Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Living Dead Girl is a story about a girl named "Alice" who was kidnapped at the age of 10 and forced to become the object of a pedophile. For the past 5 years, she has been his object and forced to be his "wife" while still looking like his daughter to the rest of the world. She is forced on a strict diet in order still look like a child. She wants to run, but after threats of killing her old family, she needs a plan. After years of abuse and threats, her capturer Ray decides that he wants a new little girl and that Alice will help to raise and "train" the new little girl. But when that plan starts to fade, she needs to find a way out before it turns fatal.

The book is written as a series of journal entries from the perspective of Alice. Her name wasn't always Alice. Alice was the name of the little girl before her. But she is the new Alice and it's all she remembers how to be. Glimpses of her old life come back and she assigns guilt and blame to "that little girl," separating her current self from herself as a child, basically treating them as two different people. She also spends hours a day watching TV. With nothing else to do, she escapes into a world of soap operas and talk shows. She has very little contact with the outside world and all encounters with those in it are awkward. She performs sexual acts on strangers to make them feel as though they are nothing and not important to her. She wants to make them feel as she feels about her whole existence. There are also several instances of physical and sexual abuse in the book. At times while reading, it is easy to get caught up in the story and also feel like she is trapped and will never escape. She fears that her only escape is death. At the end of the book, the reader is left wondering if Alice lives or dies. All she says is that she is free. Though the book is a tragic look at what happens to those in the hands of pedophiles, it also leaves the reader with a sense of hopelessness. Like that there is nothing that can be done to help this girl but to sit and read about all the terrible and horrific things that occur to her. The feelings that are invoked during the book include helplessness, fear, depression and the lack of hope. While this is book to help those who have dealt with this issue in the past, it's not really meant for younger readers.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak is a sad, but true coming of age story about a young girl that had the whole world before her. In a tragic turn of events, Melinda Sordino retreats within herself, at times refusing to talk for days. After being abandoned by all her middle school friends, she soon herself during her freshman year with a lukewarm friend, failing all her classes, skipping school, withdrawing from the world around her and staying silent the whole time. Yet, in art class she finally has the ability to express herself without needing to open her mouth. Over time, glimpses of what happen are revealed. At a party right before school started, Melinda and her friends went to a party where she was raped. In her terrified state she called the police who came and arrested many of the party goers. Her friends abandoned her and leave her without knowing the truth. Near the end of the school year, her attacker finds her in a closet and after a struggle, he attempts to do it again. This time, Melinda does not remain quiet, she screams and doesn't stop until help arrives. After the truth is revealed, she begins to open up more and be more accepted by the rest of the student body. She is able to finish her final art project and begin to open up.

The book is extremely well written from the perspective of Melinda. While at times, we don't exactly know her emotional state we do know what she is thinking and why she is thinking it. It's a different perspective because she names things just how she views them, such as naming students based on their attributes. It's written in short chapters so it makes the reader feel as though they are quickly reading through the book. The vocabulary is simple and typical of an everyday teenager. However, it doesn't make the book feel as though it is set in a particular time period. It could easily be from one generation to the next without feeling dated. Each main section ends with her report card of her real grades as well as other expectations she feels are graded in high school. During the difficult and trying times, it's easy to see how her grades and mindset plummet and are in disrepair. But as she is released from her secret she is now able to open up more and also express her self through her artwork easily. It's really a great and trying story that is inspirational and help teens going through a difficult time. While the story does have a dark twist, it is not the overall tone of the book, allowing the reader to sympathize with the character but not fall into that same mindset.

Well, Well, Well

So this is my very first blog. I decided to do one, not because I feel the world needs to know what I'm thinking about or my opinion on everything. This will mostly be dedicated to the recent books that I have read and my opinions on them within their context. I'm still a student in Library Science and thus required to do a tremendous amount of outside reading for some of my classes. Most of the books are children and young adult literature. This is actually very practical for me. I can easily write about what I read and refer back to it when it is needed in class. These are simply my opinions and impressions of the books I read. In no way, shape or form am I literary critic. I'm simply a girl that reads a lot. I hope you enjoy and may find a new book for yourself to look into.