Saturday, April 10, 2010

BOOK #2 - MARNI by Marni Bates



MARNI is another book from the Louder Than Words series.  Marni's story touched me even more than the previous book.

Marni goes back to her early childhood to begin her story.  She remembers parts of it fondly, while other parts, not so much.  Her parents' divorce she explains didn't really bother her since her father was busy at work and only breezed through now and then to act as head-of-household.

Despite an excellent relationship with her mother, troubles for Marni began in middle school.  The clique mentality and cruel treatment of the early teen years did not set well with her.  She became isolated and depressed.  After a few years in a group homeschooling environment, Marni started feeling a bit more confident.

It was as she reentered public school at the local high school that Marni found a way to relieve her stress.  She began to pull out her hair.  First, it was her eyebrows, but it gradually came to include her eyelashes and her actual hair.  Afraid to confess her compulsive habit, she carried on for years before getting the help she needed.

Marni's voice comes through with passion and pain, but at the same time, humor, as she tells her story.  I found her personality captivating by the end of the first page.  This is an excellent book for teens in general, and especially for those battling their own personal issues.

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