WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson: a book review

Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secrets,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia’s mother is busy saving other people’s lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia’s head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way – thin, thinner, thinnest – maybe she’ll disappear altogether.

Ever feel like the numbers on the scale define your worth?
Yeah, met too. It was the darkest time in my life. It got to the point that I couldn't stand the sensation of ANYTHING in my gut. It had to come out. I had to be empty... clean... empty.

This book by LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON was bsaed on the author's correspondence with the many teens that have read her New York Times Best Selling Novels like TWISTED and SPEAK! Had she not mentioned that in the acknowledgments I would have bet my soul she was a recovering bulemic like me! This book is raw and painful, cathartic and poignant.

But this book will change your life. Every teen girl needs to read this. Every middle/high school teacher. Every mom. Every mentor.

There is no doubt in my mind that Laurie Halse Anderson is saving lives with this book. Fantastic! There is even a study guide** with questions in the back of the book.

xoxo

**If anyone is interested in doing an online Book Club, I would be happy to add a page to this blog devoted to book discussions. Tell me what you think!