Saturday, June 5, 2010

PLASTIC by Sarah N. Harvey



Jack is a confessed boob connoisseur.  According to an opening statement, he has seen exactly four real naked human breasts and knows 138 words for them.  With a start like that one might think this book is inappropriate or at least in pretty poor taste.  That could not be more wrong.

Although, Jack is a normal, red-blooded male when it comes to the female body, he has his principles.  Raised by two parents who have vast amounts of experience protesting causes, Jack never thought he would carry a protest sign of his own.  That changes when his best friend announces that she is having breast augmentation surgery.

Leah's mother is one of those vain women addicted to plastic surgery.  Leah has never shown any interest in changing her physical appearance, but she tells Jack that her mother is giving her breast implants for her 16th birthday.

Immediately concerned for his friend's safety, Jack fires up the internet.  The facts he uncovers scare him even more.  There are doctors out there disregarding the standard of doing unnecessary surgery on adolescents, and that gets Jack making a picket sign and hitting the pavement outside Leah's doctor's office.

PLASTIC will grab the attention of readers of all backgrounds.  The focus is on body image and its importance in teenage society.  Through her book, author Sarah N. Harvey encourages teens to be patient and let time dictate their happiness and comfort with personal body issues.  Overall, PLASTIC is a fast read with a worthwhile message.

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