I just finished reading this book. Our local school board voted to make it required reading for our students aged 14 and up. Currently this book will be used in our ap English literature class. This book has been approved by the college board and is therefore an easy select for teachers who do not want select their own reads and create their own syllabus. The college board makes no book recommendations nor does it have any required readings. A teacher may select any book and submit to the college board for their approval. It all just depends on how motivated the teacher is. On to the book. This is the most depressing book I have ever read. This book follows the lives of people who have been physically, emotionally and sexually abused by their own relatives. A father sexually abuses his daughter. This daughter sexually abuses her son. This son moves on to initially be sexually abused by his cousin, but later this relationship escalates into an on going sexual relationship that continues well into their adulthood. A wife is physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her own husband and this same man emotionally abuses his three children. The worst is that none of the victims in this book ever become survivors. They all remain deeply damaged and oppressed by the abuse they endured at the hands of those who were supposed to love them well, and they live accordingly, as hurt people, who hurt people. There is a section in this book that I found especially disturbing regarding the depiction of self abortion. I shudder to think that a student may take this information to heart and try one or more of the methods discribed in this text to rid themselves of an unplanned pregnancy and in the process severerly injure themselves. They could also pass this information onto a friend who finds themselves in the middle of an unplanned pregnancy. If your child is required to read this book, my suggestion to you would be to read it along with them. The adversities that are covered in this book that have no positive outcome or positive solutions to over come them are too many to name. Your child will need you to help them find positive solutions to these deeply tragic, but fully realistic tragedies of this life. Please do not let your child read this book on their own.

I read this book for College.... COLLEGE. This is not a book for teenagers of any kind unless they are quite mature. (And enjoy incredibly boring books)