Saturday, November 17, 2007

After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away

by Joyce Carol Oates

Jenna Abbott’s life can be divided into two parts: before the wreck and after the wreck. Before the wreck, she was happily living with her mom and helping her mom survive the divorce. They wore matching sailor caps, and Jenna even ran for the school’s track team.

After the wreck, Jenna is left physically and mentally broken. She sustained such severe injuries that she’s now addicted to painkillers. And she lost her mother in the crash.

Now living with her aunt’s family, it is up to Jenna to start anew. A new town, a new school, and new friends may derail her, but this plucky fifteen-year-old may just have enough spirit to recover.

This is a well-paced and well written novel for young adults. Oates covers a lot of territory: loss, recovery, drug addiction, divorce, and peer pressure.

11/17/07

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