You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
Recent winner of the National Book Award for YA, this powerful, moving & riveting novel tells the story of a teen boy's plunge into the depths of mental illness. Read my full review at:
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2015/11/teenya-review-challenger-deep.html
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2015/11/teenya-review-challenger-deep.html
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This may be a book of my life. I had no idea when I picked it up that it was about mental illness(I clearly didn't read the second part of the title) and I read it after reading another book about post partum psychosis. It hit me really quickly where it was going, but I loved the way it was done. I loved when references were made to reality versus Caden's own mind, and also when the connections weren't explained at all were done perfectly.
I just couldn't do it. This book was too weird for me. I felt like he was slowly leading up to something, but it was too slow with all the weirdness.
Didn't finish. I read probably about 40%
Didn't finish. I read probably about 40%
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🎧 This is why books are written, why stories need to be told. I have seen Challenger Deep; I have it in my classroom library, but it didn’t pique my interest enough to move to the top of mt TBR until my friend Carrie told me how much it affected her.
It is said that this is the story of Caden, chosen to document (illustrate) the adventure of a crew traveling to the Mariana Trench. It is actually the story of a teenage boy with schizophrenia.
I highly recommend the audiobook; it is EXCELLENT. This is not an uplifting or heartwarming story; it is honest, raw, and real. This is the magic of books.
It is said that this is the story of Caden, chosen to document (illustrate) the adventure of a crew traveling to the Mariana Trench. It is actually the story of a teenage boy with schizophrenia.
I highly recommend the audiobook; it is EXCELLENT. This is not an uplifting or heartwarming story; it is honest, raw, and real. This is the magic of books.
2.5 stars
While I appreciate the representation of schizophrenia in this book, it unfortunately didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped. Despite the raw and emotional portrayal, especially considering the author's personal connection to the subject matter, I struggled to connect with the characters. I even attempted switching to the audiobook format to improve the pacing, but it didn't alleviate my disengagement. At times, I found myself checking how much of the story remained.
Ultimately, while I admire the message and the story's importance, I found the reading experience to be rather tedious.
While I appreciate the representation of schizophrenia in this book, it unfortunately didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped. Despite the raw and emotional portrayal, especially considering the author's personal connection to the subject matter, I struggled to connect with the characters. I even attempted switching to the audiobook format to improve the pacing, but it didn't alleviate my disengagement. At times, I found myself checking how much of the story remained.
Ultimately, while I admire the message and the story's importance, I found the reading experience to be rather tedious.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow wow wow! This was a powerful read and insightful perspective. Highly recommend.
I loved the approach this book took on mental illness. The entire story was so unique and eye-opening. I especially loved the way that Shusterman tied Caden's real world to the world in his mind and created almost two separate stories that mirrored one another. Shusterman wrote a beautiful story inspired by his own life experiences and I would recommend this to anyone who knows someone or is dealing with a mental illness personally.