The Right Side by Spencer Quinn

If PTSD in returning soldiers wasn’t such a serious issue, then The Right Side by Spencer Quinn would be a humorous book. But it is a serious issue and Quinn handles it with humor while getting his point across: PTSD can manifest itself in many ways, some of which mess with your mind, make you forget things you remembered seconds ago, disorient you.

If you were expecting another Chet and Bernie novel, you won’t find it in The Right Side, although a key character is a dog named Goody.  LeAnne Hogan was injured in Iraq, losing her right eye, her right side becoming her blind side. While in Walter Reed Hospital, she befriends her roommate, Marci, who dies suddenly of a blood clot. LeAnne decides on the spur of the moment that Walter Reed is doing her no good, nor is the hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Machado, so she up and leaves, with no particular plan.

Readers will follow LeAnne as she makes her way across the country in search, really, of herself. The ups and downs are dramatic, the almost loss of control at times real and scary. Quinn acknowledges two U.S. Army Veterans who reviewed and critiqued the book, so I’m assuming that Quinn’s portrayal of PTSD is accurate.

Quinn draws a good and realistic picture of LeAnne and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be drawn to her and Goody and want her to overcome her demons. In reality, I’m guessing, you don’t necessarily overcome them; you just get them somewhat under control.

If you’re interested in a young adult book on PTSD, then I’d suggest The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt.

I’ll go out on a limb and say The Right Side is one of the best books I’ve read this year, not necessarily because it’s overly literary, but because it addresses an ongoing issue with sensitivity and humor.

 

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I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Alex and Josh are lost souls for two very different reasons. Josh just returned from Afghanistan minus a leg. The all American boy, good at sports and getting girls, is not quite what he used to be. That’s before you consider the nightmares and how he stiffens when he hears loud noises, such as fireworks.

Alex, on the other hand, lost her father five years earlier and her mother has been on a steady decline ever since. Now, having lost her job, her mother has taken to staying in their trailer and is seeing a total sleazeball who encourages her to drink. Alex is wondering whether she’ll have to be the family’s total support and be forced to turn down her full scholarship to San Francisco State.

Somehow, though, at Josh’s ‘welcome home’ party in July, the two seem to connect. What a contrast, Alex the ‘good girl’ never drinking (because her father died in an auto accident when driving while intoxicated) and Josh, who will chug a beer and crush the can.

Alex, for some reason, brings out Josh’s softer side and Josh makes her feel safe.

In I’ll Meet You There, readers will feel the complexity of Josh and Alex’s relationship and the insecurity each feels. Alex, having never had a boyfriend and Josh, needing to shed his image of chasing everything in a skirt, are unsure both of their feelings and how to act upon them.

Demetrios touches on the PTSD that Josh faces after returning from the war zone. Although it is not the premise of the book, it certainly plays a role in Josh’s (and Alex’s) life. A more pointed and wonderful book dealing with PTSD is Patricia McCormick’s Purple Heart. Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt is also worth reading.

I’ll Meet You There is a poignant story bound to, at different times, bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.

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We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt

Wow!!! If anyone has read a great 200 page YA monologue, please let me know, because I haven’t…until now. I had no idea what We Are the Goldens was about. I only knew it was Dana Reinhardt so I automatically put it on my reading list.

Nelly and Layla are as close as two sisters should and could be. Only a year and a half apart, Nelly, the younger used to think their name was Nellayla, Nelly and Layla. They told each other everything…that is until Nelly became a freshman at City Day school where Layla was a junior. Then something changed. Oh sure, relationships change as sisters get older, but this was different, more severe.

Written as Nelly’s monologue to her sister, she describes in such realistic terms her anguish at the changing relationship between her and Layla, her confusion about high school and boys, and her concern over her sisters actions. Right and wrong for a teenager is not a clear-cut thing (it may not be clear to adults either) and We Are the Goldens explores this as Nelly grapples with Layla’s secret.

I could not put this book down. I stayed up late. I read up until the last minute of my lunch hour. It’s a short, fast read so it won’t take you long.

I was introduced to Dana Reinhardt’s books through A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life which led me to become a fan. Other Reinhardt books I’ve read and loved are (which are all of her books that I’ve read):

How to Build a House

Things a Brother Knows

The Summer I Learned to Fly

If you are in the mood for something different, then I strongly suggest We Are the Goldens.

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