Cracked

edmodo-zt7zqt2s8r - "Cracked" tells the story of what it takes to drive teens over the edge and attempt to commit suicide. The story is told by the perspectives of two boys, William, referred to as Bull, and Victor. One is the bully, and the other is the victim. Bull, the bully, has been raised by his mother and grandfather in a way that no child should ever be raised. He was constantly harassed by his grandfather, who would always hit or kick or punch him. His mother was never there. Both were alcoholics, and Bull struggled to maintain a life. So he takes his anger out on Victor, who comes from a rich family, and has everything he could possibly want, except for the fact that his parents are oblivious. Victor's parents constantly remind Victor that he was a mistake, that he shouldn't have been born, that he was such a burden. They were his parents but they didn't act as parents. After getting punished for not doing "well" on the SATs, even though he earned a perfect score for math, Victor starts thinking about suicide. Meanwhile, Bull happens to find a gun with bullets inside at his house, and thinks about what would happen if he just one day shot his grandfather. Eventually, both end up in a therapy center, and unknowingly, end up as roommates. The story follows both of the boys' journeys to a better life, and portray both of the characters' immense pain. The plot was a little slow at first, but it was definitely intense, and it was overall, a great book with a great message.

February 20, 2012
Bullying gets a thorough examination in Walton's YA debut, a stark, but often heavy-handed story that alternates between the perspectives of the victim and the aggressor. Sixteen-year-old Victor Konig may be a math genius, but his icy parents ignore him when they're not pressuring him to be perfect. No longer able to endure parental neglect, as well as bullying at the hands of William "Bull" Mastrick at school, Victor attempts suicide, landing in a psychiatric hospital. Coincidentally, his tormentor ends up there as well, after his own hellish home life drives him to a moment of violence. Committed to the psych ward for five days, the two enemies have to deal with one another, both as roommates and in group therapy. But it may be impossible for them to overcome their respective traumas, abusive backgrounds, and mutual hatred, unless they accept help from outside, unexpected sources. Though Walton successfully exposes the impetus of violence through well-developed central characters, both Victor and Bull's guardians feel one-dimensional. The author's bleak depiction of the cycle of cruelty loses some of its potency through an overly tidy conclusion. Agent: Sarah LaPolla, Curtis Brown. Ages 14âup.