You know im no good book

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-In therapy, 17-year-old Mia Dempsey refers to her first sexual experience at 14 as a "crusty old wound," but it was rape. Mia thought that because she didn't say no, she had given consent. But she didn't give consent, and Scottie Currie, a senior, didn't stop. He also didn't stop his friends from bullying Mia mercilessly after the fact, until she started skipping classes and trading her education for "the chalky, numbing pop of cocaine." For three years she hung out with boys who drugged and assaulted her, all stemming from the first event, says her therapist, because "humans are often unconsciously drawn to the repetition of painful experiences." That's a clinical explanation for a shocking reality that too many young people experience. Denial is the core narrative of this novel. Harsh and unblinking, this is the story of one smart, tough, and funny girl who acts out, until she gives her stepmother two black eyes and winds up at Red Oak Academy, where the privileged send their troubled daughters. A few of them begin to heal: For Mia, getting better involves imagining something better for herself. It's a nearly impossible task, but her therapist, a new friend named Vera, and her parents believe that she can do it. The book features Mia's lengthy-and compelling-reading and listening list, ranging from Joy Harjo, Sylvia Plath, and Danez Smith to Kesha, Cardi B, and Amy Winehouse, from whom Foley has borrowed the book's title. VERDICT An instant winner, reminiscent of the classic Speak, with a caustically funny and searching teen protagonist who's in denial following her rape at the age of 14.-Georgia Christgau, LaGuardia Community Coll., Long Island City, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"When I love a book, I just inhale, absorb, consume. This book is so good and beautiful and true."  — Carrie Mesrobian, William C. Morris Award Finalist 

"An instant winner, reminiscent of the classic Speak, with a caustically funny and searching teen protagonist." — School Library Journal

“This is a thoughtful examination of sexual assault, trauma, and misogyny. . . Remarkably moving.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Arresting dialogue and tender moments showcase the girls’ distinct and lively personalities while offering striking examples of the way society ignores teenage girls’ experiences.” — Publishers Weekly

“For teens—especially girls—still finding that place between vulnerable and armored, this will be a balm.” — Booklist

"A captivating portrait of a girl at war with herself, this novel grapples with complex social issues in the guise of one young person’s trauma . . . Recommend this to readers who want a more contemporary, inclusive alternative to Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

MP3 CD Format

This razor-sharp novel fromPrintz Honor winner and Morris Award finalist Jessie Ann Foley will appeal to fans of Rory Power and Mindy McGinnis.

Mia is officially a Troubled Teen™— she gets bad grades, drinks too much, and has probably gone too far with too many guys.

But she doesn’t realize how out of control she seems until she is taken from her home in the middle of the night and sent away to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school in the middle of nowhere.

While there, Mia is forced to confront her painful past at the same time she questions why she's at Red Oak. If she were a boy, would her behavior be considered wild enough to get sent away? But what happens when circumstances outside of her control compel Mia to make herself vulnerable enough to be truly seen?

Challenging and thought-provoking, this stunning contemporary YA novel examines the ways society is stacked against teen girls and what one young woman will do to even the odds.

GIRL IN PIECES

by Kathleen Glasgow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016

After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016

Did you like this book?