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mandathebiblio's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a heavy read. Check the content warnings if you plan to go into this one.
I really appreciated this story. Knowing that it’s based on Neal Shusterman’s son and that people really truly go through these feelings made it a really hard hitting read. I’m glad I read it and it definitely helped to prove why Neal Shusterman is one of my favorite authors. The way the story unfolded and was told was done in such a way that made everything hit harder. I truly appreciated this work.
I really appreciated this story. Knowing that it’s based on Neal Shusterman’s son and that people really truly go through these feelings made it a really hard hitting read. I’m glad I read it and it definitely helped to prove why Neal Shusterman is one of my favorite authors. The way the story unfolded and was told was done in such a way that made everything hit harder. I truly appreciated this work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
domann's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Physical abuse and Rape
yallternativeaj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
A fantastic way to tell the life of someone with schizophrenia. I loved that the captain and sea life was how the schizophrenia presented itself. It was a great feeling to piece together which characters lined up with those in the real world. The writing style was very enjoyable and set a very nice pace! We also love a hopeful ending :>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
a_rock_to_live_under's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
my gf gave me this book and said it was her favorite, I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Child death, Death, Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
arytia's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Blood, and Medical content
graciejames's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death and Rape
leoi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.75
i really really liked this book.
it was so gripping and just great actually. caden was a wonderful narrator and the pov shifts were amazing inclusions.
the links between the characters in the hospital and the crewmates were very very good and i love how it played with time a lot as you met the crewmates before caden had actually met the patients.
the twist with the treasure at the bottom of challenger deep was insane and gave me literal chills and how the puzzle piece fit in to pulling caden back was very nice
it was so gripping and just great actually. caden was a wonderful narrator and the pov shifts were amazing inclusions.
the links between the characters in the hospital and the crewmates were very very good and i love how it played with time a lot as you met the crewmates before caden had actually met the patients.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
jojo_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Grief
bennybooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Incredible writing style, thinking about how the book contains the thoughts and ideas of the author’s son and late friend makes me even more emotional
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
criticalgayze's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
February has caused a major rut in my reading, and I am really thankful that grad school obligations forced me to finally get a book read. And I'm definitely not mad that it got to be this book to break my dry spell.
With the recent "developmentally appropriate" discourse surrounding book bans, one of the pieces that has risen above the noise is the conversation on curation versus censorship. Defined in pieces like this one from critic and author Roxane Gay, curation is that books should not be "banned" but that a library should be curated to fit both the interests and accessibility of the clientele while still pushing diversity.
When it comes to a topic like mental illness, curation of a middle grades or young adult shelf can be tough. While heavy-hitting books on race, gender, or sexuality can be removed if the demographic facing harm in the text is represented in your space, curating for genuine and earnest mental and physical health depictions that don't trigger a young reader can be tough as illness can be assured to impact at least one person in the room, no matter what the room looks like.
Challenger Deep is a great piece to include in your curation process in answer to this problem. What makes this book a good piece for any library is its ability to keep triggers at a distance. One of the ways in which the main character, Caden, copes with trauma is the creation of a fantastical world aboard a pirate ship that creates an extreme metaphor for situations he encounters. This coping mechanism also works for the reader as we get metaphorical representations of the moments of trauma, like suicide attempts, that reduce the need for bracing for young readers when approaching the text. The book accomplishes all this, however, without rendering the text fangless, as seen in the quotes below.
The one thing that dinged this book for me a little is that I found its heteronormativity a little unnecessarily present at times, especially one joke about Shakespeare that I'm still trying to decide if it was a bit of dated homophobic humor.
