Good Morning Peeps! This mornings review feels like it will be painful, but please bear with me. I am uncertain that I can convey the feelings this book stirred within me, or the importance of the subject material. I'll do my best, so let's begin with theBook Blurb:
Book Blurb:Chelle isn’t a typical 13-year-old girl—she doesn’t laugh with friends, play sports, or hang out at the mall after school. Instead, she navigates a world well beyond her years.
Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.
When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.
From My Perspective:
When I was thirteen, I thought I knew it all and that I was ready for life as an adult. And my hormones were totally wonky and out of control. Fortunately, I lived in the country, so I wasn't around boys except while at school. Chores took my time before and after school and I also had horses to fill my summer days with new foals and riding around the conutryside. Those were the good ole days for sure. I would be gone with the horse for hours on end and no one questioned the safety of it, back then.White Chalk by Pavarti K Tyler was a chilling and haunting story about a young teen-ager in far different circumstances than mine at that age. Chelle was a loner. Her mother was always working; her father was an alcoholic. Her pain was released by cutting. She wasn't close to anyone at school except her friend Morgan and even that friendship diminished with the arrival of Troy Christiansen. She was immediately drawn to him; they had enough in common to become best friends. As is usually the case a male and a female cannot keep it strictly platonic. One or the other feels more in the relationship than the other, and heartache results. Teen age angst, low self esteem and a feeling of being less than important to anyone contributes even more pain for our protagonist.
Ms Tyler's characters were so real and the plight of Chelle was heart breaking as she sought acceptance and love amongst her peers and the adults who influenced her decisions. Her many meetings with the vice principal at her school, left the reader feeling helpless and defeated....Her screams for help were unnoticed and unanswered, because she could not determine how to voice her real need. This is a heavy read, but the writing is smooth and flows smoothly. The story is so interesting and as the reader, I sought for Chelle's happy ever after ending that never came. The theme of the book is one that needs attention. I think every parent could benefit from reading this book if for no other reason than to be able to recognize some of the issues with teens and how to recognize when their kids may be in trouble. Yes, we get busy with our lives and we each have our own demons to deal with, but the fact that we provide in depth care for our newborns and toddlers should not end when they grow into adolescence. We need to be there for them just as much during those very difficult years. This book made me think and I do not think the heaviness will lift any too soon. This book earned 5 WINKS!!!
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1 comment:
Thank you so much for the fabulously thoughtful review! I agree, I think this is a good book for parents or any adult who has a teen in their lives.
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