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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Tags: abuse, child abuse, female author, Fiction, I-L Author, I-L Title, published 2008, Publisher: Bloomsbury, 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.
This book was absolutely amazing! My second favorite book of all times. I love how detailed it was. I could picture every event happening in my head. The story line was REALLY good. If it wasn’t a library book, I would read it again.
on December 28th, 2009 at 10:18 pmI’ve read this book-it IS a very difficult book to read. i could actually relate to Laine a lot. in the beginning when they first were friends, it was almost exact from my horrible past-i even started to cry…even though in the end, i had felt bad for Leah as well and actually related to her a bit, but not with the abuse thing or alcohol…
it is an AMAZING book-i’d recomend it to anyone and everyone, just be ready to cry a bit here and there…
on February 11th, 2010 at 6:56 pmgreat and best book every-a definate read!
i am in high school an this book is amazing, i hate reading with a passion but this is one but that i cant put down. i want to hand this book to my mom an say here this is alot of what i have gone threw growing up an what i am now. i have been both leah an lanie but i also have a friend who was a lanie an i was a leah grwoing up. this book is haveing a big impact on my life i love it an i cant wait to finish it. an i only started reading it because i passed by it on my way to class it was in the window of are library. GOOD BOOK AWSOME READ!!!!
on December 9th, 2010 at 9:22 ami read thiis book!! wow!! it was awsome!!! i mean so intersting i read it in one dayy i jsut kuldnt wait to see what was going to happen next aahh i giive it a 10254555 out of 10:D
on April 17th, 2011 at 12:59 pmi finished this book in like 2 hrs cause i couldnt put it down i am 11 and i love this i encourage people to read it (iff you have a matture mind though)
on April 21st, 2011 at 7:14 pmIt rawks frickin hard if you like girls hooking up
on May 1st, 2011 at 2:54 pm