Breathe My Name - R. Nelson

Teen copes after sisters die at mom's hand.

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Book details

Author:R. Nelson
# of pages: 320
Publisher:Razorbill
Original Publication Date: 10/18/2007
Genre: Fiction - Contemporary Fiction
Hardcover: $16.99
Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 14
Read Aloud: 14
Read Alone: 14

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a book you may want to read before your kids do. A mother kills three of her children and attempts to kill a fourth. Parents should also be aware there are instances of serious mental illness, sexual situations, some product placement, and issues of adoption, forgiveness, coping, and trust in this very heavy, often disturbing book.

Families can talk about how important trust is in a friendship. Do you have a friend who you can trust with your own issues and pain? Have you ever had a friend place their trust in you?Families can also talk about the media's role in sensationalizing the news and empathizing with those who are featured in news stories.

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

There are some true horrors in this book, however there is also forgiveness, positive coping, and recovery. We see teens who have great capacities for communication who still make stupid mistakes. Those mistakes are handled by very present adults in an appropriate manner.

Consumerism:

Most product placements are used in the description of a scene, including Saturday Night Live, CNN, XBox, VW Bug, Hundai, Google, and Walmart.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Adults drink alcohol.

Violence

A mother kills three of her daughters and attempts to kill a fourth; we see how the bodies of the dead children looked. A girl is almost choked to death and a man is killed when he is hit in the head. The blood and how his bludgeoned head looked is described.

Sex

Sex is discussed, often jokingly, in typical adolescent ways. A teen girl and boy are involved in heavy petting and bed sharing at a motel. Teens talk about a book where the characters "diddle" each other.

Language

Mild swearing, including "s--t." Usually used in reaction to a difficult situation.

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Terreece Clarke

Frances' story could have been ripped from the headlines: "Mother Kills Her Three Children, Attempts to Kill Fourth." This novel picks up after the incident -- Frances copes with her grief and anger while she tries to live a normal life. When she's paired up in chemistry class with an unusual new student, Nix, Frances struggles with trusting their friendship with her biggest secret. How can she open up when she still worries about her mother finding her again?

Is it any good?

BREATHE MY NAME is an intense novel that's hard to put down. The reader is forced to relieve the most horrific moments in Frances' childhood. If they can cope well with the startling subject matter, they will enjoy this nicely paced, contemporary story.

R.A. Nelson walks the audience through Frances' emotional journey with grace, conveying horror without sensationalism. Teens will see themselves in Frances as she struggles with things outside of her control, like her past, while navigating through the trials of the average teen experience. The tone is increasingly hopeful except for one jarring moment in the final plot twist that feels more like a made-for-TV movie incident. That aside, this will entrance the right mature reader who likes books on tough teen topics.