The White Horse

Rating:
Summary: Well deserving
Review: I am a college student taking a course on controversial young adult literature. This concludes with a theoretical rationale written in favor of the book in case it should ever be censored. I read _The White Horse_ for this class and was toroughly engaged and delighted. This book is geared directly and appropriately at teen readers by addressing many of the issues they face everyday. Beautifully and creatively written, Grant deserves a high amount of praise. This book is one that every young adult should read. Typical plot with a unique ending, this book deserves to be read and reviewed by young adults and professionals. Unfortunately, while looking for reviews for my paper, I was unable to find hardly any reviews. While this book has been written recently, it is a quality piece of work with an amazing storyline.

Rating:
Summary: Well deserving
Review: I am a college student taking a course on controversial young adult literature. This concludes with a theoretical rationale written in favor of the book in case it should ever be censored. I read _The White Horse_ for this class and was toroughly engaged and delighted. This book is geared directly and appropriately at teen readers by addressing many of the issues they face everyday. Beautifully and creatively written, Grant deserves a high amount of praise. This book is one that every young adult should read. Typical plot with a unique ending, this book deserves to be read and reviewed by young adults and professionals. Unfortunately, while looking for reviews for my paper, I was unable to find hardly any reviews. While this book has been written recently, it is a quality piece of work with an amazing storyline.

Rating:
Summary: White Horse Thoughts
Review: I think the book was wonderful. I loved it. When I first read the book I thought it was wonderful. Now when I go to the library I check it out. I love it. It's a beautiful book that's maybe telling a teenager's life right now and I love it and you should too!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Only reason it gets one star: I can't give it zero
Review: My family recently attempted to adopt a young girl who spent the first several years of her life in Raina's environment. I can speak from personal experience and countless hours of research when I say that life never works out like Raina's. I recently wrote a research paper for a class on the subject, and I could not find a single true successful story about adoptive families who invite kids with these kinds of problems into their homes. So the end of the novel, as it stands-all wrapped up, with a ribbon and a happy ending-is absolutely ridiculous.
Additionally, the novel contains scenes that, in any realistic situation, simply couldn't happen. There could never be a boy with a knife in a skating rink, chasing a pregnant teen. It's simply unrealistic.
To me, the novel comes off as uninformed and unresearched. Cynthia Grant writes about a situation that is very serious and real, and she does it in such a way that we, as readers, believe that they always end with bunnies and gum-drops. As an informed reader, I don't buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Offers hope to teens in supposedly no-win situations.
Review: Raina is a teen-age girl living in a world that seemingly offers little or no options, no sense of purpose, and (supposedly) no one to trust - either adults or the teens that are her peers. Hers is a world of abuse, abandonment, futility; meaningless days filled with drugs, sex, crime, and interactions with a non-caring, hyper-abusive family. All her efforts are focused on simply surviving. Even if that means prostituting herself at the behest of her junkie boyfriend, in order to support his growing habit. The boyfriend is killed and Raina is left on her own, pregnant, with literally nowhere to turn. But Raina has a secret that only one person - her special education teacher, Miss Johnson - is aware of. Something that helps her to survive under the most extreme conditions. Raina possesses the ability and talent to express and explore her feelings through writing. In her writing, she is able to communicate things that she is unable to verbalize...things that the majority of her friends and family would ridicule. However, she is not able to directly talk with Miss Johnson about her efforts. So, she takes to leaving pieces of her poetry, prose, notes, whatever...on Miss Johnson's desk. What Miss Johnson finds within the crumpled pages or torn fragments of paper...shocks and depresses her. She tries and tries to reach out to Raina, but to no avail. Raina wants her help, but is so conditioned to failure and rejection, she is afraid to communicate her true feelings to her teacher. Eventually, Raina is forced by circumstances (she finds herself and her baby out on the streets with no place to go...her mother having kicked her out and the available social service agencies having temporarily lost her in the shuffle of agonizing procedures on top of procedures on top of...etc.)to turn to the only person who has ever shown any real interest in her as a person. Miss Johnson. Ultimately she makes the decision to risk communicating with her teacher. What follows is a glimpse of what might happen when an adult is willing to take a major risk by reaching out to a seemingly lost soul...which results in this case with the characters learning a lot about each other as well as about themselves. This book is a grim slice of real-time life for too many of today's teenagers. Ms. Grant has definitely done her homework...this work rings true in every respect...be it accurately describing the attitudes and lifestyles of the younger characters or giving us crystal-clear glimpses of the lives (or non-lives) of the dysfunctional adults who brought these children into their own out-of-control world. This is razor sharp writing by a master of teen fiction who refuses to pull any punches. Hopefully, the audience who this book is targeting will obtain a glimmer of hope from Raina's story...and not give up on themselves. And hopefully...some of them will find a caring adult like Miss Johnson who will come forward at great risk to herself in order to offer hope, support, and validation...to let them know, in whatever way possible...that despite the awful circumstances they may find themselves in at the moment...there can be a brighter day...the conclusion of The White Horse is not some soap opera, cliche happy ending...it is fraught with pitfalls and the path that Miss Johnson and Raina have embarked upon may deliver them to many wash-outs at certain conjunctions in their mutual future...but down the line...despite the risks, the misgivings and fears...their lives may see a definite upswing in terms of purpose and growth and ultimate success according to their own terms. A very good book by an excellent writer who is dedicated to bringing to light the true lives of teenagers as they are, rather than as too many adults would like them to remain. This is a outstanding example of contemporary storytelling that many more adults should be paying closer attention to. It has become too easy for our society to turn away from those amongst us that are all-too-quickly being referred to as 'society's misfits, disposable persons or cast-off's'. These children (as exemplified in The White Horse) are our collective responsibility...we cannot afford to let them down.

