Review: How I Made It to Eighteen by Tracy White

Summary:

How do you know if you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown? For seventeen-year-old Stacy Black, it all begins with the smashing of a window. After putting her fist through the glass, she checks into a mental hospital. Stacy hates it there but despite herself slowly realizes she has to face the reasons for her depression to stop from self-destructing. Based on the author’s experiences, How I Made it to Eighteen is a frank portrait of what it’s like to struggle with self-esteem, body image issues, drug addiction, and anxiety.

Review:

It is a comic book essentially.  The comics are all black and white, but it doesn't feel like you're reading a comic, it feels like a regular fiction book.  Her humor is great and the pictures are simple and effective.  The story takes us through her stay at a mental hospital that was very recent as it is a brand new book.  I would recommend this for virtually anyone, it is a great, quick read.

3.5/5.0

Review: Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

Summary

When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Adrienne Willis is thrust into a devastating midlife crisis. Suddenly abandoned at 45, she reels without purpose. Lacking any clear plan, she accepts a friend's invitation and flees for a weekend to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina. Located near the northern tip of Hatteras Island, this Outer Banks retreat seems well suited to be a quiet respite, but a brutal storm destroys any sense of sanctuary. Adrienne's stranding is complicated and relieved by the presence of Paul Flanner, a 54-year-old physician with his own shattered past.


Review

Nicholas Sparks is my absolute favorite author and I have yet to read a book by him that I did not like.  While I did see the movie before reading Nights in Rodanthe, I believe the book is much better.  Adrienne and Paul are astonishingly real and it's not hard to relate to their plights, no matter your age.  I would recommend this book to all those hopeless romantics out there, but also to anyone in need of a good cry.

5.0/5.0

Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Summary:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Review:

I was slightly skeptical about a book that is considered to be adult fiction being written in the hand of a child, but it was perfect.  The story is an in-depth look at what can happen following a kidnapping and is slightly reminiscent of the Jaycee Dugard case.

I recommend this to anyone wanting something that will open their eyes.  I admit that I take things in life for granted, but after reading this book I appreciated things more (at least for a short time).  It's hard to imagine a life where you are not even allowed fresh air, but it happens.  To have this story told by Jack we see the side of the kidnapping that is never talked about, some of the people taken want to stay as they are.  Many people who are taken young may not remember anything else.

Though it is a large book, it's easy to get through so give it a chance.  I give it a 4.5/5.0