Rules of Survival, By Nancy Werlin

Title:The Rules of Survival

Author: Nancy Werlin

Publish Date: September 2006

Publisher: Penguin Group

Pages: 272pp

ISBN: 0803730012

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 12 and up

Price: $16.14

Annotation: Matthew is the eldest of three siblings (both sisters) and the son of a manic, out of control, abusive mother. The story unfolds of their story in a letter to his sister about their mother and their lives during that time.

Summary: Matthew, Callie and Emmy live with their crazy, manic (actually unbearable) mother Nikki. They grew up knowing that their mother could crack in rage at anytime, or take them on a manic rollercoaster of over the top fancies like theme parks and obsessive love interests. Tip-toeing around her was a way of life, just as was dealing with her in her insane moments. When Matt and Callie meet a man named Murdock, their mother sinks her fancy into him and for a while they live happily. When the house of cards comes crumbling down, so do the children's hopes of help from Murdock. Matt is foiled at the hopes of his savoir falling through. And seeing Murdock wash his hands of their mothers dashes him even further. Will Murdock be able to help them at all, what about their father? Can anybody help them escape the life that seems so grim and hopeless. And will their mother crack and explode beyond anything they ever dreamed of if they actually stand up to her?

Evaluation: This book is so intense, I don't even know how she wrote it without going crazy. Reading it was so hard I can't even find words to express the rage and sorrow I felt being in that world. Helpless and frustrated and screaming inside were common place while reading it. Werlin's writing allows you to really be in the moment and the cover art is the best metaphor for a scenario like this that I have ever seen.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Child Abuse, Children having to be the parents, Standing up to your abuser, Strength, Hope, Asking for help, Siblings Alliances

Reason this book was chosen: Because it was just exactly how it really it. Horrible. You can't not include something that powerful, even if it's horrible. If it wasn't horrible it wouldn't be honest, right?

Website: http://www.nancywerlin.com/

Cut, By Patricia McCormick

Title: Cut

Author: Patricia McCormick

Publish Date: January 2002

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Pages: 160pp

IBSN: 0439324599

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 12 and up

Price: $16.95

Annotation: Callie is hiding a fatal secret, she a cutter. When she is found out she is sent away to an institution where she meets many different people with all sorts of issues and she begins to finally understand herself.

Summary: Callie is a 15 year old girl who is seemingly normal. But she is hiding a scary truth. She deals with her pain by cutting her own skin. When her parents find out they send her to get help. But she won't talk. Not to anyone. her parents deal with her in different, hurtful way. Her dad begins to drink and folds into his work as an escape. her mother a frantic, frail mess who is a hair short of agoraphobic. The family problems that lead to her pain in the first place need to be dealt with and until finally she begins to let go, she can't begin to heal.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: psychology of cutting a form of self-abuse, family dysfunction, therapy

Evaluation and reason this book was chosen: I loved that this was a quick read because I had trouble connecting to it. I felt like it just ok. I didn't think the writing was that sophisticated and the the plot kinda under developed or something. I was excited to read it but in the end I didn't connect. However, it is accessible and there are levels of hope and change and possibilities of being healed which is good for people who are looking for a book who aren't generally into reading 500 page novels. For that this book may really hit the spot. I have heard people say they really responded to this book so that is why I included it.