Hungry for Love

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller is Matt’s journey of coming to terms with his eating disorder.

Each chapter offers one of Matt’s life rules to the reader along with that day’s calorie count. He perceives himself as a disgusting, unlovable person who achieves superhero abilities by starving himself. By eating minimally, he notices every sense sharpen and his ability to handle difficult social situations improve.

This is important to him since he is trying to figure out what terrible thing happened to drive his older sister away from him and their mother. He feels that their mutual crush Tariq and his jock buddies are to blame. It also helps him navigate teen life as a gay male.

Spoiler- Over time, Matt realizes that his senses aren’t as acute as he thought. He comes dangerously close to dying (more than once) before being able to face the truth about himself and his family.

Girl Power

Moxie by Jennifer Matthieu is a book I randomly grabbed from a high school display showcasing books about strong women. It met this claim.

Vivian has always been a quiet, good student. Her high school is in a small Texas town with a very macho vibe. The school is focused on its football team and the star player’s dad is the principal. Girls are subjected to random dress codes while boys can wear and behave however they want. She is fed up with the injustice.

Vivian pulls inspiration from her mom’s punk rock, feminist background and creates a zine called Moxie. Moxie is a way for girls to unite against their unfair treatment. However, she doesn’t tell anyone except her new boyfriend that she is its creator.

Moxie begins to unite the girls, despite school administration’s threats to stop them. Vivian makes a new friend while rekindling some previous relationships along the way. Ultimately she learns that it’s better to use your voice than to suffer in silence and that the strength of a common group can accomplish anything.

One Season

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is one of my recent favorites. It is told from alternating points of view between Olivia and Lily.

Olivia’s teenaged son Asher is being tried for the first degree murder of his girlfriend Lily. Lily’s point of view flashes back to the months before her death. Her memories show a loving relationship with a few cracks. Are these disagreements enough to result in murder? The prosecutor happens upon a possible motive once the medical professional shares his autopsy findings.

Both characters have secrets and abusive trauma in their pasts. There is incredible depth along with many twists in the story. Olivia’s work as a beekeeper adds to the story’s complexity. I really appreciated this symbolism (maybe because bee imagery was a main focus of my Master’s thesis on Sylvia Plath). Somehow, it all comes together with a nice touch of Olivia’s honey recipes at the end of the story. I’m happy that I bought this book so I can try out a few of them.

Readers will constantly question whether Asher is manifesting his father’s violence or if there is another suspect. For me, this book was both entertaining and enlightening.

Strike Out

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis is my second tough topic read in a row.

Mickey Catalan is a strong senior in high school with a promising future as a softball catcher. Everything changes the night her and best friend Catalina get into a car crash. Mickey’s hip is in bad shape and she has a long road to recovery. Her Oxy prescription seems to be the only thing that can get her through the pain of recovery.

While at a doctor appointment, Mickey is approached by an older woman who offers to supply her with more pills since her doctor won’t. This is when Mickey meets three other teens from a surrounding town who all use. Soon the Oxy isn’t enough and they progress to using heroin.

Mickey is completely addicted and justifies her use to manage the pain and get her through her softball season and a possible championship. There are plenty of family and friend dynamics at play through the story. Events come to a lethal climax when they resort to buying from an untrustworthy seller.

This story explores the harsh realities of addiction. It can affect anyone.

Time to Repair

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is an emotional ride into a world of mental illness, depression, drug abuse, trauma and a slow journey into recovery.

The story begins with seventeen-year-old Charlotte’s vague memories of being dropped off outside a hospital. She nearly died from a suicide attempt. After hospital care, she is out-placed to a facility (Creeley) that specializes in helping girls who self harm.

It is here that readers learn a bit about Charlie’s traumatic background beginning with her father’s death, being bullied at school and abused by her mom which spiraled into homelessness and assault. While at Creeley, Charlie manages to engage with some of her peers, and forms a couple relationships that will last after she leaves.

When Charlie leaves Creeley, she tries joining with a former friend to make a new start. This is when the real tests begin. She must find a job and try to take care of herself without falling into old patterns. She is put to the test. Her struggles are very difficult and realistic. Recovery isn’t easy. It takes a special intervention to bring her back to finding herself, or one of my favorite analogies, putting the pieces of herself back together in some new way.

