Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Review: Black Box by Julie Schumacher

Black Box 
Black Box by Julie Schumacher

WHEN DORA, ELENA’S older sister, is diagnosed with depression and has to be admitted to the hospital, Elena can’t seem to make sense of their lives anymore. At school, the only people who acknowledge Elena are Dora’s friends and Jimmy Zenk—who failed at least one grade and wears blackevery day of the week. And at home, Elena’s parents keep arguing with each other. Elena will do anything to help her sister get better and get their lives back to normal—even when the responsibility becomes too much to bear.
Published in US: Sept. 2008
Source: Pub for review


My review:

   This is a powerful read, and a true peek into the world of depression and how it effects other people. 
   Elena is strong, and it is hard to experience her sister's depression and the fallout, but it is such an important topic. She makes some mistakes, and it shows good things to do and not to... As relating to her sister, her family, and keeping her life outside of Dora going. It is such a hard balance.
   Jimmy is a great addition, and even though I began to suspect his big secret, I really loved how he stepped up and was there for Elena. 
   This is a quick and poignant read that I def recommend. 



7 comments:

  1. Regardless of the WSJ's ridiculous take on dark themes in YA novels, I appreciate books like this that take on a very real issue affecting many teens' lives and don't romanticize it, but show the dark side of these illnesses. Thanks for the rec. I definitely think I'll be reading this one.


    Smiles!
    Lori

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  2. This book sounds pretty powerful! I'm glad the serious topic was handled well. Thanks for the review! :)

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  3. The premise of this one sounds very interesting! I agree that depression is a really important topic since so many people suffer from it--one that isn't talked about enough!

    Thanks for sharing with us!

    This week’s Teaser Tuesday: Hard Spell

    Today’s Review: Hard Spell

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  4. Sounds like a good book! I know a lot of people who have suffered from depression and I really think it's a subject to be talked about.
    -Danna

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  5. Great review! Sounds like a book that I would be interesting in ready. Will be checking it out. Thanks!

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  6. The cover is intriguing in its simplicity, don't you think? This is the first review I've seen of this one, so thanks for putting it on my radar!

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