Rating:
Summary: Pain and Pleasure, Tears and Triumph all in one book
Review: Raina is haunted by memories of her mothers drug addiction which is still going strong and her younger brothers death. She writes them down and shares them with her teacher: Miss Johnson. Miss Johnson is always supportive of Raina's writing and enjoys reading her tales despite there sad truth. Raina rejects all of Miss Johnsons attempts to be her friend because she can't be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is a sure-fire way to get yourself hurt. Well, Raina's already addicted to Heroine and drinks to much too often. When Raina finds out she's pregnant after her junkie boyfriend's death she has no idea where to turn. Her teacher urges her to give up the baby for adoption because Raina is still a child herself. Raina's abusive mother demands that Raina keep the child, not only that, but come home immediately. Raina does so hoping things have changed. They of course haven't. Raina is kicked out after exploding with years of bottled anger that have finally surfaced. Raina finds the true answer to where her child belongs after much thinking. She also finds the answer to where she belongs. The ending is unexpected and heart warming. (I may be fourteen, but I know a good book when I read it, and this is it.)

Rating:
Summary: Pain and Pleasure, Tears and Triumph all in one book
Review: Raina is haunted by memories of her mothers drug addiction which is still going strong and her younger brothers death. She writes them down and shares them with her teacher: Miss Johnson. Miss Johnson is always supportive of Raina's writing and enjoys reading her tales despite there sad truth. Raina rejects all of Miss Johnsons attempts to be her friend because she can't be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is a sure-fire way to get yourself hurt. Well, Raina's already addicted to Heroine and drinks to much too often. When Raina finds out she's pregnant after her junkie boyfriend's death she has no idea where to turn. Her teacher urges her to give up the baby for adoption because Raina is still a child herself. Raina's abusive mother demands that Raina keep the child, not only that, but come home immediately. Raina does so hoping things have changed. They of course haven't. Raina is kicked out after exploding with years of bottled anger that have finally surfaced. Raina finds the true answer to where her child belongs after much thinking. She also finds the answer to where she belongs. The ending is unexpected and heart warming. (I may be fourteen, but I know a good book when I read it, and this is it.)

Rating:
Summary: A young girl finds her way the best she can...
Review: Raina, a 16 year old finds herself in many frustrating, confusing situations. She not only has family issues, but issues of her own. Very personal underlying problems which she writes about in her journal. She lets a teacher--Miss Johnson--read her entries in hope that she can get help. Raina wants help...but doesnt come out and tell anyone she is in trouble. Raina searches endless possibilities of a life she wants to create, yet more and more stands in the way. Her mother is an addict--alcohol and cocaine. Raina quotes in the novel her mother didnt have a great childhood so shes out to continue searching for that missing piece in her life. I especially was impressed with how the author described Raina and her life. The journal entries that Raina writes are deep and really give you the idea of how depression is and how her life is. I am the type of person who usually does not willingly read novels, but i had to choose one for my english class. I chose this book because it seemed interesting ... one of those books you dont want to put down because its so in-depth. And this was one of those books. I kept reading, and reading. It was enjoyable, but not the absolute greatest book ive read. In a way, this book was a litte too full of problems...id like more happiness in a novel. All in all the author, Cynthia. D. Grant did a nice job.

Rating:
Summary: Poetically and poignant heartbreakingly realistic
Review: The analogy is excellent: heroin is a little white horse that starts out as a pet and turns into a monster. Raina knows that first-hand; her alcoholic drug addict mother taught her a lesson that lead Raina into drug abuse and teen pregnancy. Raina tells all through "stories" written for her English teacher-turned-therapist and first-person narrative; the teacher interjects chapters with her concerns over her student. Through the stories, Raina works through what her mother did to her younger brother (a mystery that will keep readers hooked to the end) and begins to make a better life for herself. Poetically and poignantly written, this novel is heartbreakingly realistic. Better than Beauty Queen (Glovach), but not as good -- or hopeful -- as Smack (Burgess).

Rating:
Summary: Poetically and poignant heartbreakingly realistic
Review: The analogy is excellent: heroin is a little white horse that starts out as a pet and turns into a monster. Raina knows that first-hand; her alcoholic drug addict mother taught her a lesson that lead Raina into drug abuse and teen pregnancy. Raina tells all through "stories" written for her English teacher-turned-therapist and first-person narrative; the teacher interjects chapters with her concerns over her student. Through the stories, Raina works through what her mother did to her younger brother (a mystery that will keep readers hooked to the end) and begins to make a better life for herself. Poetically and poignantly written, this novel is heartbreakingly realistic. Better than Beauty Queen (Glovach), but not as good -- or hopeful -- as Smack (Burgess).