Lessons from a Dead Girl

I read this book because a principal who was involved in banning it from schools was convicted of having child pornography a few weeks ago.

It's incredibly ironic because the central theme of the book is how hiding child sexual abuse destroys lives. Of course sexual predators wouldn't want girls to read this book.

Other people have said this is 16 , but the publisher's guidelines say 13 , and I've recommended it for younger. Yes, it contains dark themes. But sunlight is the best disinfectant. Child sexual abuse thrives because of secrecy, a central theme of this book.

Children who haven't been sexually abused aren't going to be traumatised from reading a book about it, and children who recognise themselves in the book - and there will be show more some who sadly will - could be empowered to protect themselves, or at least feel less alone. By "protecting" children from learning sexual abuse exists by preventing them from reading this book, we leave children who are actually being sexually abused in the darkness. show less

Wow, what a book, started it at 10:00 and finished it a 3:00. Of course I had to make lunch in between.
Really though every time I had to stop to let dogs pee, make coffee or find food I quickly went back to it and picked it up immediately. As you can tell this book hooked me, made me mad and talk to it alot.
A great story of growing up with a friend who's not your friend but a user for their own means, whether they themselves have been used it is still not acceptable....you know you've know them. They have a way of making you feel insecure and doubtful. If you ever feel that way run the other way... that's what most of my talking to the book was about..." take off you don't need to put up with that" but honestly if the book had paid any show more attention to me it would have been a dud so it's a good thing it couldn't hear me out. And hey don't judge me for talking to my book I know you talk to the TV sometimes. show less

Boldly tackling the subject of child sexual abuse, this novel pulls the reader in and doesn't let go, even after the last page.
How Lainey goes from being a victim to a survivor, in this well written novel, is something that will both shock the reader and make you think just a little bit more. This is the story of how one abused girl turns her anger and confused self to abusing another girl under the guise of friendship. Years later Lainey still doesn't understand why Leah chose her out of all the others. But it doesn't really matter because the damage has been done to both girls. One survives while the other, as you learn on the first page, doesn't.
It's articulate, engaging, disturbing and thought provoking. It's right up there with show more Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. show less

Laine hated her, and wished many times that Leah would die and leave her alone. She didn't understand Leah, or why Leah chose her to be her best friend all those years ago. She didn't understand the things that Leah did to her in the doll closet, or why Leah would torment her with that knowledge and the shame that Laine felt. As they grew older, she didn't understand the problems that Leah faced, or the impact that they had on her behavior. As their English teacher told them once, you only hate what you don't understand.

Now that Leah Greene has died, Laine forces herself to try to understand Leah, and the things that Leah taught her about friendship and secrets. Friends are forever, Leah told her. Permanent just like the ink that Leah show more used to stake her claim on Laine's hand back when they were young. Laine must now face the impact of what "forever" really means, and how it has affected her own aspects of the world.

Jo Knowles has penned a stunning book that takes an introspective look at the scars of childhood abuse at the hands of a child's peers. show less

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Laine hated her, and wished many times that Leah would die and leave her alone. She didn't understand Leah, or why Leah chose her to be her best friend all those years ago. She didn't understand the things that Leah did to her in the doll closet, or why Leah would torment her with that knowledge and the shame that Laine felt. As they grew older, she didn't understand the problems that Leah faced, or the impact that they had on her behavior. As their English teacher told them once, you only hate what you don't understand.

Now that Leah Greene has died, Laine forces herself to try to understand Leah, and the things that Leah taught her about friendship and secrets. Friends are forever, Leah show more told her. Permanent just like the ink that Leah used to stake her claim on Laine's hand back when they were young. Laine must now face the impact of what "forever" really means, and how it has affected her own aspects of the world.

Jo Knowles has penned a stunning book that takes an introspective look at the scars of childhood abuse at the hands of a child's peers. Laine's experiences will have a profound impact on anyone who has ever wondered about the dynamics of child sociology, and how the damaging effects of abuse resonate from the original victims. For the mature young adult. show less

Beautiful, popular Leah takes awkward Laine under her wing when they are in fifth grade and declares them to be friends forever. Laine is confused by the attention but happily goes along with it. Laine even goes along with Leah's insistence that they secretly "practice" for marriage together, although Laine becomes increasingly confused by what it means about her relationship with Leah. While the girls grow apart as they enter high school, Leah maintains a powerful hold over Laine until a public confrontation results in tragedy.

Knowles tackles the topic of sexual abuse between children head-on, and she does it with a remarkably delicate touch while pulling no punches. Laine's confusion and desperation to keep Leah happy, as well as the show more tension between Laine and Leah in the years after their "practice" ends, are well-rendered. Although there are certainly scenes that are uncomfortable as a reader, nothing is graphically presented and the narrative focuses primarily on the emotions of the characters, especially Laine as the novel is from her point of view.

Leah and Laine are three-dimensional characters with specific and evident motivations, and their respective evolutions as they grow into teenagers are unsurprising but nonetheless poignant. Although I know very little about this topic, it would appear that the author did a good deal of research to create such believable characters, and this novel was an emotional and educational introduction to the subject and will not soon be forgotten. show less

I loved this book.

It was intensely-written, painfully honest and angst-ridden, everything that makes up an excellent book in my opinion.

The story covers the entire friendship (for lack of a better word) of the plain and shy Laine and the beautiful, popular but twisted Leah. Laine is the 'chosen' one, Leah's best friend, a position every girl throughout their friendship envies. Laine would you anything for Leah, and 'anything' turns out to be a heck of a lot.

I hated Leah from the very first mention of her, she is sadistic, nasty and savage, but later in the book, you see the side of her no one has seen before.

There's the doll closet, and what Leah does to Laine in it is what Sam - her father's best friend - does to her. Leah forces show more Laine to kiss and touch her, and constantly hangs it over Laine's head for the rest of her (Leah's) life. As you have maybe guessed, Leah is dead, and I loved how the author started off the novel with Leah's death, and then continued into the back story.

It's the best book I've read in a long time, and while the author doesn't use flowery language or big words, the style will leave you hanging on tenterhooks.

While the subject of the novel will not appeal to everyone, it is unusual, bold, extremely interesting and I thoroughly recommend it. show less