Movie Review: To Save a Life

This is a Christian movie that deals with teen issues including suicide.

At one time Jake was best friends with Roger, who was hit by a car saving Jake. Roger is different from then on, walking with limp and unable to play sports. By high school, Roger is an outcast and Jake becomes a basketball star. By his senior year, Jake has everything going for him—he’s a basketball star with a college scholarship, a beer pong champion, and has a gorgeous girlfriend. But his life is turned upside down when Roger ends his life.

Jake starts to take a look at his life and gets involved with a church youth group. While he’s starting to get his life straightened out, everything seems to be falling apart around him. His dad is cheating on his mom, his girlfriend is pregnant and the cool kids are turning on him.

Jake has to chose which way he will go. Will he do the right thing or follow his original plans.

Although a movie with a message, this movie shows drinking, some sexual activity (nothing shows, it’s left to your imagination), and a four letter word or two.

The movie addresses important issues—suicide, teen pregnancy, indifference, drinking, bullying etc. The problem is that some of the movie is a bit preachy and that might be a turn off to some teens. Others may be able to identify with one or more of the characters. This movie could be shown in a youth group setting or a club such as FCA, FCS, Life Line, Campus Life or by families. It would be best shown in  a situation that allows for discussion.

You can find the movie website HERE

You can read a full review of the movie on Plugged In online

Book Review: I Was Here

This year I am trying to read many best selling YA novels. For the most part, these are not Christian books, but they are what captivates today’s teen reader. 

My goal as an author is to write equally captivating books that give hope and real answers. Not pat answers. Not cardboard answers. Book that have real characters with real struggles. Not one dimensional characters.

I’ve noticed that many of the books I am reading have to do with death. I Was Here is no exception. Like All the Bright Places and  13 Reasons Why, it was about suicide.

Here’s Amazon’s summary of it:

When her best friend, Meg, commits suicide by drinking a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how did she miss the signs of Meg's depression? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

Since they covered the highlights, I’m going to jump in with what I think are the good and bad points of the book.

The good points:

• The book tackles the tough topics of depression and suicide
• The characters are well developed
• Cody and Ben go to church and the book includes the sermon

My problems with the book:

• A megagob of swearing including the f-word
• Sex between two teens and references to other times
• No hope of an afterlife is given other than someone saying that if there was an afterlife and you didn’t like it, you could just kill yourself again

I think the Christian market is sadly lacking in good books that deal with real issues. Ones that captivate the readers the way this one and others in the secular market do. This blog is for teens, but I have authors of YA fiction who read it, so my challenge to you is to fill in the gaps in Christian fiction.

Teen suicide is a major problem, the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24. And it’s estimated that for every successful suicide attempt, there are 15 failed attempts.

Kid’s Health has a good article on teen suicide HERE

I guess my question is, why are so many teens attempting to end their lives? The article lists these factors:

Young people with mental health problems — such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or insomnia — are at higher risk for suicidal thoughts. Teens going through major life changes (parents' divorce, moving, a parent leaving home due to military service or parental separation, financial changes) and those who are victims of bullying are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts.

Factors that increase the risk of suicide among teens include:

· a psychological disorder, especially depression, bipolar disorder, and alcohol and drug use (in fact, about 95% of people who die by suicide have a psychological disorder at the time of death)

·  feelings of distress, irritability, or agitation

· feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness that often accompany depression

· a previous suicide attempt

· a family history of depression or suicide

· emotional, physical, or sexual abuse

· lack of a support network, poor relationships with parents or peers, and feelings of social isolation

· dealing with bisexuality or homosexuality in an unsupportive family or community or hostile school environment

That being the case, it sounds like we need to get some programs in place for teens and make counseling more easily accessible.

I think we also need more books about teens who look at the odds and the things stacked against them, struggle with it , and then find positive—and realistic—solutions.

Can anyone suggest books like that?

Teens--what do you look for in a book? What new book would you like to see written? What subjects should Christian authors write about?

Book Review: 13 Reasons Why

My goal is to read 10 YA books this year. I have found it easier to listen to them on CD while I do busy work. This is my second book, and like the first, it deals with suicide.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

No one knew why Hannah Baker killed herself. But before she died, Hannah recorded a set of cassette tapes, one side for each of the reasons she killed herself, some of the incidents being minor and some more serious. Each of those reasons has to do with a person, and those thirteen people must listen to the tapes and pass them on.

When high school student Clay Jensen receives the tapes, he has no idea how much they will change his life. He plays the first tape and is surprised to hear the voice of classmate Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide. Aside from making out with her at a party, he didn’t really know her well—even though they worked at the movie theater together for a time and attended the same school.

 He spends a long night listening to the tapes and visiting the places the tapes led him to. The book alternates between Hannah’s story on the tape and Clay’s thoughts and memories. As the story progresses, Clay wonders if things would have been different if he’d only had the courage to speak to her.

After he listens to the tapes, the world looks different to Clay. When he returns to school, he notices Skye, another student who seems to be heading down the same road as Hannah and reaches out to her.

My Thoughts

In some ways this was a compelling read, but in others it lacked authenticity.

The way the story is woven together from two point of view characters, one who is telling her story by tape and the other through his thoughts and memories, is engaging. I listened to the book on CD, so I heard the story in two different voices. Reading it might not be so compelling.

The idea of a person’s actions affecting another person is important, however I don’t think Hannah should have blamed thirteen people for her choice to commit suicide. Some of the people were merely unkind, while others were cruel. The title “The Thirteen Reasons” points a finger at others and could be taken as vindictive. “You made me suffer, so I committed suicide, and it’s your fault.”

