Suicide Books

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 72 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This book might change the way you deal with friends and classmates..... 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Have you ever found an unexpected package on your doorstep? How exciting to get a surprise, right? Well, for Clay Jensen, this package isn't what he hoped it would be. When he opens it, he finds cassette tapes and a note. The really scary thing is that these tapes have been left for him by a dead girl, Hannah, who committed suicide just a few weeks ago. Pills, they said. But why did she kill herself? She explains who is responsible for what she has done -- in her own words on the tapes, she gives 13 reasons why -- and they all have names. Despite being horrified at what he might hear about himself and the others on the tapes, he forces himself to listen to them. Along the way, following the map included with the recordings, he finds himself both excused and also held accountable. What Clay hears that night changes him forever. Recommended!

Editorial Review:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Paper Towns

John Green

Amazon Price: $11.67 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dutton Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $9.72

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

What to say... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I don't even know what to say about John Green's Paper Towns. I found about about John Green through his video blog entitled "VlogBrothers" and I am so happy that I did. I first read Looking For Alaska, and that book made me so happy to have read it. But this review is not about that, it's about Paper Towns. Paper Towns chronicles a boy reaching out to an unattainable girl,and the hunt that follows is one of the most entertaining stories that I've ever read that leaves you excited and ready for more. John Green has done it again.

Editorial Review:

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.

Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

Impulse

Ellen Hopkins

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Pulse Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $5.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Impulse is a hit! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I just love reading Ellen Hopkins books. Although Crank and Glass are my favorites, Impulse is a very close third. I love that we get three perspectives in this novel. The way that Ellen is able to reach teenage audiences impresses me every time. I will continue to buy and recommend all her books to my high school students. Thanks Ellen!!

Editorial Review:

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Tears Of A Tiger

Sharon M. Draper

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Pulse Amazon Marketplace: 67 new & used starting at $1.27

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 279 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

One bad decision, two lives lost!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My name is Jazmin and I am a freshman in high school. I had to pick a book for an English project. A friend of mine read Tears of a Tiger and said it had some good life lessons in it. Even though this book is fictional it is a very good book to read for kids my age because it shows how one bad decision can change lives.
In this book the main setting is Hazelwood High School. The main character is Andy. Andy made a bad decision one night and decided to drink and drive with his buddies in the car. Well they got into a crash and Robbie lost his life. Now while the others moved on, Andy couldn't cope with the death of Robbie and the book detailed Andy's conflict. Some of Andy's internal conflict made him act out in class, his grades started slipping, he lost his girlfriend, he missed school a lot, wasn't socializing with his friends, and continued to have bad dreams about the crash and Robbie.
Throughout the book Andy's friends and family tried to help him deal with his emotions. He even went to a counselor. His girlfriend Keisha always took him places to get his mind off things, but something always triggered his memories and he would become depressed again. It all became too much for Keisha and she broke up with Andy. Andy thought the only way to resolve his conflict was to kill himself. That is exactly what Andy did.
After Andy's death kids at school not only had to deal with one of there fellow classmates dying that year, but yet another. Most of his close friends wrote him letters asking questions like, "Why did you do it?", "Why didn't you ask for help?", and "What affect his death would have on his brother's life?"
After reading this book I have a greater understanding of how important life really is. This book taught me that life is so fragile; it can end in any moment. I also learned no matter how tough life gets for a person that ending your life is never the answer. Even though the troubled person's pain is gone, the people left behind are left wondering and suffering. The book also reminded me of how we are all one bad decision away from our lives being changed forever.

Editorial Review:

In one horrifying night,

Andy's life changed forever...

Andy Jackson was driving the car that crashed one night after a game, killing Robert Washington, his best friend and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers. It was late, and they'd been drinking, and now, months later, Andy can't stop blaming himself. As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he's losing the most precious thing of all -- his ability to face the future.

Breaking Dawn: Special Edition (The Twilight Saga)

