whorriorr's review against another edition
2.0
Its insane to read a book about how a meth addiction was started in the eyes of a 15 year old addict
afro8921's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it. Cried several times. Want my niece and nephew to read it. Really wish drugs like these didn't exist.
melissapalmer404's review against another edition
4.0
Book #83 Read in 2012
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson (YA)
This book tells the story of Laurel, a teenage girl, who is addicted to meth. Laurel's mother and grandmother are killed in a hurricane and that grief spirals Laurel into the grips of a drug addiction that means she risks losing her family, her friends and her life. This book shows what addiction does to people without going into vivid, gory detail.
Woodson is one of my favorite authors for young adult books. Her books are well written, have complex characters and deal with difficult issues. This book continues that pattern.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson (YA)
This book tells the story of Laurel, a teenage girl, who is addicted to meth. Laurel's mother and grandmother are killed in a hurricane and that grief spirals Laurel into the grips of a drug addiction that means she risks losing her family, her friends and her life. This book shows what addiction does to people without going into vivid, gory detail.
Woodson is one of my favorite authors for young adult books. Her books are well written, have complex characters and deal with difficult issues. This book continues that pattern.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
shighley's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audio version; the reader was a bit distracting when trying to alter her pitch to voice the male characters, and the sing-song rhymes and cheers were really grating. She did make Laurel sound vulnerable and pathetic at times. I have not read much fiction concerning meth, largely news reports, as it is a huge problem in rural parts of our state. I understand why the book would jump around much as Laurel's recollections would, but it made the story a bit jarring at times, especially in depicting the times her father tried to help her. What a friend Laurel had in Kaylee.
I have to admit that at times my mind probably wandered, as I read most of this while driving. At times I wondered if she really would survive, even though the first chapter really set up the ending. Much of the description of the meth highs seemed repetitive after awhile.
I wonder if Woodson made this book free from swearing and sexual references so that more middle schools would include it; there certainly aren't that many books that address this issue that are readily accessible to students.
I have to admit that at times my mind probably wandered, as I read most of this while driving. At times I wondered if she really would survive, even though the first chapter really set up the ending. Much of the description of the meth highs seemed repetitive after awhile.
I wonder if Woodson made this book free from swearing and sexual references so that more middle schools would include it; there certainly aren't that many books that address this issue that are readily accessible to students.
23missb's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. I didn't find it overly didactic and although I've read a fair number of books with the main conflict being drug addiction, I've not read any specifically dealing with a teen using crystal meth. Knowing people from my past who have been addicted to meth, as well as relationships with people who are recovering addicts (other substances), it appeared to be pretty accurate in its portrayal, in a skimming the surface type of way. It doesn't deal with the addiction with the intensity that goes hand in hand with addiction.
I know that this is YA fiction and so it needs to grab the reader and forge ahead in a way that will keep them hooked, but I find it hard to not have all the beautiful detail I love so much about the books I read. I think that this book could have easily been another 100 pages. I wanted to understand more who Laurel is. I also wanted to read more about the affects her choices were having on her family. I think we barely scratch the surface of the supporting characters, but I do understand the reasons for that considering the intended audience.
I also enjoyed that the characters were of varied races/ethnic groups and that one of the characters is gay, a subject that Laurel remembers two people she loves very much reacting very differently to. I think this is an important inclusion... the idea that those we care about may not have the same opinions as we do on issues that could potentially be big.
Overall, it's still worth a read and won't take you long to get through, but it's lacking in intensity.
I know that this is YA fiction and so it needs to grab the reader and forge ahead in a way that will keep them hooked, but I find it hard to not have all the beautiful detail I love so much about the books I read. I think that this book could have easily been another 100 pages. I wanted to understand more who Laurel is. I also wanted to read more about the affects her choices were having on her family. I think we barely scratch the surface of the supporting characters, but I do understand the reasons for that considering the intended audience.
I also enjoyed that the characters were of varied races/ethnic groups and that one of the characters is gay, a subject that Laurel remembers two people she loves very much reacting very differently to. I think this is an important inclusion... the idea that those we care about may not have the same opinions as we do on issues that could potentially be big.
Overall, it's still worth a read and won't take you long to get through, but it's lacking in intensity.
ksherrman's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreaking and hopeful story of a girl broken by Katrina and spiraling into an abyss on the wings of meth addicition. Jacqueline Woodson writes another book that will stay with me a long time.
stuhlsem's review against another edition
3.0
This book was sad, not super awesome. It was the story of a girl with a meth addiction. She gets over it eventually, but the book is a pretty rocky path.
eshook's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
The meth epidemic hasn't hit my neck of the woods, so it was interesting to read this book with that as its focus. At times it was a little difficult to follow as we travel through three time threads: Laurel's life in Pass Christian just before/after Katrina, her life as she moves to Gilead, and the present. Because it's only a two-year spread, there's not that much to differentiate the threads except context.
Laurel lived in Pass Christian with her parents, her brother Jesse Jr.; her grandmother, M'Lady, played a major role in her life. When the hurricane approaches, she, her father and brother go to her aunt's, but her mother and M'Lady stay behind (planning to move to the Walmart if things get bad). Of course, things do go bad, and the remaining family eventually moves to Gilead to start over. There, she meets Kaylee and joins the cheerleading team... where she meets T-Boom. T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, and ultimately Laurel ends up begging on the streets for meth money.
Teens who live in areas where meth is a problem will recognize the characters, but for those who don't (or who avoid the drug scene) this might not appeal. The question of whether Laurel would have turned to meth had her mother and M'Lady not died or would she have gotten so involved anyway (assuming she'd met T-Boom or some other meth dealer in Pass Christian) is an interesting one and might lead to some good discussions.
Why a 3 and not a 4 star? I felt that Jesse Jr. was introduced to deliberately tug at our heartstrings, and that type of manipulation irritated me.
ARC provided by publisher.
Laurel lived in Pass Christian with her parents, her brother Jesse Jr.; her grandmother, M'Lady, played a major role in her life. When the hurricane approaches, she, her father and brother go to her aunt's, but her mother and M'Lady stay behind (planning to move to the Walmart if things get bad). Of course, things do go bad, and the remaining family eventually moves to Gilead to start over. There, she meets Kaylee and joins the cheerleading team... where she meets T-Boom. T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, and ultimately Laurel ends up begging on the streets for meth money.
Teens who live in areas where meth is a problem will recognize the characters, but for those who don't (or who avoid the drug scene) this might not appeal. The question of whether Laurel would have turned to meth had her mother and M'Lady not died or would she have gotten so involved anyway (assuming she'd met T-Boom or some other meth dealer in Pass Christian) is an interesting one and might lead to some good discussions.
Why a 3 and not a 4 star? I felt that Jesse Jr. was introduced to deliberately tug at our heartstrings, and that type of manipulation irritated me.
ARC provided by publisher.