16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An inspirational novel for teens, June 22, 2006
This review is from: Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred (TrueColors Series #7) (Paperback)
Ruth Wallace is a ticking bomb --- not one that's liable to explode, but rather implode. Ever since her mom tried to commit suicide, Ruth's dad and his explosive (yet previously manageable) temper have grown to mountainous proportions. Trying as hard as she can, Ruth wracks her brain continually in an attempt to make certain that the household is running as smoothly as it did before her mom's breakdown. Ruth knows that even the most minor infractions of the house rules will send her father into a verbal rampage where he will further humiliate, degrade, and shame her.
As Ruth knows, there is no shelter to be found running to her mom for support. Dubbing her now depressed mother the Ghost Mom (since she only comes out of her room when there's no one else in sight), Ruth becomes increasingly angry and frustrated at her circumstances. Even her younger brother, Caleb, is no help. After one argument too many, he takes off to places unknown, leaving Ruth solely in charge of maintaining the home --- and taking the heat for Caleb's disappearance.
Feeling utterly alone and trapped, Ruth's only solace is to lock herself in the bathroom, carefully remove a razor blade she's hidden away so many times before that she's lost count, and begin cutting. Ruth, absorbed in the ritual, feels a measure of control every time she cuts. Following her carefully scripted routine, she watches the blood flow, stops the bleeding with a tissue, and then bandages the wound. For the moment, Ruth feels better --- until the next time she needs an escape from the pain, that is.
It isn't until the weather begins to warm and Ruth continues to wear long sleeve shirts that she realizes her cutting isn't going to stay a secret all summer. Fretting about how to stop the cycle causes Ruth increased stress, and only after a friend spots her scarred arms during a clothes shopping trip does Ruth begin to face her problem.
While there are no simple cures, she does find help from a school counselor who gets Ruth admitted to a home for teens with addictions. Overwhelmed and frightened (of the unknown and of her father's reaction), Ruth wants to back out at the last second, but doesn't. After four emotionally challenging weeks of counseling and support, Ruth finds the strength she needs to start over; though her journey will be tough, she's ready to let her inner and outer scars show so that her healing will be of the lasting sort.
As with each of the previous books in the TrueColors series, Melody Carlson addresses a frightening new trend with sensitivity while offering practical hope to hurting teens.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Would You Hurt Yourself?, April 24, 2006
This review is from: Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred (TrueColors Series #7) (Paperback)
Would you ever put yourself through pain when you already have enough of it in your life? Ruth Wallace, a sixteen year old girl, uses cutting as a way to deal with the pain of a dysfunctional family. She always wears long sleeve shirts even though it is summer, and her friends don't suspect anything at all. As her mother sits at home doing nothing, and her father yelling at her for every little thing she does, Ruth continues to cut herself. As she attempts to stop cutting she gets more afraid everyday that she won't be able to stop because of all the problems in her life. Will Ruth get the help she needs in time before this habit threatens her life? Will her family get better with the problems they are having? Do you think she'll stop cutting?
In this book I really liked that there was so many real life situations. The reasons I liked this was because the problems that Ruth has are all around us, and happens to some who are very unfortunate. It shows people signs of the problem like the one Ruth has. You could save someone's life by recognizing signs of cutting. I also like that the author added family difficulties to the book because those family problems are all around us as well. A thing in this book that I didn't really like was when the author was describing how Ruth was cutting herself. It made me really sick to my stomach to know that someone would do that to themselves. Sad but true, these situations happen and we have to deal with them.
I would recommend this book to teenage girls who want a book that they can't stop reading. I would also recommend it to a teenage girl who loves to read about real life situations. This book is an excellent read, and I really suggest that you read it!
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Caution: TMI?, January 8, 2009
This review is from: Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred (TrueColors Series #7) (Paperback)
My daughter had a problem last summer with cutting. She got the idea from youth group friends who were cutting and telling her about it. Then one of these friends recommended this Christian book. I never saw the book, but my daughter read it. Just yesterday my daughter thought to tell me that back then, she "got alot of information and ideas of how to cut" from this book. I just thought I would tell anyone thinking of getting the book for a daughter or son as a preventive, that it might not work that way. It may lead to a too-intimate knowledge and fascination with cutting, depending on the individual, of course. Just thought I would let you know of our experience.
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