We'll Pull Out These Memories...and They'll Make Us Feel Safe

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson expresses a fresh take on a common mental illness. Most of Anderson's novels reflect realistic issues; this one, however, drives away from direct teenager problem and the focus is how mental illness affects life as a whole.

Hayley and her father have been on the road for years. After he returned from the war, her father was deeply affected with post traumatic stress; therefore driving from state to state and desperately trying trying to find enough money to pay for food became a way of life. However, senior year was when Hayley's father chose to settle in his mother's old house. Despite Hayley's attempts to get them on track, her father continues to go in and out of an alcoholic state, and the adjustment to public school is not an easy road.

As her story continues, Hayley is affected by the memory of her childhood; her father's absence, her step mother's alcoholism, her grandmother's loving touch and care. Her father slowly begins to spin further out of control; between his alcoholism, recreational drug use, and inconsistent temper its no wonder her life is a complete tornado.
When Hayley meets Finn, a charming swimmer from school, she tries to put a wall up to avoid anyone getting too close to her. The more time she spends with him, however, the more she realizes the two aren't so different. But her happiness seems to be a sham because she realizes her life will never be the picture perfect dream she could ever hope for.

The concept of Anderson's novels usually reflect a teen who needs to find their way. Her father's mental illness continues to affect Hayley to a point where she cannot even consider her own future without worrying she'll be leaving her father in a state of depression and despair. Her past troubles resurface, but it isn't until she begins to accept and move forward that she realizes life is hers to live.
This novel goes inside the brain of a past veteran, but also shows how one can accept and live with the memories too painful to forget. Finn's character provides comic relief, but he also serves as an anchor that Hayey desperately needs. His life is no happily ever after either, and the more she finds out, the more she is able to open up and take down the wall she has surrounding her.

I honestly believe this book will give readers, especially young adults, a new view on post traumatic stress. It's something heard about, but never truly understood. And although the veterans are the ones who suffer internally, the impact it has on a family, however broken they are, is devastating.

Stay Gold

In this town there are The Greasers and the Socs. If you're a Greaser, you are lower income and the bottom of the barrel, however Socs have all the money, the expensive cars, and the higher class girls. Ponyboy and his older brothers, Sodapop and Darry, are Greasers. Their world is surrounded with heartache, money problems, and absentee parents. But, the boys are a family. Ponyboy lives with his brothers, but the rest of the gang runs deeper than blood. They look out for their own, and if that means rumbling with the Socs, then that's what they have to do.
The night Darry and Ponyboy get into a heated altercation is the night life begins to change. Now Johnny and Ponyboy are on the run, and what they discover together changes their visions on their gangs backgrounds, but also sends them spiraling into a fatal tragedy.

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a classic. It's one of those books you have to read, at least once. It had been a long time since I read this book, but upon rereading, I discovered new things that made me fall in love with it; so much so that I did favorite the book on shelfari.
This book has so many themes; friendship, family, and the war between socioeconomic groups. Ponyboy's journey has a deeper meaning than simply hiding from the cops, or growing up in the slums. It's his coming of age story when he truly discovers himself. At the end of the novel you realize this whole story was Pony's composition for English class. He wanted his story heard because he wanted others to learn from it. His dysfunctional family, which consists of his brothers and his gang brothers, prove to be important pieces in this world, and it's something that Pony keeps close. He discovers the anger behind Dallas, but also the reason he chose his path. He shows that a young teenager can overcome fears, death, anger, and the obstacles of being poor in a rich world.

It's also a chance for readers to discover the true meaning to "stay gold". Sure Frost's interpretation of the poem leaves readers with the metaphor of fall and how leaves change colors. When you go deeper, you realize "gold" is getting older, losing your sense of freedom and happiness. But this was not The Outsiders' message. "Stay Gold" implies being true to yourself; no matter what if you keep that in mind, no one can take that from you. And this is even more echoed in Johnny's parting words, "You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the

world".  
After rereading this book I have discovered a lot more as well. My "gold" is to stay true to myself and make sure I don't lose that part of me. Crazy that a simple young adult book could affect someone's view, but this one really makes you think. We all have a little bit of Ponyboy inside; we all have that love for a good sunset, or a new dawn. This fictional interpretation of gang life sheds new light and shows that everyone has problems, it just depends on where and what.
Read this book, or reread it. After revisiting it years later, it has become a new favorite in my collection. And...who wouldn't want to date Dallas or Soda? I mean cute guys that are rough around the edges? Hell yea!

Some Family Drama Is Too Much

Jeannette Walls has two loving parents and three lovable siblings. She enjoys adventure, is accustomed to change, and is very independent. Sounds normal. However, this family drama is not to hard to see. Rex and Rose Mary Walls are very loving, however very impulsive. Rex is an alcoholic, Rose Mary a starving artist, and both seem to get "bored" with the common things in life; such as living in one place for more than a month's time. Because of their decision making, Jeannette and her siblings are used to traveling. They are used to not having food in the house and not being able to eat for days. They are used to being on their own and having to rely on each other.
Throughout this autobiography, Jeannette goes through her family turmoil. One cannot help but be heartbroken as Walls goes through her broken and impoverished childhood, however, at the end of the novel there is a warm feeling because however horrible her experiences were, they truly shaped her into the woman she soon became.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was one of the few non-fiction books I actually enjoyed. There were sections of this book that made me want to cry because of the blatant neglect of her parents. Growing up in a warm family environment where my parents would rather die than let my siblings and I go without food or shelter, it was often very disturbing to know that these experiences Walls discusses are real. Her father often disappeared for days, only to return drunk and unrealistic. He stole money from strangers, but also from his two daughters who were hoping to save up for a better life. There was even one section where Jeannette was in danger of being sexually assaulted while accompanying her father to a bar, but he disregarded her screams for his drink and gambling. Her mother's dreams of becoming an artist are completely far fetched, but often get in the way of her parenting. Painting overshadows putting food on the table  for her four kids, bathing and getting new clean clothes is secondary, and with every horrible experience, she always has a positive outlook, even if it is hopeless.
As ghastly as the stories were, the reader never gets a sense that Jeannette hated her parents. In fact, it seems she is thanking them with this novel. Without their inability to parent in a warm and responsible manner, Walls would never have had the courage to embark on her own journey after high school. There were many times when I was more angry for her, but after finishing the novel, I realized that her experiences truly did transform her. Although her siblings and her did not come out sparkly clean and completely changed, each had their own separate journey, their own mountain to climb, and it was thanks to their parents they had that opportunity.
I would recommend this story; as angry as you may get, the overall feeling this piece gives is great. There are some slower parts as the story continues, but the end result is always the same. At one point, your anger turns to heartbreak, then you just root for the kids to make it through. Everyone needs a story about overcoming obstacles, and this is it.