Saturday, March 3, 2012

Split by Swati Avasthi

This is not a pleasant book to read.  It's about two young men growing up in an abusive household and how they deal with it.  There is no happy ending; it's just the boys in their late teens trying to make their own ways in life.  And it's well worth reading.

Ember, a division of Random House Teens, sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy at your local bookstore now.

Jace is sixteen when he runs from home and his father.  He heads out for his estranged brother's apartment, miles away.  He doesn't know how or if he will be welcomed.  But all he has is $3.84, a broken face, and a secret he doesn't want to share.

The main focus of the story is the interplay between the two siblings.  They both carry baggage from the home they grew up in and they both deal with it differently.  They aren't good at talking.  And they both worry about their mother who won't leave.

This book would work really well as a book for a psychological class in high school.  It would be good for homeschooling, too.  There are issues in this book that should be discussed in a group.  This offers an opportunity for further education in abuse.

This author writes about an ugly subject and does it very factually.  The family dynamics are different for the boys because of age and nature.  There are deep dark questions in this story and Ms. Avasthi digs them out and dissects them carefully.

Why not read this book and share it with your teen?  It's easier to learn these lessons from words than experience.

Happy reading.

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