Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 276
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

Review

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Jennifer Brown fan. I think she has a way with storytelling and dealing with tough subjects that is unparalleled. I will always recommend her work to others. 

The first 100 pages of this book blew me away. I could see and sense the destruction left behind in the wake of the tornado. I could feel the fear, confusion, and pain of  the townspeople. I could understand the waring hope and hopelessness within Jersey as she waited for her family to come home. These 100 pages were spellbinding and the epitome of everything I love about Jennifer Brown's writing. 

But after that I lost my connection with the story. Jersey is sent to live with her biological father and I was shocked over the lack of compassion this family had and furious over how they treated Jersey. Their behavior was so foreign to me that consequently it didn't feel real. 

And then when Jersey is sent to live with her grandparents on her mother's side I got mad at her. She has never met her grandparents before. They disowned her mother when she got pregnant with Jersey and so Jersey was raised believing they were horrible, judgmental people. Yet when they pick her up, they show her nothing but patience and kindness, and still Jersey treats them horribly. Now, I am very sensitive to treating old people unkindly, especially when they don't deserve it, but I understand this is a personal thing. Nevertheless, I was mad that it took Jersey so long to form her own opinion of her grandparents. Especially since, in hindsight, I feel she was blessed to have gotten away from that train wreck of a family on her father's side. 

But I can't imagine losing everything in an instant - my home and my family - and being taken away from whatever normalcy remains without being allowed to grieve. Jersey was overwhelmed with so many different feelings, and just trying to hold it together while her life got turned upside down. In that regard, I think she was incredibly strong. And I think, given the circumstances, she's allowed to act a little erratically. 

This was not my favorite Jennifer Brown book, but like I said, I would recommend any of her books. I had some problems with Torn Away that kept me from loving it, but I don't think everyone will feel the same.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Title: Hate List
Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Pages: 405
Source: Gifted

Summary from Goodreads:
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Review

"I can't say what was going through my mind with all that crying - only that it was murky and dark and hateful and woeful and miserable all at once. Only that I wanted Nick and I wanted to never see him again. Only that I wanted my mom and I wanted to never see her again, either. Only that I knew, somewhere back there in the recesses that my brain was keeping safe from itself, that in some way I was responsible for what had happened today, too. That I had a part in it, and that I never meant to. And that I couldn't say for sure I wouldn't have been part of it if I had to do it all over again. And I couldn't say for sure that I would."

In this book, we have the story of a girl named Valerie who wrote a Hate List with the boy she trusted most in life. A girl who was blindsided when that very same boy turned a gun on his classmates. A girl who was lost when that boy then turned a gun on himself and left her alone to face the blame, gratitude, guilt, and confusion that now defined her broken life. We have the story of Nick, the boy who felt so victimized by others, so full of hate, that it drove him to end the lives of others before ending his own. The boy who was once sweet and innocent, and deserved more love than he was given. Then there's Jessica, Queen B and mean girl of Garvin High, who stared down the barrel of a gun, but was in the end saved by the very girl who put her name on that list. In this second chance at life, she's determined to be a better person than she was before. And Ginny, a survivor of gun shot to the face, who never really did anything but laugh along with the others, but now wishes for death because it is better than the reality of her new life. In small ways, we have the stories of the other survivors, and indirectly, the stories of the victims. Stories of families that are torn apart by grief, anger, denial, and misguided blame. And lastly, the collective story of the kid's of Garvin High, who are forever changed by the tragedy that occurred on May 2nd, and yet in some ways, exactly the same.

Through her stories, Jennifer Brown gives readers the gift of perspective. No one is completely innocent, and no one is completely to blame. I applaud her for this. She tackles a difficult subject with grace and compassion and gives an unbiased and complete retelling that does it justice. She takes an event that most of us only experience from a distance, and struggle to comprehend, and gives us something real to grasp, to learn from.

I love the way she writes, and I love the way her stories make me feel, even if it is a heartbreaking, empathetic, raw kind of emotion. At the core, her stories are unapologetically real and wholly relevant. And they leave me in awe every time.

If you've never read a book by Jennifer Brown I urge you to change that. I think she has a talent that is unparalleled when it comes to telling stories that are hard to tell but that need to be told. Her stories will break you apart but they will teach you something, and you will become a better person because of it.

I can't say enough positive things about her work. I can't express enough gratitude for the stories she writes. But thank you, Jennifer Brown, for doing what you do and sharing it with the world.

"What if I didn't want to move on just yet? What if that medal reminded me that the guy I'd trusted most in this world shot people, shot me, shot himself? Why couldn't she see that accepting the school's 'thanks,' in that light, was painful to me? Like gratitude would be the only possible emotion I could feel now. Gratitude that I'd lived. Gratitude that I'd been forgiven. Gratitude that they recognized that I'd saved the lives of other Garvin students.

The truth was most days I couldn't feel grateful no matter how hard I tried. Most days I couldn't even pinpoint how I felt. Sometimes sad, sometimes relieved, sometimes confused, sometimes misunderstood. And a lot of times angry. And what's worse, I didn't know who I was angry at the most: myself, Nick, my parents, the school, the whole world. And then there was the anger that felt the worst of all: anger at the students who died." 

Stacking the Shelves (63) - March 15th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads:

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Sekret (Sekret #1) by Lindsay Smith

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

What books are stacking your shelves?

REVIEW #132: Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

Title: Thousand Words

Author: Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 21, 2013

Pages: 288, Hardcover
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look. 

This is another one of those extremely powerful and completely relevant books that moves you whether or not you've been directly impacted by the subject matter. 

I have not been directly impacted but it's a subject I feel passionately about. The extent of the role that social media plays in our lives today is scary. And more and more kids are taking pictures of themselves and sexting and putting all kinds of things on the internet or in print that really shouldn't be. And when your young you don't always understand the fall out of your choices. 

Now while I do agree that this book takes things to the extreme, not all sexting scandals become this big, it is not beyond the scope of what could happen. And even small scandals can really have a negative affect on someone. Kids are cruel. I don't believe anyone makes it through high school completely unscathed. And the more ammo people have, the harder it can be. Something like this can stick with you for a long time. Not to mention, the impact it could have on your future. 

I think what Jennifer Brown does a really good job at is making Ashleigh and Kaleb relatable. This situation could really happen to anyone. Ashleigh was a good student/athlete/daughter, but made one mistake. She was persuaded by her friends. She was nervous about her relationship. She never thought her boyfriend would share the picture.  Ashleigh was extremely hard on Kaleb when their relationship became long distance. She was paranoid about his loyalty and they were constantly fighting, which led to a nasty breakup. Ashleigh is not completely blameless. But in a stupid act of revenge, Kaleb sends the picture to his baseball friends. He never thought it would go past that. Now he's charged with distributing child pornography because he was over 18 and Ashleigh was younger. His future is ruined. 

I really liked how Ashleigh's story was told. The chapters alternate from when Ashleigh was court ordered to attend community service, and from when the picture was first taken until eventually the stories merge. And I was completely absorbed in what was being told. The emotional torment Ashleigh suffers through is unthinkable. I can't even imagine being in her situation. But I think she handled it as best as anyone could and I really enjoyed how she stands up for herself in the end. And Mack's character was well played. Not everyone would look at and distribute a naked picture of a fellow student. Mack shows that there are some who are above that. He was exactly what Ashleigh needed to get through this period in her life. 

I think this book should be mandatory reading in High Schools. It is a lesson that needs to be learned, before it is learned the hard way. Jennifer Brown does an amazing job addressing this issue.