Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Here is the book on Amazon.

After reading Speak I was interested to see what else Laurie Halse Anderson has written. I was not disapointed with Twisted. In the begining we meet Tyler, a former wallflower in his high school. He describes himself as a nobody and really gives us the idea that he has been a nameless face in his institution for a while. From an educators point of view, it appears that Tyler has fallen through the cracks and the way he chooses to climb back into view is to commit a crime.

Tyler makes a mistake that changes his life. What begins as a simple stunt involving spray paint and school grounds, becomes an all-too-familier disaster. Tyler pays his dues but cannot shake the reputation he has earned. This tears the life he's known apart and wrecks havic on his future. This books powerfully illustrates a lot about society and the inner workings of the public education system through the eloquent and honest voice of a young man.

This book, in some ways, disturbs me. High school was not that long ago for me and teaching in one will be in my iminent future. Still, with that in mind, I would really like to use this book in the classroom. I think, as long as the mature subjects are introduced properly, students can learn from this book and cover not only the plot but the literary techniques, too. As a plus this book is written from a male point of view. As always, Anderson's voice is brilliant, strong and true and I think students will appreciate that.