.  They need to be aware that it’s not the “typical” kids that abuse drugs, but the valedictorians as well.

Law enforcement is encouraging parents to take the seemingly-drastic step of using a lockbox to keep prescription meds safe and out of the hands of teenagers and children. -tansworldnews.com

It’s a fixer-upper

I am doing some much needed cleaning of this blog, so if things are all bizzaro world, that why. In the meantime listen to my station on Pandora.com!

The Prodigal Son and all…

So, I was googling myself (because it’s what cool kids do), and my two book blogs came up and I was like, “Ooooohhhhh, yyyyyyeeeeaaaahhhhh.”  So, then I had to decide if I would delete them, because it’s been like two years since I’ve been on them, or actually start contributing again.  Obviously, I am doing the later.  It really boils down to me being bored and not wanting to start my memoir just yet.

I’ve been deep in thought for like 30 seconds just now trying to figure out what YA books I have read in the past 2 years.  I did read “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen.  Yeah.  Books about the environment.  sweet.  He’s got a lot of books, so apparently kids are reading them, but I don’t like a main platter of politics.  That’s why I hate Ani DiFranco.

Anywho, I liked doing this blog, I am just super lazy, so maybe I’ll be back in less than 2 years.

Cheese and Rice

It’s been so long since I have been on here I have no idea what I am doing…

Burned- Ellen Hopkins

I was lucky enough to buy a copy of this book from the local Goodwill (where I also work btw).  I was pretty excited to get a YA book that is pretty new.  It is also a book that I had tried repeatedly to get from the library a year ago but it was always checked out.  This book is by the author of Smack, a book which I have discussed before.

Just like Smack, this book is written in verse.  It’s a really fun format.  As I was reading it, I thought it would  be a cool experiment to try with students; The idea of writing a book through verse.   It would be neat to try and form a larger body of work by writing small, tangible pieces.

The book deals with many heavy topics like religion, loss of faith, abusive parents, and teen sex.  I am not entirely sure how I feel with the way religion is portrayed in the book.  It deals mainly with extreme Mormonism and not in a very positive light.  I don’t personally take offense, but I think that some parents might be up in arms over this aspect of the novel more than the any other topic in the book.  Especially with all of the The Golden Compass controversy, it seems to be a heated subject.  But, kids are getting more mature faster these days and many of them are questioning the faith of the parents earlier.  I think the key point of the religion factor in the book is that the faith discussed is an extreme view and is not a typical case.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book, a little too much teen mushy love for my taste, but I am old and jaded.  The part that really was strange was the ending.  It really kind of comes out of the blue and left me going, “What the?”  I’m not really sure the final actions of the main character at the end are supported by the picture that has been created up to that point.  I was pretty turned off by the end in all honesty.  To be blunt, I thought it was pretty ridiculous.  I browsed about online to see what others felt.  Apparently the kids like the book a lot….

“This book was so awesome!! It makes you want to keep reading the book and not put it down! I know usually don’t like reading but when I started reading this book I just couldn’t stop and I actually finished it in the same day. At the end it made me cry. Everyone should read this book it is so amazing and you definatly won’t regret it”

“this was possibly one of the saddest books i’ve ever read. it adressed a lot of the topics that i had been questioning too: about faith, love, and a women’s role. it was so good i read it all in one sitting at barnes and nobles and had many people staring at me when i started bawling at the end of the book. definatly worth it though– excellent book “

“i read the book in one day too. And i did what everyone else did. I lauphed, and cried. and thought about how i related to her. And then cried some more=]. I just like these sorts of books. They put everything into perspective for you. They let you put them down, and return to reality. For me, thats even sadder than the book. but for some…it makes em happy. Happy and thankful. For all that they do have.
=]] “

more here

But, Miss Kimberly Pauley at www.yabookscentral.com seems to have my back on this one:

“The moment I turned the last page, I had two reactions: 1) What the heck just happened?? And 2) (and this one I actually said aloud, startling my cats) “Well, that was about the most depressing thing ever.” Before I go any farther, I should give you some background about me that will help you (hopefully) understand my reaction to this book.

I’m not an overly religious person. I’m pretty much a “believe as you like” kind of gal. I don’t really understand a lot of religious groups (The Church of Latter-Day Saints included), but I’m not necessarily against them either. The author – or, giving the benefit of the doubt – the main character feels that everything and everyone involved with the Church is evil. Like I said, I don’t understand them, but I find it hard to believe that everyone in this particular town are small-minded, evil, religious zealots” read the rest

Ellen Hopkins actually comments on Pauley’s review.  Behold.

Not my favorite, but a good read for the style alone.

Smashed- Koren Zailckas

My nieces asked me to read this book, and since they are my precious, I decided to give it a go.  It’s a true story about Zailckas’ days growing up in high school, college and beyond with alcohol.  The craziest thing about this story is how unremarkable it is.  The story is tragic and sordid, but not unfamiliar or unique to many girls or women.  Just reading Zailckas’ drunken college exploits, I could identify myself and/or my friends in nearly every story.  When going through the experience they seem like the normal college experience, but when reading about them in this context it puts them in their proper light.  The book is sprinkled with stats and figures about alcohol abuse that seem to distract from the story a bit, but they reveal how common these tales are.  Zailckas is also no literary slouch as she references her experience with poetry, characters and novels.  These references might go over the heads of some young readers, but it could also introduce them to a few things to read.

Howdy Howdy

I just came across this article from The Huffington Post.  I really can’t tell ya where that newspaper is from.  Anywho, it’s about “bad” books, focusing on PABBIS, the horrid internet site that has “bad” YA books listed on it.  I would go into more detail, and even add a few more posts, but I have dial-up, and it’s all I can do to just check my e-mail and my 18 celebrity gossip sites everyday.  I’m sure you understand.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-kramer-bussel/banning-bad-books-is-no_b_54205.html

The Amazonian Gateway

So, I browse Amazon.com a lot.  I rarely buy new books because they are too expensive and I am poor.  Most of my books come from consignment shops.  It’s a lot cheaper and it’s like a treasure hunt because you never know what you’ll find.  But, Amazon has been used often as well.  Generally, I just go to the book that I want and don’t mess around more.  But, I stumbled across the “categories” a few months ago.  OOhhh.  How fun.  YA books are split into categories, including social issues.  Social issues are further split into categories such as drugs, sex and depression.  Problem novels at your fingertips!

I also ran across some other books that I want super bad.  For example, Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books That Can Change Teens’ Lives . Someday, I will have money so I can buy such books.  Someday, I will have money so I can have high-speed internet.

Of course, lack of money didn’t keep me from buying Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero or Tori Amos’ American Doll Posse.  And I sure as heck am getting Bjork’s Volta next week.  These are true neccessities.  Thank God I already paid for Harry Potter 7 in February.  Shameless plugs.

1-866-445-6580

Basketball Diaries- Lots of shooting and plenty of scoring

Basketball Diaries- Jim Carroll

Now, I have read of this book being a YA-ish book.  It’s an autobiography of a New York kid, full of dreams and drugs.  I have to say, it’s a bit more graphic then any other problem novels I have read.

There are plenty of books on Amazon.com that reference this book and how to teach it to adolescents.  It is graphic and real.  I think that if kids are going to read it then it is good to have it done in a classroom to give it perspective.  It isn’t “preachy,” it just is.  There is a lesson, but it doesn’t smack you in the face like a pop-up book.  It isn’t the usual obvious YA book, so some kids might not get the message without a bit of guidance.