This book impacted me all the way through to the author’s note. I was rooting for Charlie and her friends the whole way through. The power of kindness in supporting others is a radiating message. While not always easy, there is always hope and promise.

Dear Family

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover tackles depression due to years of dysfunctional family dynamics combined with a love story.

Merit and Honor are identical twin sisters with absolutely nothing in common, except for liking the same boy. Merit is the main character. She is overwhelmed by everything in her life and decides to drop out of school. Nobody seems to notice or care.

Her sister’s boyfriend and a long lost step-uncle move into the house. This creates new household dynamics that ultimately bring out all the secrets that Merit has been harboring. She is faced with confronting her own weaknesses while also making amends with each family member.

A Hero’s Journey

Fairy Tale by Stephen King combines elements of some series and story favorites: Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, and of course, classic fairy tales.

Charlie narrates his unbelievable tale. He starts with some of his childhood before progressing to saving a grumpy old man named Bowditch at the age of seventeen. This interaction changes the course of his life. He gives up sports to help with Bowditch’s recovery and his aging dog, Radar.

In doing so, he learns that Bowditch has an incredible secret. His locked shed holds a well that leads to another world. This world contains huge amounts of gold and a way to turn back time. Charlie decides to travel there in hope of saving Radar’s life. Once there, he realizes that there is an entire kingdom that needs to be saved too. There is a terrible curse over the remaining people causing them to be horribly disfigured. Any goodness that remains is in danger.

Charlie is captured and seems destined to die in this world. But his prison mates believe he is a prince destined to save them all.

This book has all the elements of an amazing tale, including fantastical creatures, monsters, danger, adventures and several heroic characters. I was reminded within only a chapter or two that Stephen King is truly a masterful story teller.

Ghostly Memory

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak combines elements of a ghost story and mystery.

Mallory is a recovering addict, who is fortunate to land a job as a summertime nanny to sweet, imaginative, five-year-old Teddy. All is going great until Teddy starts drawing pictures of his imaginary friend Anya. The pictures (which are shown throughout the book) depict a murder and cover up.

Mallory begins investigating the real Anya, who lived in the cottage where Mallory is currently staying. Her observations cause Teddy’s parents to question her sobriety.

Cracks begin forming between Teddy’s parents and their relationship with Mallory, leading to a major surprise ending.

Deadly Secrets

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a suspenseful teen read.

Six friends head out for spring break in an RV. They manage to get stuck in the middle of nowhere while trying to find a campsite. An active shooter takes out all their tires and gas tank. He communicates his request by walkie talkie: the person holding a secret must reveal it. This is the only way to prevent them from all dying.

This begins their desperate attempts at survival while also sifting through each character’s possible secrets. There are intense moments with plenty of double crossing, mafia involvement and suspense.

Red is one of the main characters. She lost her mom tragically and hasn’t been able to recover from her own guilt. Her mom is in her mind constantly through their ordeal which all connects to the final secret once it’s revealed.

This is a fast paced read with an unexpected ending.

A Brutal Time

Kindred by Octavia Butler is a captivating mix of science and historical fiction. I decided to read it in preparation for an upcoming lesson with eleventh graders.

Dana is a black woman from California who is suddenly transported from her current time in the 70s to a plantation in antebellum south. She quickly realizes that she is there to save the plantation owner’s son (Rufus). Rufus is a distant relative, and Dana seems destined to travel back in time whenever his life is in danger – which is quite often. This creates a clash of worlds as she must transition from more modern times to a setting of brutal slavery.

Time is meaningless as she can be gone for days or months that only equate to minutes or hours in her time. It is only when her own life is threatened that she is able to return to her real life.

Dana manages to accustom herself to moving between times, even bringing along her white husband the second time. It becomes unclear whether Dana and her husband will ever be able to live normally in their correct time. Readers get to know the southern characters which makes every hardship even more horrific and Dana’s presence even more necessary, as perhaps she is not there to only help Rufus.

This book is unlike anything I’ve read before and one I won’t forget.