Waiting on Wednesday: Forge (Chains #2)

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm anxious about the October 19th arrival of part 2 in the phenomenal historical fiction series by the ever-amazing Laurie Halse Anderson. After exploring the rights of, not only slaves, but female slaves, in Chains we come to the story of Curzon who was introduced in the first novel.

In this compelling sequel to Chains, ... shifts perspective from Isabel to Curzon and brings to the page the tale of what it takes for runaway slaves to forge their own paths in a world of obstacles—and in the midst of the American Revolution.

The Patriot Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge—against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.

From Goodreads

After the incredible emotional & historical roller coaster that was Chains, this seems like the perfect next step to continue on trip down American history lane. Master storyteller Laurie Halse Anderson is sure to have another hit on her hands with Forge and I for one will be excited to see her return to this subject. So, what are you impatiently waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday: Forge (Chains #2)

Nostalgic Friday: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

Today I'm featuring Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This was one of the best books I read for pleasure in middle school. It's hard to believe it has been out for 10 years already. Am I really that old?

Anyway, the story is about quiet high school freshman Melinda and her struggle to face her situation. Her parents pretty much ignore her existence, communicating mostly through notes left behind. She is an outcast at school and doesn't really fit in with anyone. Especially since that night. The night she called the police to the big senior party right before school started was the end of her existence as she knew it. She called about underage drinking, but really it was just to get the party broken up after an upperclassmen took advantage of her while she was inebriated.

Now facing social pariah-hood, Melinda withdraws into herself. She sleeps a lot and avoids any situation that makes her anxious. While she maintains decent grades, her true love lies in art class where she is free to express herself. Eventually the truth of that night comes out when she tries to rescue her former best friend from dating Melinda's rapist. The fiasco that ensues and the ending will break your heart with emotions.

A meaningful and deep read, Speak was the start of Anderson's ability to tackle such difficult, but real subject matter. Date rape is an all-too-frequent occurrence in today's society and Anderson managed to portray, no just the victim's experience, but the way that experience affected the whole community. The characters are real, emotionally charged, and feel like someone you know. Melinda in an amazing character to get to know and as you read the story, you really begin to understand and participate in her rollercoaster ride of emotions and feelings.

Speak sheds light on a sensitive subject with delicate care and helped readers see the many facets of this unspeakable event. While it obviously deals with difficult subject matter, this book is great reading for older middle schoolers and high schoolers alike. If you like this book, be sure to check out her other books like Wintergirls or Twisted.

Nostalgic Friday: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie are the best of friends. Having met as young children, they grew up together. Through thick and thin they were always inseparable. That is until being thin became the most important thing to them.

Cassie is bulimic: binging and then purging all that she consumes. Lia has more restraint than that, she is anorexic. Both of the girls help each other stay strong and keep their weight down. After a car wreck caused by the havoc Lia caused to her body, she is sent to a treatment facility and Cassie stops talking to her. Over six months Lia fights to stay in control of her weight, despite everyone else's best efforts to the contrary and she longs for Cassie to come back into her life.

Until Cassie shows up dead in a motel room, where she died alone. Confronted with the terrifying reality that her up-until-recently best friend is now dead, Lia struggles to define herself and what she really wants. Does she want to kill herself or is there something else creeping inside her that she wants to kill?

An open-eyed, very true account of what many teenagers all over the country face, Laurie Halse Anderson has again taken a very prevalent issue in contemporary society and turned into an opportunity to learn. Without glorifying the characters' actions, the author follows the train of thought of an eating disorder victim and explores some of the lesser known evils that can accompany them. Riveting and chilling, Wintergirls is a book well worth reading and passing it along.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson