Scan barcode
A review by swaggynikki
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Jeri reccomended this to me in 7th grade when she read it for Battle of the Books, and said she loved it. I love it to, but I'm ASTOUNDED by the fact that she liked it in middle school. It's VERY mature. I really liked the way it was told, I liked the intersecting storylines of his real life and the ship and how you slowly saw his life become his life on the ship and see they were the same the whole time. Mostly, though, I thought it was an incredibly well-done portrayal of mental health. I was worried up to like, the last 20 pages of the book, because it really seemed like the message was going to be "don't take your meds they're fake, just succumb to the disorder because you have no other option" but it wasn't! It said so much about recoverly and preserverence and I just left it feeling really good.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Incest