Walking Naked

Rating:
Summary: a powerful first novel
Review: Alyssa Brugman's debut novel in the United States, WALKING NAKED, is an extremely powerful piece of literature. Brugman accurately and horrifically portrays the high school scene and the peer pressure that is faced while in high school.

The protagonist, Megan Tuw, has always been part of the in-crowd. This popularity gives Megan a sense of security and sometimes gets her into trouble, as is the case when she is kicked out of a class for talking. Megan's attitude earns her detention, where she spends time with "the freak" of the high school, Perdita. Megan realizes, through the writing assignments that they are required to do while in detention, that Perdita is an intelligent and complex person. She begins to spend time with Perdita, keeping these outings a secret from her friends. Megan knows that the in-crowd would ruin her status as a popular figure if they knew that she was becoming friends with "the freak."

At some point within the novel, Megan is faced with a difficult choice: Perdita or her popular crowd. Brugman realistically portrays the turmoil that Megan goes through --- her fears of losing popularity and hurting her friends, her jealousy of being replaced, her feelings of inferiority when spending time with the more intelligent and knowledgeable Perdita, and struggling to figure out how to be true to herself.

Readers of WALKING NAKED will be able to relate to the pressures of being popular and of needing to have the right clothes, the right friends and the right looks. The characters here talk and behave as real-life high school students would. While disturbing, this is an important book that should be read by a majority of teenagers.

--- Reviewed by Melissa Palmer

Rating:
Summary: Good Debut
Review: Megan, the leader of a clique of the elite students in an Australian high school,is sent for a week of afterschool detention. While there, she meets outcast Perdita, known by the elite girls as The Freak. She gets to know Perdita as a real person, but doesn't have the courage to stand up to the other girls and claim her friendship with Perdita. This has disastrous results, both for Megan and for Perdita. Megan narrates the story, with a true voice. Perdita is a bit less true-to-life, but I liked her nonetheless. As an adult, I could see trouble looming, but a teen might get swept up into the tragedy. This book was recommended to me by a teen reader who said she enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Walking Naked by Alyssa Brugman
Review: Walking Naked takes place in a high school in Australia. The main character is a girl named Megan. Megan belongs to the basic cliche of a group of 'popular girls'. She and her gang run the school and set the standards of 'cool'. And of course, there is one person in this school who is a complete and total outcast. Her name is Perdita, she is unwanted among everyone. Her more common name is 'the freak'. Megan ends up in detention one day and its just her andd Perdita. Over the days, Megan starts to get to know her, in secret Megan goes over to Perdita's hosue and basically 'hangs out'. Soon enough, other people find out...if Megan continues her reputation will be ruined among her peers. Now Megan must choose between a gang of girls whose shes known forever, but have never been her 'friend' or one outcast girl whos shes barely known but ends up to be her only realy friend. Walking Naked is a fabulous book, it really changed my views on things. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book that will really open their mind. I do warn you however, that this book deals with suicide, but if you dont mind that, then this definetly is a great book by a awesome author!