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JenlovesJT47It‘s definitely a cautionary tale imo. For the first half of the book I really thought she was talking about cocaine and not meth. Totally changed my perspective once I figured that out 😆3w
5feet.of.furyHonestly I didn‘t feel like it had any message. Like, oh no if you take drugs some bad stuff will happen to you that also happens to other people and there will be no repercussions from getting involved with the Mexican mob, you‘ll raise a baby with lots of family support and a supportive boyfriend. Like??? I know she‘s still on drugs at the end, but she doesn‘t lose friends, family or custody? It seemed like not enough of a reckoning3w
Read4lifeI don‘t know that it went deep enough into the repercussions. It is cautionary but I don‘t know that book one will open enough eyes. Perhaps the next two books provide the reckoning.3w
lil1inblueI think it serves as a cautionary tale. The drug use leads to some pretty horrific experiences. Based on the reviews I read, it resonated with a lot of people. I personally felt it was a little too much like an after-school special for my taste, but I am not the target audience, and that doesn't mean that others can't benefit from it.3w
Karisa@Read4life I kept thinking, when is the floor going to fall out beneath her feet? She‘s lucky to have such a support system. I‘m not sure that‘s realistic for many. As@lil1inblue mentioned, pretty after school everything works out. Maybe in the later books though as you mentioned 🤷🏻♀️(edited) 2w
JenlovesJT47Anybody who has ever dealt with addiction could tell you that referring to it as “the monster” is an extremely accurate description. Like a monkey you can‘t get off your back. Very sad to watch the downward spiral. That‘s why I think it‘s important to tell stories like this and they shouldn‘t be censored. ❤️3w
JenlovesJT47Her father infuriated me and a lot of it can be traced back to him. If he showed the slightest bit of interest in what she was doing what a difference that would make. Her mom and stepdad…not perfect but at least they‘re trying.3w
5feet.of.fury@JenlovesJT47 agree. The author did a good job with the POV because it‘s so teenage that Kristina is as mad at her mom and stepfather (for working or being somewhat distant, for wanting her to do good in school) as she is with her dad (who pretended she didn‘t exist & lead her directly to drugs)3w
JenlovesJT47@5feet.of.fury yes exactly! When you‘re a teenager you‘re always mad at your parents but I don‘t think her mom and stepdad were that bad. They were just doing normal parenting things wanting her to get good grades and stuff.3w
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lil1inblueObviously her father is a terrible influence, and not much of a parent. I wonder if her propensity towards addiction may be inherited, too. I agree with@5feet.of.fury &@jenlovesJT47 about the Mom and Step-Dad. I wonder if they thought her changes were just hormonal teenaged behavior in the beginning.3w
JenlovesJT47@lil1inblue we hide so much from our parents at that age. Her mom and stepdad could obviously tell something was wrong but I doubt they thought it was as bad as it really was.3w
Karisa@5feet.of.fury@JenlovesJT47 It‘s so much safer to be mad at the ones that love us unconditionally.2w
JenlovesJT47I don‘t know what the main reasons are for it being so banned but I grew up in a religious environment and went to a Christian school from K-5 through college. And I can tell you they would have hated this book because of the drugs, promiscuity and especially the teen pregnancy. They would consider it immoral and ban it from school. And here I sit still deconditioning 20 years later. 😒3w
MelismaticI‘d think the frank discussions about drugs (including the father‘s drug issues), sex, and abortion would make it pretty taboo but all the more reason why the story is important to tell.3w
CatLass007I agree with@Melismatic. Adults are too afraid to let young people learn the truth that might help them avoid such behaviors but such ignorance can have the opposite effect.3w
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JenlovesJT47Yes it just sets kids up for failure if you act like the world is all sunshine and rainbows. What happens when your kid turns 18 and is wholly unprepared for the real world.3w
lil1inblueThere's a lot of topics in this book that many consider “taboo“ - drugs, promiscuity, sexual assault, teen pregnancy. I think that these topics could also be triggering for some people. However, the book is really meant to be a warning against these things, not an endorsement, so I don't understand why people would ban it. Like@jenlovesjt47 said, kids need to be prepared for the world's realities.3w
Karisa@lil1inblue I agree, meant to warn. However, I can see many of my sixth grade students taking the main character‘s pov for complete reality. She keeps justifying how it‘s all not so bad, had more boys being interested in her, and the high being worth it. As adults, we can be horrified by her blindness and the risks she takes. Definitely more appropriate for high schooolers and up with better critical thinking skills2w
JenlovesJT47I know it‘s not for everyone but I loved the format and already downloaded the next two books. Never seen an entire story written out like that in poetry form. I think it would be a very therapeutic way to journal.3w
5feet.of.furyNo issue with the format, it made it really sound like a teenager‘s rambling journal. The prose, the references, the random moodswings was all effectively very teenage pretension3w
MelismaticI felt like the format really felt like a personal headspace especially of a teenager. It felt more organic and believable - less stilted or forced.3w
CatLass007The format was interesting. I guess I‘m just over teenage angst and drug abuse.3w
Read4lifeI think the format added to the story and (like@Melismatic said) made it feel like it was her mental gymnastics.3w
AllDebooksI couldn't get hold of a copy, unfortunately.3w
lil1inblueI loved the format of the book - it was probably my favorite aspect. It made the book more personal. And the structure of the poetry was phenomenal. I loved the concrete poems.3w
KarisaI thought it connected well to the character and what she was going through. To me, poetry is very good at capturing emotion and not necessarily complete thoughts—worked perfectly here.(edited) 2w
KenyazeroI definitely felt like the poetry format of this one worked well. It might not have worked as well in another format with the same type of emotional impact and quick-moving story the author achieved here.2w
