[13B]⋙ PDF Willow Julia Hoban Books

Willow Julia Hoban Books

Download As PDF : Willow Julia Hoban Books

Willow Julia Hoban Books

"It's so curious: one can resist tears and `behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses." ~Colette

How true.

In life we deal with 2 types of pain, emotional and physical. Most of the time the two are mutually exclusive, however at times they are triggered by the other. "Willow" by Julia Hoban is just one example of what happens when the inability to control your emotions leads to the compulsion to feel physical relief.

Willow talks to no one, she wears long sleeves regardless of the weather, and she is addicted to pain. Why? because she is a cutter. Unable to deal with the emotional responsibility of her parents sudden death (that she inadvertently caused) Willow does the only thing she can think...she abolishes her heartache with physical pain, but when a boy named Guy suddenly takes notice of her...and her arms, something snaps. Will Guy's intense nature eventually help, or hinder Willow's little problem? Will Willow ever understand the significance of crying, and if she finally does...will it be enough to stop her destructive behavior?

I know it can sometimes be confusing when I label devastating literature as beautiful... but that's what it is. When a book has the ability to make you forget where you are, feel the pain, and love of its characters, and push the boundaries of what is acceptable conversation... it is no longer a book. It is art. Hoban created a story that was so overwhelming, that at times I felt as if I would explode from the on-slot of sensory overload. The skeletal plot of "Willow" was about love, grief, and understanding... but the lessons in between are what is important: acceptance, compassion, compulsion, redemption, and the ability to let go. There are several places through-out this novel in which you will hang your head in disbelief, unable to mentally comprehend what is actually happening, and even more moments in which you will find yourself shaking or crying. Let it happen... it's what keeps you from becoming broken...it's what keeps you from becoming Willow.

Now, I could write for days, pages of beautiful words to express what I felt for this book... the writing was breathtaking, the plot was wonderful, I fell in love with a damaged girl...but none of it would ever be enough. So it leaves me only one solution, you will just have to read if for yourself.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: YOU create your own paradise, and your own prison.


Tags : Amazon.com: Willow (9780803733565): Julia Hoban: Books,Julia Hoban,Willow,Dial Books,0803733569,Family - Siblings,Social Themes - Death & Dying,Social Themes - Depression,Cutting (Self-mutilation);Fiction.,Guilt;Fiction.,Self-mutilation;Fiction.,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Cutting (Self-mutilation),Fiction,Fiction-Psychological,Guilt,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Family Siblings,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance,Juvenile Fiction Social Themes Death & Dying,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,Self-mutilation,Social Issues - Death & Dying,Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings,Social Issues - Self Mutilation,Social Problems (General) (Young Adult),TEEN'S FICTION - GENERAL,TEEN'S SOCIAL ISSUES (GENERAL),United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family Siblings,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Death & Dying,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Depression

Willow Julia Hoban Books Reviews

Willow is going to be one of those books that you will talk about for days, even weeks later, after you finish it. There's no sugar-coating or glossing over the harsh reality of Willow's destructive behavior. And I think that's why I was so drawn into the story. I couldn't for the life of me understand why someone would want to hurt themselves in order to feel better. Crazy huh? Hoban does this though, she makes you, the reader, understand what is going on with Willow and why she chooses self-mutilation as the way she deals with her feelings. I'm sure a lot of parents will shy away from the topic of this book. Some may even feel that their teen shouldn't read this because it might make them want to "cut" themselves. People, that's just plain silly!!! I had to fight to keep Cut by Patrica McCormick, on my middle school shelves. I fought for it because I know of students who do this behavior or have friends that engage in cutting. Reading about it does not make someone do those actions. Instead, it educates that person and helps them to understand that they need to find a different way to express their hurt, anger, and repressed feelings. Willow takes Cut to the next level and really gets into the psyche of a young person who is overwhelmed with guilt, grief, anger, and other unspoken feelings. Yes, it is gritty and painful, but it is so important for you, the reader, to complete this journey with Willow. To see that in the end she does reach out for help, but to get there is hard, oh so hard. For me, this book will put a spotlight on a subject that no one really wants to acknowledge---CUTTING. This is the book that will be the turning point to starting conversations with other teens, teens talking to their parents, parents talking to their teens, and even teens reaching out to a trusted individual for help. To me, Willow will be ranked right up there with the classic, Speak, and ten years from now, we'll still be talking about it, passing along copies to someone, and heralding the brave writing that Julia Hoban has accomplished.
"It's so curious one can resist tears and `behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses." ~Colette

How true.

In life we deal with 2 types of pain, emotional and physical. Most of the time the two are mutually exclusive, however at times they are triggered by the other. "Willow" by Julia Hoban is just one example of what happens when the inability to control your emotions leads to the compulsion to feel physical relief.

Willow talks to no one, she wears long sleeves regardless of the weather, and she is addicted to pain. Why? because she is a cutter. Unable to deal with the emotional responsibility of her parents sudden death (that she inadvertently caused) Willow does the only thing she can think...she abolishes her heartache with physical pain, but when a boy named Guy suddenly takes notice of her...and her arms, something snaps. Will Guy's intense nature eventually help, or hinder Willow's little problem? Will Willow ever understand the significance of crying, and if she finally does...will it be enough to stop her destructive behavior?

I know it can sometimes be confusing when I label devastating literature as beautiful... but that's what it is. When a book has the ability to make you forget where you are, feel the pain, and love of its characters, and push the boundaries of what is acceptable conversation... it is no longer a book. It is art. Hoban created a story that was so overwhelming, that at times I felt as if I would explode from the on-slot of sensory overload. The skeletal plot of "Willow" was about love, grief, and understanding... but the lessons in between are what is important acceptance, compassion, compulsion, redemption, and the ability to let go. There are several places through-out this novel in which you will hang your head in disbelief, unable to mentally comprehend what is actually happening, and even more moments in which you will find yourself shaking or crying. Let it happen... it's what keeps you from becoming broken...it's what keeps you from becoming Willow.

Now, I could write for days, pages of beautiful words to express what I felt for this book... the writing was breathtaking, the plot was wonderful, I fell in love with a damaged girl...but none of it would ever be enough. So it leaves me only one solution, you will just have to read if for yourself.

Happy reading my fellow -ites and remember YOU create your own paradise, and your own prison.