One death nine stories (Book review)

EDITED BY: MARC ARONSON & CHARLES R. SMITH

OVERVIEW:

Nicholas, Kevin. Age 19. Died at York Hospital, July 19, 2012. Kev’s the first kid their age to die. And now, even though he’s dead, he’s not really gone. Even now his choices are touching the people he left behind. Rita Williams-Garcia follows one aimless teen as he finds a new life in his new job-at the mortuary. Ellen Hopkins reveals what two altar boys (and one altar girl) might get up to at the cemetery at night. Will Weaver turns a lens on Kevin’s sister as she collects his surprising effects-and makes good use of them. Here, in nine stories, we meet people who didn’t know Kevin, friends from his childhood, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, all dealing with the fallout of his death. Being a teenager is a time for all kinds of firsts-first jobs, first loves, first good-byes, firsts that break your heart and awaken your soul. It’s an initiation of sorts, and it can be brutal. But on the other side of it is the rest of your life.

REVIEW:

This book is about death! LOL yes Ms. obvious!! But there are different levels of death in this book. First and foremost, the POV of the people in the story is about a dead guy named Kevin. He committed suicide and he is just 19 years old. In this book “Kevin” has a lot of different roles. He is a friend, a group leader, a brother, an ex-boyfriend, and just another body in a body bag down in the morgue. Kevin is referred to as someone who is “broken” in the book. In fact all of them are broken too, and that’s why they are friends with Kevin. He has this group of friends called the “Suicide Crew”, they are all considered as broken people, they all have problems with family and they can’t seem to find their place in the world. Some came from divorced families, abused children, emotionally unavailable parents and those who are just lost. They see Kevin as their leader and the strongest among them, so they were all shocked when they found out that Kevin took his own life. I like this book, because it shows the reality of what teenagers are really facing today, it’s really deep and dark at the same time. Like you may know someone but you don’t know what they are really going through. Sometimes the people who look composed and brave all the time are the people who are broken and dead inside.

RATING:

4.5

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Publisher: Candlewick Press (August 26, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1491502509

ISBN-13: 978–1491502501

“I received this book from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.”