Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Drama, Issue
Rating: 8
Teach-ability: 6
Teachable Aspects: coming of age genre, cause and effect

So Wintergirls seems to be perpetually checked out from the library and the content that was discussed in class made me queasy (no pun intended) so I decided, after a recommendation from a friend, to read Twisted instead.

I liken this book to Speak for boys, but more than that it's just a great book that documents high school and the power that people have over one another.

The book jacked simply states "Everyone told me to be a man. No one told me how." I think that the simplicity of this statement sets up the book perfectly, and to give any more of a plot synopsis here would really diminish the journey of reading this novel.

I really liked this book. I think Anderson did a great job of getting inside the head of the main character Tyler, and I think that this book holds truth not just for males in high school but for anyone that has had rough high school years or anyone that witnessed other's tough times. The story was a fast read that carried emotion and heart.

I read this book as a requirement of the course that I am in, which asks that I read the same author twice. The first time that I read Laurie Halse Anderson was when I read Speak about a month ago and I thought that I could use this opportunity to compare the way that Anderson deals with “issue” books because it’s a genre that she seems to do really well—I was really impressed by Speak. In the past I’ve read books by authors who write the same kind of books so often they tend to become formulaic in the ways in which the story unfolds. The arc is the same with different issues, plots and characters. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with this kind of writing, and the authors that I can think of that do this are some of the ones that I really enjoy, but I was interested to see if Anderson did it. I’m not sure that I know yet. I could definitely see some similarities between the structures of the story between the two texts but I also think that they were incredibly different as well. I think that to really come to a conclusion I would have to read a couple more of Anderson’s issue books, which is something that I may do.

I think this book was intense, interesting, and really well constructed. It was definitely of a subject that some people struggle reading about, but it is also one that is becoming more and more frequently encountered, especially in middle and high school. I would recommend this book to most all of my students.