Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles is unlike any other book that I’ve read this year. It’s subject is sobering. Kids abusing kids. Wow. Leah Greene is dead. And Laine isn’t sure is she should feel guilt or relief. What she does know is that Leah has forever affected her and she must come to grips with her feelings. As a child, Laine was the loner, teased on the playground. That is until Leah Greene chose her to be her best friend. But it’s a friendship unlike any other and even Laine can recognize that friends don’t treat each other this way. Leah is cruel. Laine begins to hate Leah for all the times Leah forces her to spend time in the closet to “practice” for when they got older and married. The book begins at Leah’s death and takes us back to how they both arrived to the current tragedy.
Lessons From a Dead Girl isn’t an easy read. It stays with you long after you’ve closed the book. I’m sure teens can relate in way or another to either Leah, a friend who you continue to let bully you, or Laine, somebody who desperately just wants a friend. It’s raw and daring. Dealing with topics of sexual abuse, child abuse, and alcohol use. Highly recommended. I couldn’t put it down.
Jo Knowles website and blog. Awesome author interviews at Becky’s Book Reviews, Cynsations, and YA Authors Cafe.
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Young Adult
Tags: I-L Author, I-L Title, published 2008, sexual abuse
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This sounds like something that parents of teens should read.
on December 8th, 2008 at 6:38 pmWow! Way to bring to light the little known problem of sexual abuse between peers – it really does happen and not just with teens. I’m not sure I could actual handle reading this book, but I admire the author for writing about such a difficult topic.
on December 8th, 2008 at 9:15 pmYikes. Having a daughter that is nearly 11, I am pretty sensitive to all the dark paths that are out there for kids today. I fear that if I read this book, I would be seriously disturbed (like I was when I saw the movie “Thirteen”). There are a couple of girls in my daughter’s class that are very manipulative and cruel – I hate to think what they will be capable of three years from now!
on December 9th, 2008 at 3:44 amGreat review. It is a difficult read, but a memorable one as well.
on December 9th, 2008 at 5:07 pmGreat review. This does sound like an interesting read.
on December 9th, 2008 at 5:50 pmKathy – Agreed!
Cari – It’s a topic that I definitely have not read a lot about.
Sandy – What’s sad is that in this book, is that when the abuse started they were younger than 11. Scary.
Becky – I like the difficult ones the best.
Darlene – I hope you read it.
on December 14th, 2008 at 10:33 pmWow, this sounds like a powerful book – thanks for the review! I’ve added the book to my TBR list and “stumbled” the review!
on December 15th, 2008 at 7:11 pmLessons from a dead girl
on January 12th, 2009 at 8:37 pmis a great book
i couldnt but the book down
i advice people to read it
I’m a 16 yr old boy
on March 31st, 2009 at 9:52 pmi really not into reading everything i read is pretty much off sparknotes
i picked this book up randomly at bargain books
i couldnt stop reading this book i read it in about two days. It was veryyyy interesting, sort of suspensful in a way that you want to know what is going to happen next.