Sherry Shahan

This story is raw, honest, powerful, told from 6 points of view and taking place mostly in 1965. I was a teen during the time of this novel so am familiar with the music and themes. The characters lived in California where drugs were more prevalent. The author packs a lot of punch into an easy-to-read format, which isn't to say it would have been easy to write. The characters feel authentic. The mandatory draft, the Vietnam War, the drug culture, including parents, the angst and trials of show more teen years all are part of the story.

It's a timeless story, even though it's steeped in a historical period. Teens always struggle with romance and temptation and real life issues. Not all parents are the Cleavers and we all need love. The tone of the book seemed optimistic, upbeat, despite the tough spots most teens experience. The moments of anger didn't drag on.

The story could be educational for those who didn't live through this time, and for others who did but weren't involved in the drug culture or the war. There are clips of real quotes and events of the day sprinkled throughout. The story will zing for those who were young people in this era and who will understand all the various words and references. show less

Bones is in a place he knows will be bad for his self-set goal: stay as thin as possible. He has gotten so thin, his parents have sent him to a treatment program for teens with eating disorders, and Bones is freaking out: they force him to eat up to 750 calories a day, and they watch him like a hawk. And to top it off, Bones's roommate is in the program because he is an over-eater, and Bones is disgusted by how much Lard can eat, calculating the calories he takes in while eating contraband show more cheese doodles. When Bones continues to lose weight, even though they are making him eat, they increase his calories for meals. Now what will he do? He starts to learn tricks from Alice, a ballerina who is so thin it is endangering her health. But Bones doesn't see the trouble she's in and thinks she is beautiful; he takes all of her advice to heart. As the three become friends during their stay at the treatment center, they find strength in each other. Skin and Bones is a rare book about a boy with anorexia; most books focus on the girls with this disorder. Boys are susceptible too, and I am glad this book is out there. I liked the characters and found Bones to be a believable anorexic, calculating calories down to the last tiny one and exercising in his room to burn off every ounce he can. There really need to be more books out there on this topic, and this book is a good start. show less

I wanted to read Skin and Bones because I am drawn to books about teens with issues, especially eating disorders. It impacted my family and reading about it is therapeutic for me. I also haven't read many books from the male perspective of eating disorders and was drawn to that unique element.
While there are differences in how men and women see their bodies, the disease has a lot of overlap in effecting them. There have been events that really made Jack insecure about his body and it show more started as something that he could control. Unlike in his group, his family is intact and mostly put together, but it is really how he saw himself that was at the root of his problems.
Jack is placed with an overeater nick-named Lard, and at first, Jack thought that they couldn't be any more different. But as they room together, talk and go to group together, they find more in common than they thought and become friends and begin to help each other.
It is so important what they realize and are told it is one moment, one choice at a time that will make a change. Everyone wants overnight cures but it isn't that easy.
I had a feeling I knew where everything was going with Bones and Alice. Bones, of course, I was glad he would see the light and get a better understanding of what healthy is and transform his body image, but I was so afraid of him only getting it after a tragedy with Alice.
I am appreciative that the story didn't end with a completely cured Bones, but one that wanted to change, and was willing to put in the work.

Bottom Line: Good contemp about a teen guy with an eating disorder. show less

So if you’re a regular reader of my blog you know that I’m not the world’s biggest historical fiction fan. That said, I have a big love for near histories as well as novels in verse. And of course, a great story will always get me on board. Sherry Shahan‘s PURPLE DAZE is all of these things. The book spans the year of 1965 as a group of teenagers write in journals and exchange letters in a world that is changing — and quickly.

As the story opens, the whole group — Ziggy, Cheryl, show more Nancy, Don, Mickey, and Phil — live in the same L.A. neighborhood, and some of them go to school together. But Ziggy and Mickey’s relationship is on the rocks — not that his less-than-admirable opinion of her as “the kind of girl who puts out” is helping — and Phil is about to get drafted into the Marines, putting his girlfriend Nancy in a tailspin. Cheryl is the only one who writes him regular letters, while she keeps a private journal about her crumbling relationship with her best friend Ziggy, her blooming relationship with her mom, and her creepy neighbor next door. Mickey is about to take a big step of his own, sick of his dad’s drunken behavior, and Don is on the verge of making a big mistake in his relationship with Cheryl. But one thread binds them all: much-needed friendship in the face of fear, flux, and change.

The lives of these six teens are so interwoven. The author is irrelevent, because it is the poems these characters place in the pages that makes this novel special. They speak to each other and to the reader. Spliced between the characters’ stories are quotes and newsclips from political leaders and pop culture figures, keeping us up to date with the goings on of 1965. The novel is, in a word, unforgettable. In three words, it’s a beautiful experience. show less