Something Wicked by Lesley Anne Cowan

Life just plain sucks at times, and in the eyes of a troubled teen, those times can seem to happen far too often.  Sixteen year old Melissa is angry most of the time and she doesn't know why.    She also keeps making poor choices when it comes to drug use, sexual partners and just about every thing else.  it's not that she has given up on life, she does want to be a veterinarian when she finishes school, it's just that she has no idea how to get where she wants to be.

As a parent I found this a hard book to read.  I want to best for my kids, I can tell them all sorts of truths and things meant to help them, but I can't make them listen and use that information.  Melissa's mother wasn't much of a role model, but she did have her uncle that showed some concern and did try to help in his own way.  She had a counsellor that she was seeing weekly and she also had the teachers at her 'Day School' who truly cared.  Her uncle told her "You decide to be happy ... It's a decision" but Melissa wasn't ready to hear that message.

This story rang true on all events.  Teens don't think the same way as adults.  Their thought processes are handled in the amygdala where emotional responses happen.  My doctor recommended the following video  The Adolescent Brain from The Discovery Channel,when I was struggling to understand my teen.



I highly recommend this book for teens and adults who deal with teens.  Some of the insights I found very helpful.  When Melissa finally decided to accept help, it's not for the reasons an adult might. She thinks to herself, "I've made a decision about my life: I don't give up.  I give in.  There's a difference.  I give in the destiny I'm being pushed toward... But it's not surrender it's more like I'm stopping the resistance."

Thanks to Penguin Canada for the cover image and for my review copy.