When the Bough Breaks

Rating:
Summary: You won't regret it! Great reading!
Review: One of the best YA authors in recent memory, Anna Myers does it again. Well written and frank, this honest look at difficult issues is a wonderful piece to inspire conversation with YA readers. Dark and suspenseful, the story deals with many themes less capable authors might shy from. A girl who feels responsible for murders committed by her brother meets a woman who connects with her in an unexpected way. Darker in tone that past books, Myers deals with teenage depression, mental illness, and abuse in a head-on manner. NOT a book for younger readers (8-12), this book is a fantastic page turner for the YA reader.

Rating:
Summary: You won't regret it! Great reading!
Review: One of the best YA authors in recent memory, Anna Myers does it again. Well written and frank, this honest look at difficult issues is a wonderful piece to inspire conversation with YA readers. Dark and suspenseful, the story deals with many themes less capable authors might shy from. A girl who feels responsible for murders committed by her brother meets a woman who connects with her in an unexpected way. Darker in tone that past books, Myers deals with teenage depression, mental illness, and abuse in a head-on manner. NOT a book for younger readers (8-12), this book is a fantastic page turner for the YA reader.

Rating:
Summary: Love and Crime
Review: Raber, Karen. "Murderous Mothers and the Family/State Analogy in Classical and Renaissance Drama." Comparative Literature Studies. 37.3 (2000): 298-320. Imagine what a world would be like without family. Love and support would bring on new meanings and might be an unfulfilled need. In When the Bough Breaks, a protagonist Ophelia has already gone through enough trauma at a young age to be in a foster home in early adolescence, only after watching her whole family being killed. During this story, Ophelia is reading to an elderly lady, Portia, who lives down the road. Portia and Ophelia have a few things in common. They have both experienced crime in their families and won't let anybody get too close to them because of the blame they place on themselves for it. Portia helps Ophelia discover her true power as she finds the same truth in herself. These effects of the crime are mostly displayed in her self-esteem, relationships, and overall fear of love. Ophelia blames herself for the killing of her mother, father, and brother. On the day that her brother killed her parents, she knew her brother had the guns out. She thought about telling but didn't because her brother had told her that if she did, he would kill himself. In the end, however, she felt that because she didn't tell, all of her family was killed. She doesn't believe that she is capable of doing much besides hurting others. This is shown in the way that she won't let anyone get close to her. She doesn't believe that she's worth caring about. She and Portia have this in common. Portia also saw people in her family hurt physically and emotionally in her past. As a result, she doesn't believe that she can ever get close to anyone ever again. However, the power of Portia's regret from her past helps Ophelia overcome this fear. Ophelia tries to kill herself in the end of the novel. Portia sees potential in the young girl and saves her life. This causes them both to see that they can learn to love each other and, most importantly, love themselves. Positive relationships help people to make it through their lives easier and much more comfortably. Ophelia doesn't want anyone new to come into her life and ruin her safety zone of independence. She's also afraid of hurting other people in the same way that she feels she hurt her own family. She avoids relationships throughout the book. For example, Mark, a boy in her class at school, keeps trying to ask her out. She will not even consider it because she's afraid of her past catching up with her. "She couldn't do something like going out on a date. Things like that were for normal people, people who did not have hidden magazines with pictures of murdered family members," (Myers 76). In addition to avoiding dating relationships, Ophelia also avoids friendships. She doesn't try to get along with students in her class, and doesn't want to become friends with Portia or her foster family. Sometimes, however, emotion can overrule fears. Her new relationships that are formed in the story with Portia and Mark show that people don't believe that the crime committed to her family was her fault. Love leads Ophelia to perform the act that she believes caused her family's murder. She feels that her lying killed her family, and if she loves again, she will cause the same pain to the ones that she comes to love. This shows Ophelia's fear of love. She's afraid of loving herself because she hasn't forgiven herself for letting her family die. Letting go of this grudge would mean that she would have to learn to love again. Ophelia is also afraid of the love that others might give her. This is why she depends so much on her independence. She doesn't get close to Portia until some large barriers are broken down. "Ophelia did not usually like to give information about herself, but there was something about this woman, something that wouldn't let her lie or avoid, something that almost made her want to talk," (Myers). She doesn't want foster families to love her because she already knows how it feels to be moved from one family to the next. The overall reason that she has to move is because of the crime that she feels she committed, and this is the sole reason that she is afraid of love. Karen Raber understands what kind of difference it can make on a person when there is not a firm family of home. "The home thus becomes, in Cicero's words, "the nursery . . . of the state," inculcating behaviors, beliefs and assumptions that will support the overall structure of ordered government," (Raber). Karen Raber believes that for people to be a positive asset to a community, the family must first be established. Damage to a family can affect people in ways that are shown in their part of the world. Portia has low self-esteem, fear of relationships, and fear of love. Through her difficulties, she doesn't allow herself to be the best of her community. Ophelia has many capabilities of doing well in life. However, she lets the past crime in her life keep her from going after those new opportunities. Through learning to love herself, making friends, and allowing love to enter her life, Portia finds that she can change her world, even through she happened to have some previous bad experiences in her life.

