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Bezig met laden... Lisa, Bright and Darkdoor John Neufeld
Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. The stuff that after-school specials are made of...and I'm not kidding, 'Lisa, Bright and Dark' was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV drama, the cover says so. But don't be so quick to judge, this is hardly 'Go Ask Alice' or any other histrionic 'What Happened to the Chiiildreeen!!' fare. Neufield is quick to establish Lisa Schilling's dilemma and the concern of her classmates Mary Nell (M.N.), Elizabeth and Betsey and the lack of response from teachers, the guidance counselor and Lisa's own family. It's through Betsey, a girl who before Lisa's crisis was only an acquaintance, that the story is narrated. M.N. is focused on diagnosing the problem, and the new girl Elizabeth is strangely aloof, but Betsey is warm-hearted and concerned, and habitually moons over Paul Newman's eyes (zowee!!). That last exclamation aside, Neufield is good at capturing the voice of teenage girls. In the middle of improvised group sessions the friends will begin chatting about movies or tease the over-eager M.N. over her Freud pretensions. And he gives them common sense. Even after the girls realize they're the only ones who are going to help Lisa, they never stop trying to get the teachers and her parents involved. They look through psychology books for answers, but question the safety of their actions and question their motives, always acknowledging that it doesn't matter if they're the ones who help Lisa, only that she is helped. While hardly a classic, this book is a lightning-quick read and certainly timely for a period when mental illness really began being discussed openly. Neufield wrote a whole string of socially-conscious novels for teenagers and, reading this one, I can see why he was so popular. He doesn't preach and still gets the right message across. This book contains the line "We all rushed to Elizabeth's house at lunch and nearly raped Dr. Donovan for news." Oh man. Neufeld follows up with "(I looked that up. It means "to seize", which is perfectly OK in this sense.)". Needless to say, this book is a little creepy since it's an older male author writing as a 16-year-old girl who is sexually naive but totally obsessed with boys. But really, the whole thing reads less like a story about people and more like a public service announcement about mental illness in teenage girls. It's a pretty shallow portrayal. We are told Lisa is crazy, and certain incidents are described, but we're not shown much. True, it was written in 1969, but it hasn't aged well. Not impressed. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Hailed as a "work of art" by the New York Times, this bestselling classic brings a deft touch and understanding spirit to the story of a teenage girl's descent into madness-and the three friends who are determined to walk with her where adults fear to tread. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Mary Nell looked up astonished.
"Oh Mr. shilling said. "Why is that?"
"I can't tell you", Lisa said. "I just think it's true. And I'm frightened."
Lisa, Bright and Dark by John Neufeld
Possible triggers..Mental Illness, attempted suicide.
My Review:
This book is described by critics as "a work of art" and it is.
I first read this as a child and have reread through the years. It remains just as great a read now as then. This book was way ahead of it's time as there was not much YA about mental illness. Of coarse times have changed and we know much more then we did then but the book ages well and this story of one young woman's tragic illness and her band of loving and loyal friends who go all in to help her remains a magnificent and important read. ( )