A review by paigereitz
Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins

5.0

Wow. Ellen Hopkins has done it again. It's been a minute since I have plowed through a book in a weekend, and I so miss being 12 and, like Cal, reading 3 books a week. This book is amazing. The emotions are real - the exploration of grief and loss, of belonging and family dynamics, of trauma and healing and hope is all so well done. A must for anyone working with traumatized youth who want to step into their skin for a bit, see the world through their eyes - and a must for other kids who may encounter those traumatized youth. Ellen ended her author's note, in part, with "I hope this book will plant seeds of empathy for kids with behavioral problems they can't always control. [....] They want to fit in, even when it's difficult for them to tamp down their emotions. They deserve a deeper look and another chance. And another. And another." That is the heart and soul of this book. Even though it only took me about three hours to plow through, I'll surely be thinking about it for a while, and I felt the full gamut of emotions as I devoured it.