Mental Health Archives -

Young Adult Novel – Dear Medusa

June 1, 2023
goodreadswithronna
Ages 14 and up, Friendship, LGBTQ, Mental Health, Sexual Abuse, Social Issues, YA Fiction, Young Adult Book Review

DEAR MEDUSA

by Olivia A. Cole

(Labyrinth Road; $18.99, Ages 14+)

★Starred Review – Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal

Olivia A. Cole’s YA novel in verse, Dear Medusa, shows what it’s like to be made into a monster when, in fact, you’re the victim—just as Medusa was. Sixteen-year-old Alicia Rivers dreads school where she’s branded the slut because she hooks up with random guys after being sexually abused by a popular teacher. This secret burns her up since she has no one to turn to: she’s quit the track team, her BFF dumped her, and her family is too self-involved. Avoiding where it happened leads to cutting classes which spirals into detention and thoughts of staying forever at a dead-end job; there doesn’t seem to be a way out.

Abuse is a tough subject to navigate but Cole captures raw, realistic feelings and offsets them with the beauty of hope as Alicia finds new friends and maybe even a girlfriend. Many issues are brought to mind, such as how we’re so connected yet can also feel hopelessly lonely, or how women sometimes tear one another down, then at other times choose to stand together.

This book examines what it’s like to be judged by how we dress or act. In the section titled, “Wolves love bus stops,” Alicia remembers what she was wearing the first time she took the bus alone and how men reacted: “Standing by the telephone pole that day, / staring at my phone, / I transformed without knowing. / Girl into rabbit, soft furred thing with belly / exposed, ripe for fangs.” Ultimately, it’s about accepting ourselves, rather than letting other people’s perceptions turn us to stone.

Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt (www.ChristineVanZandt.com), Write for Success (www.WriteforSuccessEditing.com), @ChristineVZ and @WFSediting, Christine@WriteforSuccessEditing.com

Young Adult Graphic Novel – The Dark Matter of Mona Starr

September 30, 2020
goodreadswithronna
Ages 12 and up, Ages 12 and up, Contemporary Fiction, Depression, Depression, Emotions & Feelings, Friendship, Health, Mental Health, YA Fiction

THE DARK MATTER OF MONA STARR

Written and illustrated by Laura Lee Gulledge

(Amulet Books; $22.99, Ages 12+)

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr cvr

★Starred Review – School Library Journal

Laura Lee Gulledge’s YA graphic novel, The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, opens with Mona Starr’s best friend, Nash, moving to Hawaii. Mona must now tackle high school alone and, though her family cares about her, she feels like the “creative oddball” in their midst. Mona struggles with depression, calling it the “Matter.” Through the help of a therapist and a new girl, Hailey, Mona begins to notice what starts her spiraling downward and how to catch herself before it becomes all-consuming. Chapter titles such as “Notice Your Patterns,” “Break Your Cycles,” and “Replace What You Can’t Erase” reinforce the steps Mona needs to take to cope.

DarkMatterMonaStar INT3 — Illustrations and text from The Dark Matter of Mona Starr © 2020 Laura Lee Gulledge. Used with permission from Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

The book presents depression in a realistic manner, showing the back-and-forth struggle that isn’t solved but, rather, managed. While the insightful text tells a compelling story, Gulledge’s art is a showstopper. In a scene where Mona’s overwhelmed by too many choices, her Matter has a hold of her arms and legs, pulling her to the edges of the page while whispering such things as, “You have nothing to offer” and “You are not good for ANYTHING,” inciting our universal search for meaning in our lives.

DarkMatterMonaStar INT4 — Illustrations and text from The Dark Matter of Mona Starr © 2020 Laura Lee Gulledge. Used with permission from Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

I’m blown away by the depth in the images (the art is black and white with hints of yellow) throughout the book. After Nash encourages Mona to write about her confusion, the full-page illustration features Mona as a shadowy outline with little Monas picking away (literally) at her brain, digging deep until she reaches her deepest thoughts. Eventually, with the help of friends, therapy, her art, and writing, Mona finds her way toward a hopeful future.

DarkMatterMonaStar INT7 — Illustrations and text from The Dark Matter of Mona Starr © 2020 Laura Lee Gulledge. Used with permission from Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Make this powerful book an addition to your high school’s library and provide a helping hand to someone battling with their own dark matter. The insightful and heartfelt advice is based in part on Gulledge’s own struggles.

• Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt (www.ChristineVanZandt.com), Write for Success (www.Write-for-Success.com), @ChristineVZ and @WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

Click here to order a copy of The Dark Matter of Mona Starr or visit your local indie bookstore.
e
Disclosure: Good Reads With Ronna is now a Bookshop.org affiliate and will make a small commission from the books sold via this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to help support this blog, its team of kidlit reviewers as well as independent bookshops nationwide, please consider purchasing your books from Bookshop.org using our affiliate links above (or below). Thanks!