Picking up this book gave me an unsettling feeling after learning the subject matter.  I had heard prior to this class that the novel was something like a beautiful heartbreak.  Once learning that it was about a girl post-suicide, I was reluctant to open it, to say the least.

This book, even only halfway done, is heavy. It's heavy in it's topic, it's heavy in its portrayal, it's heavy in it's language and it's delivery.  I found myself having to put it down every so often, quite the opposite of a novel like Eleanor and Park, where I found it hard to stop reading.  This story had the opposite affect on me.  That being said, I did my best to persuade myself in thinking that this story was just over the top. I mean, suicide is a heavy subject and an important problem that is often hushed, but i thought that the whole idea of the girl leaving the tapes behind was a bit too much.  I still do. But, that being the tool with which the author uses to progress the story is, in itself, fairly brilliant.

In this way, the author is practically slamming the message in the readers face with every paragraph.  And, although I may only be halfway through it, it is clear (unless the author throws a curve-ball that inevitably blows my mind, which I am open to) that the message is about the daily issue in young teen lives of bullying, hatred, fitting in and failing, sexual harassment, and overall true friendship and what happens when that falls short.  This girl was bullied, harassed, her friends were sexually harassed as well, she was betrayed,etc. Now, these things can drive anyone downhill. But having the main character already passed and in what seems like (in a certain light) her getting revenge or justice post-death through these tape seems like a very bad message to young, troubled minds.

My senior year in high school we had 3 students commit suicide within a single week from two schools, including mine.  I am not a stranger to the subject and reading this story seems troubling.  It almost seems as if it is portraying justice through her tapes and death and I don't think that is the kind of message I would want to give students.  I am not saying in anyway that that is what is going to happen to everyone whom reads the story, but having a student(s) that may have these kind of troubles as well may see some kind of justice in this, and I am not sure that is very safe. Keeping that in mind, I do believe that if it is discussed properly by the students and instructor than it can be avoided, but we must be weary of it.

Thus far, I would give this story a C+ to B- grade.

Fresh Pain

First; damn this short story was well done.  To say that it did not take a bit for me to become invested would be dishonest, though.  After the first two pages or so (which is a healthy amount for a short story) I found myself becoming increasingly curious about the characters of Susie and Mamie.  If nothing else, the author did wonders with character development concerning how little pages there were to progressively display any kind of character habits, traits, and so fourth.

I feel that this story played more with character arch than it did any other elements of literature.  There was obvious foreshadowing, such as Susie's humming, or her Grammy's arthritis, etc., and those elements came into play concerning the story in a very smooth way.  I, at one point, definitely caught myself trying to reason that Mamie was related to Susie.  I thought I had it in the bag! And the BAM, totally wrong.  But what a way to be wrong! The story was so cleverly done and the characters that only had small roles had such impacts and such personalities (the Great-Aunts, anyone?). I also enjoyed the fact that only the female characters had any true power within the story.  The nurses were female, the members of the family that knew everything and ran the shows were female, not to mention the main character. I enjoyed that.

As far as the story's relation to the Young Adult genre/ demographic, I feel that there would be no reason not to show this story to students.  That being said, I do not feel there would be any need to delve into it any more than discussing themes and plot, and so forth.  I feel it can be relate-able to some students. I mean, every family has their secrets but that is not necessarily the point of the story.  Self acceptance, growth, forgiveness.  That is the point of this story and I feel that that is important to students within that age-group.

It's difficult to judge this short story in a way that would properly convey its cleverly-written plot and at the same time justify its contemporary theme. I would highly recommend it be used for certain teachings and in that area I would give it a B. As far as the story itself, I would settle with a B+ to A-.  So, overall, let's give it a sold B+.

Halfway Between Shades of Grey

First and foremost I feel it is necessary to address the novels mixing tones. This book, thus far, is very dark in its nature due to the time period it is based within and the encompassing realistic situations it deals with. That being said, I feel that -at least within its beginning- it is very calm (as odd as that sounds). I'm not sure if the calmness is there in the sense that the characters are calm, but it is written calmly, to me. 

Start with its opening. It opens up somewhat in media-rest.  We know nothing of the characters in nature and before we can even put who is who to each other, the plot just starts moving. But the main character is really unaware of what is occurring and the severity of it, the true severity. But the language is not panicked and I believe that is because the characters are not written panicked, really. Her mother is obviously distraught but is hiding it as parents would. But that calmness is underlined with gritty, apocalyptic language (such as the bald mans plea for death while in the back of the truck). We can only take the plot in as our main character does, and as her feelings grow, so do we.

While reading the story, though, I find it difficult to handle as far as emotions go. Similar to Eleanor & Park, I find it is extremely difficult for me to not skip ahead and find out just what in the hell happens. And while some young adult readers, high schoolers in particular, may struggle with the language and themes and overall mood of the book, I think it is a powerful and necessary story to delve in to, similar to the novel Night. It provides an intimate level of understanding concerning the severity of the time; reflecting on a young girls role in a society stricken with terrible doings. Generally speaking, teachers often underestimate what young teens can and cannot handle within the realm of books. And more often than not, that drives students away because they end up being stuck with the same old stories that most can't even relate to (Romeo and Juliette anyone?). Which is why students should absolutely read this book. I'm not in anyway saying that students will be able to relate to a young girl living during the early Soviet era, being stolen from her home and family, etc. But it is the emotions that they can derive understanding from. Its the idea of being stuck in a cruel world with no certainty or understanding of how or why it came to be like that and what in the he'll they are supposed to do about it. 

It is difficult for me to break down a story without knowing it fully. But, so far, I would give it a B-.