Cut

I just went to check a detail from the back cover of Cut, by Patricia McCormick, and -- why am I surprised? -- it’s not there! Cut remains the most popular of our Library’s several novels dealing with the difficult topic of cutting. (Next most popular being Steven Levenkron’s The Luckiest Girl in the World, followed by Melody Carlson’s Blade Silver.)

Callie cuts herself to feel better, first with an Exacto knife, and later with just about anything that will get the job done. The more she cuts, the less she talks, and pretty soon she isn’t talking at all. As soon as the school nurse sees her scars, Callie is sent off to Sea Pines for treatment. (“The place is called a residential treatment facility. It is not called a loony bin.”) Most of the book then becomes a silent conversation, heard only by the reader, as Callie mentally responds to her therapist and the other girls in her treatment group.

And what a group! McCormick’s novel rings true as we meet the other “guests” and follow their struggles with food, drugs, alcohol, and the other self-destructive behaviors that have landed them at “Sick Minds” along with Callie.

Gradually, through memories and flashbacks, Callie offers up details of her life from before she started to cut. And when Amanda joins the group, proudly displaying scars of her own, Callie gets a life-changing jolt.

Cut is a real couldn’t-put-it-down sort of book, full of drama, insight. and vivid description (“a perfect straight line of blood bloomed up from under the edge of the blade....”) If you like realistic stories about teens in trouble, give it a try. If you’ve read it already, tell us what you think!

Speak

Most of us have been to at least one bad party. And I bet all of us have had a crummy day at school. (Remember Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?) Well, Laurie Halse Anderson’s 1999 novel, Speak, takes the un-fun party and the awful school day to new heights. It’s one of the most-borrowed books in the fiction section. (It’s also a movie.)

Melinda starts off her ninth grade year under the cloud of something that happened at a summertime party. Something so terrible that she called the police, who broke up the party, which outraged the other party-goers. In the space of a phone call, Melinda has become an outsider, shunned and heckled by her peers -- even her best friend, Rachel, dumps her. “I am OUTCAST,” she realizes. Why did Melinda call the cops? She can’t think about it. She can’t talk about it. Soon, she cannot speak at all.

Speak is organized by quarters, like the school year. We see the students, teachers, halls and classrooms from Melinda’s point of view, reading her thoughts. We are outcast with her, and burning to find out what actually happened at that infamous party.

Lest you think that Anderson’s novel is one long, miserable slog, I have to mention how funny it is. Yes, really. Melinda has a wicked wit, and a spot-on take on almost every aspect of high school life. From the cliques (the Future Fascists of America, the Marthas, the Suffering Artists...) to the teachers (good old Mr. Neck!) to the ever-changing school mascots and the way her parents talk in post-it notes, you will find plenty of humor to break up the suspense and sadness.

If you’ve read Speak, we’d love to see your comments. Fire ‘em in!