Quotes:
There are two things you know. One: You were there. Two: You couldn't have been there. (Page 1)
My emotions are talking in tongues. Joy spins into anger spins into fear then into amused irony, like leaping from a plane, arms wide, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can fly, then discovering you can't, and not only don't you have a parachute, but you don't have any clothes on, and the people below all have binoculars and are laughing as you plummet to a highly embarrassing doom. (Page 6)
Forget solar energy - if you could harness denial, it would power the world for generations. (Page 53)
"You said the ship was too old-fashioned for the mission, and what you say makes a difference around here," he tells me. (Page 83)
I didn't get it at the time, but that feeling - knowing something is wrong, but not being able to pinpoint what it is - is a feeling I've come to know intimately. The difference is, I've never been able to find something as easy and as obvious as a rearview mirror lying at my feet. (Page 93)
"The moral of the story is that we must not free ourselves from our beasts. Nay - we must abandon all else in this world but our beasts. We must feed them as much as we fight them, submitting to loneliness and misery with no hope of escape." (Page 141)
"Your mind is in a cast now," he says. "Think of it that way. It was broken and now it's in a cast." (Page 148)
Don Quixote - the famous literary madman - fought windmills. People think he saw giants when he looked at them, but those of us who've been there know the truth. He saw windmills, just like everyone else - but the believed they were giants. The scariest thing of all is never knowing what you're suddenly going to believe. (Page 163)
Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug. (Page 168)
He grins. "As time goes on, you'll find more and more flukes." (Page 213)
Still, if you've got to bring yourself within inches of your life just to cry for help, something's wrong somewhere. Either you weren't yelling loud enough to begin with, or the people around you are deaf, dumb, and blind. Which makes me think it isn't just a cry for help - it's more a cry to be taken seriously. A cry that says "I'm hurting so badly, the world must, for once, come to a grinding halt for me." (Page 262)
The stars will go dark and the universe will end before I get this year back. (Page 287)
"Yes, you have achieved the bottom," he says. "But the bottom gets deeper with each trip; you know that, don't you?" (Page 290)
Schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar I, bipolar II, major depression, psychotic depression, obsessive/compulsive, and on and on. The labels mean nothing, because no two cases are ever exactly alike. Everyone presents differently, and responds to meds differently, and no prognosis can truly be predicted. (Page 298)
With the recent "developmentally appropriate" discourse surrounding book bans, one of the pieces that has risen above the noise is the conversation on curation versus censorship. Defined in pieces like this one from critic and author Roxane Gay, curation is that books should not be "banned" but that a library should be curated to fit both the interests and accessibility of the clientele while still pushing diversity.
When it comes to a topic like mental illness, curation of a middle grades or young adult shelf can be tough. While heavy-hitting books on race, gender, or sexuality can be removed if the demographic facing harm in the text is represented in your space, curating for genuine and earnest mental and physical health depictions that don't trigger a young reader can be tough as illness can be assured to impact at least one person in the room, no matter what the room looks like.
Challenger Deep is a great piece to include in your curation process in answer to this problem. What makes this book a good piece for any library is its ability to keep triggers at a distance. One of the ways in which the main character, Caden, copes with trauma is the creation of a fantastical world aboard a pirate ship that creates an extreme metaphor for situations he encounters. This coping mechanism also works for the reader as we get metaphorical representations of the moments of trauma, like suicide attempts, that reduce the need for bracing for young readers when approaching the text. The book accomplishes all this, however, without rendering the text fangless, as seen in the quotes below.
The one thing that dinged this book for me a little is that I found its heteronormativity a little unnecessarily present at times, especially one joke about Shakespeare that I'm still trying to decide if it was a bit of dated homophobic humor.
Quotes:
There are two things you know. One: You were there. Two: You couldn't have been there. (Page 1)
My emotions are talking in tongues. Joy spins into anger spins into fear then into amused irony, like leaping from a plane, arms wide, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can fly, then discovering you can't, and not only don't you have a parachute, but you don't have any clothes on, and the people below all have binoculars and are laughing as you plummet to a highly embarrassing doom. (Page 6)
Forget solar energy - if you could harness denial, it would power the world for generations. (Page 53)
"You said the ship was too old-fashioned for the mission, and what you say makes a difference around here," he tells me. (Page 83)
I didn't get it at the time, but that feeling - knowing something is wrong, but not being able to pinpoint what it is - is a feeling I've come to know intimately. The difference is, I've never been able to find something as easy and as obvious as a rearview mirror lying at my feet. (Page 93)
"The moral of the story is that we must not free ourselves from our beasts. Nay - we must abandon all else in this world but our beasts. We must feed them as much as we fight them, submitting to loneliness and misery with no hope of escape." (Page 141)
"Your mind is in a cast now," he says. "Think of it that way. It was broken and now it's in a cast." (Page 148)
Don Quixote - the famous literary madman - fought windmills. People think he saw giants when he looked at them, but those of us who've been there know the truth. He saw windmills, just like everyone else - but the believed they were giants. The scariest thing of all is never knowing what you're suddenly going to believe. (Page 163)
Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug. (Page 168)
He grins. "As time goes on, you'll find more and more flukes." (Page 213)
Still, if you've got to bring yourself within inches of your life just to cry for help, something's wrong somewhere. Either you weren't yelling loud enough to begin with, or the people around you are deaf, dumb, and blind. Which makes me think it isn't just a cry for help - it's more a cry to be taken seriously. A cry that says "I'm hurting so badly, the world must, for once, come to a grinding halt for me." (Page 262)
The stars will go dark and the universe will end before I get this year back. (Page 287)
"Yes, you have achieved the bottom," he says. "But the bottom gets deeper with each trip; you know that, don't you?" (Page 290)
Schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar I, bipolar II, major depression, psychotic depression, obsessive/compulsive, and on and on. The labels mean nothing, because no two cases are ever exactly alike. Everyone presents differently, and responds to meds differently, and no prognosis can truly be predicted. (Page 298)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury