Book Review: Words We Don't Say / K. J. Reilly

Joel just doesn't fit into school very well - he is more interested in cars than math (at least the way they teach it at school.) He goes to school, he does what he has to, he gets by. This is his story in his unfiltered internal dialog (along with his filtered external voice) and a bunch of unsent text messages. (Can you really save these to draft?)

Anyway, Joel must participate in community service as a graduation requirement and volunteers at the soup kitchen each Wednesday night. Luckily Eli also volunteers then and he has an incredible crush on her. At the soup kitchen he meets a bunch of characters, some who are willing to share their insights and others who remain silent. Many are veterans and many have mental illness.

Why would I recommend this book? The characters are flawed but  well formed and interesting. There is a very big difference between Joel's internal voice (lots of swearing) and his external voice (which is pretty polite.) There is some insight into mental illness and trauma. And a real value placed on intelligence that isn't of the Advanced Placement variety.  Finally, I found myself LOLing at multiple points in the story even though many of the topics in this book are heavy ones. 

If bad language bothers you - stop - don't read. If you don't enjoy visiting someone else's mind - stop. But if you like to jump into someone else's experience and see all of the richness that makes us human - jump right into this book with both your eyes and your mind wide open. 

 

Book Review: Closer to Nowhere / Ellen Hopkins

 

Let me start by sharing that this story targets middle school students, the protagonists are twelve years old. Then let me say that this doesn't matter a bit, this is a story that needs to be told, a story written from Ellen Hopkins's family story - about addiction and violence - about children born into families which have a rough time supporting them both emotionally and physically. And about the healing that can take place afterwards given the right supports.

Cal's father is in prison, his mother died of leukemia. He lives with his aunt (an identical twin of his mother) and her family including Hannah, his cousin - also twelve. Cal's life until now has been about surviving hardship and he is learning how to adapt to living in a safe environment with food on the table and a bed. Hannah is learning how to live with Cal and his struggles with learning how to adapt to a life that is no longer chaotic. The truth is - this is hard for everyone.

This story speaks to the trauma that people go through when their lives are chaotic. It also speaks to the truths of incorporating a hurting child into one's family. And it speaks to love, addiction, hope, therapy, adapting, inner strengths, compassion, and learning more about what lies behind the faces that we put forth. This is a story about what is under the surface. 

If you are planning on becoming a teacher, a counselor, a nurse, a doctor, a social worker - just about anyone in a "helping profession" - read this book. It is a great opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone who is learning how to live a life which doesn't have chaos as a foundation. It is also a story that reminds us that what we see in people is only what lies on the surface. We are all more than what we appear at first glance.