HEARTBREAK AND ROSES (Laurel-Leaf Books) - Softcover

Bode, Janet

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440219663 ISBN 13: 9780440219668

Publisher: Laurel Leaf, 1995

Synopsis

A collection of real-life account of teenage love that has gone bad captures the anguish of violent and obsessional love and features moving stories of love that has prevailed against the odds. Reprint.

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 7-12. Although love is a prime teenage concern and the stuff of countless YA novels, it's rarely the subject of teen nonfiction. Bode and Mack take a swing at changing that, but instead of trying to explain what love is, they concentrate on what it isn't. Offering 12 real-life stories, 2 in cartoon form, they explore "love gone wrong"--abusive, obsessive, irresponsible love. Related in teens' own halting words, the accounts have the awkwardness and spontaneity of confidences exchanged with close friends. Whether it's a disabled teen talking about the practicalities of having sex, someone involved in an abusive relationship, or a gay youth whose first lover pretends their intimacy never happened, the stories are candid--about love, about pain, and about sex. And as in real life, they often have no satisfying conclusion. Mack's stories in cartoon are nicely done and a good change of pace, but they lack the intimate quality of the narratives. Unlike some of Bode's other books, this contains no commentary to help kids put what they read into perspective; the kids' recollections, however, usually get the point across quite well. Stephanie Zvirin

From Kirkus Reviews:

This is nonfiction on the raw, cutting edge, complete with Village Voice cartoonist Mack's illustrations to tell two of the stories, one about a young woman whose boyfriend's adult aspirations include joining the Klan. Violent, possessive love is not uncommon in the 12 stories featured, and the teens involved repeatedly trust too early or fall time after time for the lure of love as a way to solve problems. Headings jump out at the reader with their intensity, e.g., ``control,'' ``threats''; fact boxes appear here and there to add to data, a sample being information on courting as a ``game of abuse.'' The stories are more than eye- opening, perhaps the most moving being a tale of a girl in a wheelchair who has the least ease in staking out her love but nevertheless shows the most ego strength. Most of the other stories are turmoil-filled, from suicide attempts to a character's matter- of-fact revelation of having been ``raped so many times.'' One story's title, ``Naked Alone Together,'' tells it all. (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Laurel Leaf
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0440219663
• ISBN 13: 9780440219668
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176