When Reason Breaks

December 15, 2014
First-time author Rodriguez cleverly represents Emily Dickinson’s dark side and her reclusive tendencies through the two distinct personalities of her teenage heroines, who are studying the poet in English class. Elizabeth Davis, who enjoys visiting a nearby cemetery, is fascinated with death, but her expression of it through drawings and journal entries have gotten her into trouble at school. Classmate Emily Delgado is not nearly
as bold, keeping her despair a secret, but the pressure of being the perfect daughter of a rising politician is becoming too heavy a burden to bear. After the girls team for a project on Dickinson, Elizabeth’s ideas are misinterpreted, causing her to become enraged, while Emily, absorbed in conflicts with old friends and the boy she likes, spirals into depression. The question remains whether, in the heat of their individual crises, the newly formed friendship between Elizabeth and Emily can survive. If the numerous allusions to Dickinson’s life (pointed out in an author’s note) are somewhat forced at times, the inner torment of the two main characters and the book’s psychologically intense climax remain gripping. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Langlie.

December 1, 2014
Two young women struggle with family and school pressure, finding support in a kind, principled teacher in this contemporary novel featuring alternating narrators.The story opens as one of them-readers do not know which one-attempts suicide in the opening chapter. Though readers may at first have trouble distinguishing between their voices due to the similarity of their names and to that purposeful obfuscation, Emily Delgado and Emily Davis (who goes by her middle name, Elizabeth) could scarcely be more different. Quiet, careful Emily is the daughter of a local politician whose image-conscious authority grates on his family. Elizabeth is opinionated and tough, though she, her younger sister and her mother are still reeling from the anguish caused by her father's departure from the family after his extramarital affair. One of their teachers, Ms. Diaz, becomes a confidante for each of them, and she pairs them up for a project on Emily Dickinson, whose poems are discussed throughout and whose life circumstances serve as inspiration for the characters. The portrayal of the different ways people experience depression is spot-on-including the terrifying and believable way some of its less visible symptoms can be missed by the loved ones of those who are suffering. A sharply drawn, emotionally resonant tale of two girls-one gripped by uncontrollable rage, the other by unrelenting numbness-that will speak to many teens. (Fiction. 12-18)

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December 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-This realistic novel invites readers into the lives of two high schoolers, Elizabeth Davis and Emily Delgado, as they struggle with unrelated painful events, reacting in ways as different as their personalities. Artistic Elizabeth changes her appearance to look goth, skips class, fights with her mother, and sometimes experiences uncontrollable rage. Emily tends toward a preppy, academic style, but bouts of anxiety impact her studies and relationships. The two young women are brought together in their English class, where teacher Mrs. Davis engages students with authentic care and a curricular focus on Emily Dickinson. Deep analysis of the poet's life and writings results in personal insights for the protagonists. The use of foreshadowing at the beginning of the book alerts to future trauma without spoiling the plot, and a reference to the board game Clue provides a subtle tool for making meaning of the quick shifts in narrative perspective and form. Latino culture, and bicultural and gay family relationships are woven easily into the story; popular culture references and some romance will also resonate with adolescents. Overall, this text provides important insights into the various stressors that can lead to depression and suicide, as well as the type of support required to move toward potential healing.-Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 She means to kill herself. Creeping out of her house before her family wakes. Leaving a note signed E. Stopping to deliver a note and her journal to Ms. Diaz's classroom. Who is she? Why has she given up on life? Flash back to the first day of school, where Elizabeth Davis is snarling her way through Ms. Diaz's English class. For Elizabeth, life sucks. Her father has died, her mother ignores her, and there is no money. Sitting beside her, good girl Emily Delgado is distracted by her own problems. Raised in an ultraconservative family, Emily must hide her romance with boyfriend Kevin. One stray photo or text could ignite the ire of her father, and then Emily's life will be ruined. Both girls are drawn to the poetry of Emily Dickinson, as taught by Ms. Diaz. But only one identifies with Dickinson's dark side. The girls' stories are very different, but they both portray the mutable expressions of severe depression. In addition, Dickinson fans will love the focus on her life and poetry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)