Rating:
Summary: Love and Crime
Review: Raber, Karen. "Murderous Mothers and the Family/State Analogy in Classical and Renaissance Drama." Comparative Literature Studies. 37.3 (2000): 298-320. Imagine what a world would be like without family. Love and support would bring on new meanings and might be an unfulfilled need. In When the Bough Breaks, a protagonist Ophelia has already gone through enough trauma at a young age to be in a foster home in early adolescence, only after watching her whole family being killed. During this story, Ophelia is reading to an elderly lady, Portia, who lives down the road. Portia and Ophelia have a few things in common. They have both experienced crime in their families and won't let anybody get too close to them because of the blame they place on themselves for it. Portia helps Ophelia discover her true power as she finds the same truth in herself. These effects of the crime are mostly displayed in her self-esteem, relationships, and overall fear of love. Ophelia blames herself for the killing of her mother, father, and brother. On the day that her brother killed her parents, she knew her brother had the guns out. She thought about telling but didn't because her brother had told her that if she did, he would kill himself. In the end, however, she felt that because she didn't tell, all of her family was killed. She doesn't believe that she is capable of doing much besides hurting others. This is shown in the way that she won't let anyone get close to her. She doesn't believe that she's worth caring about. She and Portia have this in common. Portia also saw people in her family hurt physically and emotionally in her past. As a result, she doesn't believe that she can ever get close to anyone ever again. However, the power of Portia's regret from her past helps Ophelia overcome this fear. Ophelia tries to kill herself in the end of the novel. Portia sees potential in the young girl and saves her life. This causes them both to see that they can learn to love each other and, most importantly, love themselves. Positive relationships help people to make it through their lives easier and much more comfortably. Ophelia doesn't want anyone new to come into her life and ruin her safety zone of independence. She's also afraid of hurting other people in the same way that she feels she hurt her own family. She avoids relationships throughout the book. For example, Mark, a boy in her class at school, keeps trying to ask her out. She will not even consider it because she's afraid of her past catching up with her. "She couldn't do something like going out on a date. Things like that were for normal people, people who did not have hidden magazines with pictures of murdered family members," (Myers 76). In addition to avoiding dating relationships, Ophelia also avoids friendships. She doesn't try to get along with students in her class, and doesn't want to become friends with Portia or her foster family. Sometimes, however, emotion can overrule fears. Her new relationships that are formed in the story with Portia and Mark show that people don't believe that the crime committed to her family was her fault. Love leads Ophelia to perform the act that she believes caused her family's murder. She feels that her lying killed her family, and if she loves again, she will cause the same pain to the ones that she comes to love. This shows Ophelia's fear of love. She's afraid of loving herself because she hasn't forgiven herself for letting her family die. Letting go of this grudge would mean that she would have to learn to love again. Ophelia is also afraid of the love that others might give her. This is why she depends so much on her independence. She doesn't get close to Portia until some large barriers are broken down. "Ophelia did not usually like to give information about herself, but there was something about this woman, something that wouldn't let her lie or avoid, something that almost made her want to talk," (Myers). She doesn't want foster families to love her because she already knows how it feels to be moved from one family to the next. The overall reason that she has to move is because of the crime that she feels she committed, and this is the sole reason that she is afraid of love. Karen Raber understands what kind of difference it can make on a person when there is not a firm family of home. "The home thus becomes, in Cicero's words, "the nursery . . . of the state," inculcating behaviors, beliefs and assumptions that will support the overall structure of ordered government," (Raber). Karen Raber believes that for people to be a positive asset to a community, the family must first be established. Damage to a family can affect people in ways that are shown in their part of the world. Portia has low self-esteem, fear of relationships, and fear of love. Through her difficulties, she doesn't allow herself to be the best of her community. Ophelia has many capabilities of doing well in life. However, she lets the past crime in her life keep her from going after those new opportunities. Through learning to love herself, making friends, and allowing love to enter her life, Portia finds that she can change her world, even through she happened to have some previous bad experiences in her life.

Rating:
Summary: When the Bough Breaks
Review: This is a very touching story. It talks about foster care, youth murderers, and how this particular boy was driven to try to ease the pain of being bullied, and the repercussions of that act. How it left his sister alone and in foster homes carrying around the guilt of not telling anyone what he was feeling. How this poor child was tormented by children when they found out what her brother did, and how she was moved from foster homes when people found out. She befriended an old woman who was carrying around her own demons, and the two become friends. At first the girl is only trying to make some money so she can buy a bus ticket back to her own state to visit her parent's and brother's grave. She is trying to deal with her demons. She is very quiet and does not let anyone get close to her. Everyone she loves seems to die. This is a very touching and well written novel. It makes you think about your actions and how they may effect people. Anyone reading this should have a box of kleenex, because it is very sad at times. I would give this book 5 stars

Rating:
Summary: When the Bough Breaks
Review: This is a very touching story. It talks about foster care, youth murderers, and how this particular boy was driven to try to ease the pain of being bullied, and the repercussions of that act. How it left his sister alone and in foster homes carrying around the guilt of not telling anyone what he was feeling. How this poor child was tormented by children when they found out what her brother did, and how she was moved from foster homes when people found out. She befriended an old woman who was carrying around her own demons, and the two become friends. At first the girl is only trying to make some money so she can buy a bus ticket back to her own state to visit her parent's and brother's grave. She is trying to deal with her demons. She is very quiet and does not let anyone get close to her. Everyone she loves seems to die. This is a very touching and well written novel. It makes you think about your actions and how they may effect people. Anyone reading this should have a box of kleenex, because it is very sad at times. I would give this book 5 stars

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well written and compelling
Review: When the Bough Breaks is a thoughtful novel that lets the reader peek inside a little girl who has been through more than most adults could imagine. This novel shows the adult reader how young people internalize trauma in their lives, how they accept blame for circumstances of which they have no control, and how desperate they become to understood and accepted.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well written and compelling
Review: When the Bough Breaks is a thoughtful novel that lets the reader peek inside a little girl who has been through more than most adults could imagine. This novel shows the adult reader how young people internalize trauma in their lives, how they accept blame for circumstances of which they have no control, and how desperate they become to understood and accepted.