Review: By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for “completers”— www.through-the-light .com.

While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge.

Suicide is one of the hardest subject to talk about for any person. I have known and spoken to people who have contemplated suicide, even I have had such thoughts. I can bet that half of us, whether we know it or not, know someone who has thought about suicide. Suicide is never the answer but that period of time where you feel like death is the only answer is something that can dig into your brain and take a hold of you. I speak from experience when I say these things, I sometimes feel like the world and those I know are better without me. It’s when I remember the fun times with friends, both in Real Life and on line that I remember something important. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, as cliché as that sounds, I believe it is true. I read this book “By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead” and cried. I have had the thoughts this girl has had and felt like it was the only answer. Her silence throughout the book was sort how I am. I would rather not speak sometimes. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had suicidal thoughts or to someone who has known someone. I have to say this: suicide is never the answer, talk to someone even if it’s just a friend. Friends I’ve found over these past months can really save your life.

Review of Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Summary from Goodreads:
For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy. This serious, powerful teen novel was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature

Review:

This is another one of those book that I have read before but wasn't paying attention to the first time.This time I really paid attention to what was going on and in that I found a beautiful, although sad story. We all know what its like wanting to be someone else, me personally I sometimes can't stand ME. The person I am and sometimes you/I wish I could jump forward and become that person I want. But for Liam its not so simple. His struggles seen through Regan's eyes is sad and heart breaking. I wonder how the book would have been if it had been from his point of view? what would his thoughts have been like? was he crushing on anyone? and what happens to him after he leaves? I don't normally cry in books but I did twice in this. In the story there are many flash backs of Regan and Liam and in this one they are at a pool part. Liam gets upset that he has a penis and begs one of Regan's friends to "take it off". His mother takes him away and soon its obvious that he literally tried to "take it off" and is rushed to the hospital. I cried here because how do you change you when the you, you want to be is another gender? when at such a young age you realize you aren't this person that you were born wrong? The other time was at the end when Liam now Luna leaves. Seeing that closeness between Luna and Regan and how they truelly are devoted to each other was heart warming but I felt sad that Luna had to leave. Even though she would be better off. I felt this story is one of the strongest and best book in YA literature. Its a must read book, doesn't matter if your Trans, Gay, Bi, Lesbian, Straight, or A-sexual you should accept a person as they are and love them no matter what your views are.

A++