225 pages
This book meets the following 2010 Reading Challenges:
Over the course of a single summer day, ten teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts, will discover important truths about themselves and each other.
There is Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly, who meets the convicted felon she has been writing to for years; Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Then there is Sadie, a chubby eleven-year-old whose mother forces her to wear a “please don’t feed me” sign stapled to her shirt; while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress hoping for true intimacy narrowly escapes a very dark fate. Derik discovers that his usual good looks and charm won’t help him hold onto the girl he wants, while nineteen-year-old drifter, Mearl, is desperately looking for a place to call home. Sean is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the possibility of finding something more with her friend, while Ginger’s single-minded pursuit to bring down her nemesis only proves that they may be more alike than she thought.
Seamlessly woven together, this incredibly powerful and compelling collection of stories chronicles the very real trials of today’s teen experience.
My Thoughts:
BLEED is a deeply honest look into the lives of a group of teenagers on a single day in time – how one person’s actions have a domino effect and influence the lives of people around them. This is not a feel-good book. It’s rather sad and angst-ridden. Teens face a multitude of issues that make them bleed in many different ways; this book does not shy away from any of those serious issues. It is a quick 225 page book, but packs a punch. Since the events take place on a single day in time, there is not much resolution to each character’s story, which disappointed me a bit. I wanted to delve a bit deeper into these characters and get to know each of them a lot better. I want to know their life stories – what made them what they are in this book.
This is my first book by this author and it certainly will not be my last. I’d recommend it to any YA fiction lover. 3.5 stars.
If you are reading this anywhere other than a feed reader, then this is not original content and was taken without permission from Crazy-for-Books.
[...] Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz (PBS posted) [...]