Stephenie Meyer

Amazon Price: $15.63 List Price: $22.99 Not yet published By: Little Brown & Co (Juv)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3548 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Great love stories thrive on sacrifice. Throughout The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse), Stephenie Meyer has emulated great love stories--Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights--with the fated, yet perpetually doomed love of Bella (the human girl) and Edward (the vampire who feeds on animals instead of humans). In Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final installment in the series, Bella’s story plays out in some unexpected ways. The ongoing conflicts that made this series so compelling--a human girl in love with a vampire, a werewolf in love with a human girl, the generations-long feud between werewolves and vampires--resolve pretty quickly, apparently so that Meyer could focus on Bella’s latest opportunity for self-sacrifice: giving her life for someone she loves even more than Edward. How close she comes to actually making that sacrifice is questionable, which is a big shift from the earlier books. Even though you knew Bella would make it through somehow, the threats to her life, and to her relationship with Edward, had previously always felt real. It’s as if Meyer was afraid of hurting her characters too much, which is unfortunate, because the pain Bella suffered at losing Edward in New Moon, and the pain Jacob suffered at losing Bella again and again, are the fire and the heart that drive the whole series. Diehard fans will stick with Bella, Edward, and Jacob for as many twists and turns as possible, but after most of the characters get what they want with little sacrifice, some readers may have a harder time caring what happens next. (Ages 12 and up) --Heidi Broadhead

What Happened to Cass McBride?

Gail Giles

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Little, Brown Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $3.65

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Another suspenseful HIT for Gail Gillies 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What Happened to Cassie McBride is a suspenseful, page-turner which will not disappoint Young Adult readers. Gail Gillies has a intriguing way of making her characters come alive as well as encouraging teenagers to keep reading. Her creative characterization and foreshadowing motivate the reader.
I have read four of Gail Gillies's novels for reluctant readers, and everyone of her books is powerful, suspenseful and thought-provoking. I encourage all teenagers, even those who would rather be on the internet, to read one of her novels; you won't be disappointed!

Editorial Review:

"The setting is claustrophobic, the characters are complex and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats," KLIATT raved of this vivid, fast-paced psychological thriller in a starred review. Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Kidnaps Cass. Puts her in a box--underground. He buries her alive. But lying in the deepest dark, Cass finds a weapon: she uses the power of words to keep her nemesis talking--and herself breathing--during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.

Breaking Dawn (Cutting Edge) (Cutting Edge)

Donna Shelton

Amazon Price: $8.95 List Price: $8.95 Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks By: Ransom Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $6.50

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Editorial Review:

It's so cool having a really close friend. Somebody you can share secrets with, somebody you can trust. Like Dawn's best friend Perry. But what happens when that trust is broken, and secrets become public knowledge? Sometimes the consequences just become too much to bear.

Cutting Edge is a new fiction series for teenagers and young adults, dealing with difficult issues and situations. The books are fast-paced quick reads, focusing on aspects of the tougher side of life, a side of life many of the readers will have experienced and can identify with. Issues covered in the first five books in the series include: self-harm, incest, suicide, and gay sexuality.

The Burn Journals

Brent Runyon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Recommendable Reading 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Taylor Moody:
In the autobiography "The Burn Journals" Brent Runyon describes his traumatizing suicide attempt and his difficult recovery over the next year. Brent shows us his experience at a Burn Unit in a children's hospital where he underwent burn care and skin grafts. After his stay at the Burn Unit and a few psychologist meetings he then went to a rehabilitation hospital for intensive physical and psychological therapy. And then he finally arrived home and began high school.
In the beginning of the story Brent comes home one day after school with the thought of suicide on his mind. He was in trouble at school, his best friend was going out with the girl he liked, and he felt unwanted, unloved, and alone. He put on his black bathrobe stepped into his shower and poured gasoline on himself then he lit the match that would turn his life upside down. While engulfed in flames he made the decision to stop himself. He turned on the shower and the fire went out. He was rescued from his house and taken to the Burn Unit at Children's Hospital. At the hospital he discovers that he has burns over 85% of his body and undergoes intensive treatment. He makes friends with the nurses that take care of him and it makes his stay more enjoyable. Brent's burn scars have to be stretched or else he will lose almost all of his range of motion in his arms and legs.
After about 6 months at Children's Hospital he then moves to a rehabilitation center called DuPont. Here Brent goes through intensive physical and psychological therapy. Brent figures out after a few meetings with psychologists that he doesn't know why he tried to kill himself. He feels that none of the reasons he thought he was doing it for meant any sense anymore. Also at DuPont Brent took some school courses to try and get caught up with his peers who he would meet up with in high school. After DuPont Brent went to another rehabilitation facility where he stayed with other teens that had problems of their own. Here Brent and his family talked about the event and how it affected the family. Brent was then released from here after a short period of time and could now stay full time at home.
At home Brent caught up with some of his friends from eighth grade who were now in high school. He realized how much he'd missed and that he was going to have to struggle to find his way in high school. After a few weeks a t home Brent's psychologist decided he was ready to go back into the mainstream of life. Brent got on a bus, put his head on the window and rode the bus to this seemingly alien world which he knew nothing about anymore. Brent steps of the bus and starts a new beginning.
I thought the author did an excellent job of bringing the reader right into his head. I could relate to the character and his humor. The Burn Journals showed me how fragile life is and the psychological affects suicide has. I thought this book was a masterpiece and I would absolutely recommend this book to all of my friends and even some of my older family members.