 That being said, I think it’s good if the book makes people look for those around them who are hurting, reach out to others and consider their words and actions. What to some people might have just been annoying, was traumatic to Hannah. Just one more thing piled on top of the others.

Hannah never really stood up for herself in the book, and more than once she put herself in a situation that led to her problems. For instance, at one point she was in a place that was a teen hang out. She was cornered in a booth and was being groped. She hoped some one would notice and help her, but she did not yell for help, which would have quickly ended the problem. Another time Hannah went into a hot tub with a boy knowing his intentions, and she had sex with him knowing it would make her darkness worse.

People need to be honest with others about their feelings. Clay assumed he had no chance with Hannah, when Hannah was actually hoping that he’d show interest in her. But since she appeared to want him to leave her alone, he did.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” ended with Clay feeling hopeful as he reached out to another student because of listening to the tapes and realizing his mistake with Hannah. But that is the only hope it gave.

My Recommendation:

It’s a good read, but it somewhat trivialized suicide. The book lacks any spiritual content. It is set in a public school and some of the language used and incidents reported do not support the values of a Christian teen. Yet it is enlightening. If you choose to read it, use discretion.

I found the book “All the Bright Places” to be much more authentic. So if you are going to read only one book about suicide, read “All the Bright Places.”

Hannah had 13 reasons why she committed suicide, here are my

Thirteen Reasons Why You Should Choose Life: I only have five so help me out and write your suggestions in the comments section.

1. God created you in his own image with a unique personality and talents. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14)
2. God has work especially for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
3. You have something to contribute to society that only you can contribute.
4. There is someone else hurting, and you are the perfect one to reach out to him or her.
5. Only by living will you find out all that you are capable of.

Other things to read:

Jay Asher's Website

Helping a Friend Who is Talking About Suicide

Teen Suicide

Feeling Depressed

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/april-web-only/when-suicide-strikes-in-body-of-christ.html

Story of a Suicidal Christian

Book Review: All the Bright Places

This is my review, my own thoughts. You don't have to agree with me or my opinions. You can even disagree with me in the comments section. Just be polite or the comment will be deleted.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The characters rise off the page and demand to be heard and understood-Me :)

An unusual but effective setting, the book begins on the ledge of the bell tower at school where both Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are at. Six stories above the school, Violet is frozen by fear, and “Finch the freak” talks her down. Because Violets’ reputation as a popular cheerleader, Finch goes along with the students’ false belief that Violet talked him out of jumping, and she becomes a hero.

This incident in the tower begins a friendship between two unforgettable characters, one plagued by darkness and mental health issues and the other distraught over the death of her sister in a car accident on their way home from a party a year before.

Finch the idea of a school project of wandering around Indiana and becoming familiar with different tourist attractions to a teacher and then quickly claims Violet as his partner. As they visit different tourist spots, Violet begins to see Indiana through Finch’s eyes. Everything becomes exciting and new. As the project continues, Violet slowly overcomes her fears and rides in a car for the first time since the accident that claims her sister life. She later drives.

While Violet slowly heals from her grief, Theodore wrestles with deep and dark thoughts. When he disappears, Violet finds herself following clues both to where he is and what is going on with him. Although the ending is not happy, it is realistic and satisfying.

The author draws from her own life experiences of having lost people to suicide to write this book, and this gives the story authenticity. She has insight into how teens think and how mental health issues effect a teen. The characters rise off the page and demand to be heard and understood.

This book made me:

• Miss Indiana where I lived for 26 years.
• Wonder if the places mentioned in the book were real.
• Wish that we knew more about mental health issues and how to help the people plagued by them.
• Think of someone I knew who committed suicide last year.
• Want to explore more places in our state (Florida), which has been something we always try to do. When we travel, we make it as much about the journey as the destination. 

The downside:

The values held by the main characters are those held by many teens in the public school. Theodore uses a lot of cuss words including the “F-word,” and he is known for having had sex with many girls in the past. During the book Violet loses her virginity to him.

At one point the school counselor mentioned the possibility of bipolar disorder, but it doesn’t seem that anyone made an attempt to figure out if this is what Theodore suffered from or get him on medication.

Although I believe in God and his power to heal, give hope and help, I think that medical intervention is also needed with mental health issues.

I will be talking about suicide in a future blog post.

Recommendation:

It is definitely a book worth reading, but you will encounter values contrary to evangelical values. If you are easily offended or prefer to avoid that, don’t read the book. 

The book does however offer a realistic look at the lives of teens dealing with tough things. The sad thing is that Theodore and Violet do not seem to hold any true belief in God that offers them comfort or hope, although they do visit churches.

I listened to this book on CD while doing some projects, so it is possible that I missed some things.

The book has won the following awards:

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2015
A Miami Herald Best Books for Children 2015
GoodReads Choice Awards 2015 Young Adult Fiction Category Winner
A TIME Top Young Adult Book of 2015
A NPR 2015 Guide to Great Reads Book

Here are a couple of comments the author herself wrote on her web page (click the link to read the whole thing:

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might die, but every day he also searches for—and manages to find—something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.

This is a heart-wrenching, unflinching story of love shared, life lived, and two teens who find one another while standing on the edge.

Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have suggestions of similar books or books that teens would enjoy reading, please list them below too.

Other things to read:

 Jennifer Niven's Ten Ways to Beat the January Blues
Teen Depression
Getting Through Holiday Blues
Red, Green and Blue
Other Novels to Read