Editorial Review:

I don’t want to get out of bed.
I’m so stupid.
I did so many things wrong.
I don’t know what to do.
I’m going to be in so much trouble.
What am I going to do?
I’m completely screwed.

In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match.

He suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year of physical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done, undertaking the complicated journey from near-death back to high school, and from suicide back to the emotional mainstream of life.

In the tradition of Running with Scissors and Girl, Interrupted, The Burn Journals is a truly remarkable book about teenage despair and recovery.

Suicide Notes

Michael Thomas Ford

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperTeen Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $7.13

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

"Why is it that you have to warn people about what you are? Why can't it just be something that happens?" 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

At fifteen, Jeff suffers from the same teen angst and insecurities as many others his age, unsure about some of his feelings and insecure about his sexuality. In his case, he kept these emotions bottled up until he attempted suicide, which resulted in his being assigned to forty-five days in a small adolescent psychiatric treatment facility, the setting for this book. Initially, Jeff avoids dealing with his own issues, and concentrates on his curiosity about his four fellow patients, with whom he must interact on a daily basis as part of his therapy. Then there are the daily group and private sessions with Dr. Katzrupus, not-so-affectionately referred to as "Cat Poop" by his young charges, who has little success initially in getting Jeff to speak about his feelings or why he tried to take his life. The forty-five days starts off seeming like an eternity, but, by the time it is all over, Jeff is stronger, more self-assured, but still somewhat insecure about returning to his "real life" on the outside.

Michael Thomas Ford manages to create a well-written teen self-help book in a story format that will entertain his readers, through characters and feelings with whom they can identify. Family dynamics are shown in a realistic and unapologetic style, and the book is careful not to get heavy-handed or preachy. Excellent read for young people dealing with family, social or coming-out issues. Five blue pills out of five.

Editorial Review:

I'm not crazy. I don't see what the big deal is about what happened. But apparently someone does think it's a big deal because here I am. I bet it was my mother. She always overreacts.

Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year's Day to find himself in the hospital. Make that the psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Clearly, this is all a huge mistake. Forget about the bandages on his wrists and the notes on his chart. Forget about his problems with his best friend, Allie, and her boyfriend, Burke. Jeff's perfectly fine, perfectly normal, not like the other kids in the hospital with him. Now they've got problems. But a funny thing happens as his forty-five-day sentence drags on—the crazies start to seem less crazy.

Compelling, witty, and refreshingly real, Suicide Notes is a darkly humorous novel from award-winning author Michael Thomas Ford that examines that fuzzy line between "normal" and the rest of us.

Pitch Black: Color Me Lost (True Colors Series #4)

Melody Carlson

Amazon Price: $10.39 List Price: $12.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: NavPress Publishing Group Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $6.35

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I hope no one has ever experienced the death of someone close to them. Unfortunately the majority of people have. It's even more sad when you know someone who's committed suicdie. As the 2nd most common form of death among teengers, it's very rare to go to a high school that has not experienced the effects of it. Even more scarier are the number of teens who have considered the thought of taking their own lives.

Pitch Black, book 4 in the True Colors series, takes a look at teen suicide, a sensitive yet important issue. Morgan's best friend has taken his life and she and two friends are struggling to figure out why. They come up with the solution that it is best to join him and they make a suicide pact. As Morgan finds out what really happen, she decides to rethink her stance and help others realize that it's not worth it to end your life.

I feel that this was a very good book that teens should read. What I found interesting is that Jason tried to kill himself not for the sake of his peers' attention but for his father's. Imagine the guilt his father will now face the rest of his life. The essay about the effects of Tylenol overdose was very informative and should be made more public. I also appreciated Carlson's aknowlegement that Christian teens sometimes shy away from situations they are uncomfortable in handling. When Morgan found herself questioning God, her youth group and even her best friend distanced themselves away from her. Those are the times when they should have been there for her the most.

I feel that many teens believe that no one would care if they died and everyone would be better off if they were gone. I know that because I used to feel that way myself. This should not be the case. Suicide is a topic that many Christians are afraid to bring up. Churches and youth groups need to be aware that even their members are struggling with this idea. I hope that more people, teens and adults, read this book and understand that there needs to be more attention brought to this issue. It might even save a life.

Editorial Review:

Following her friend's suicide, Morgan questions the meaning of life and death to come to her life's ultimate decision.