Customer Reviews

Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred (TrueColors Series #7)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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!

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.

To say that Ruth doesn't have issues in an understatement. Her family is having problems. Her brother keeps running away from home. Her mother is depressed all the time. Her father is verbally abusive towards everyone in the family. Ruth is tired of putting up with all this, but feels that nothing she does can change it. The only thing that makes her feel better is when she cuts herself. The pain that comes from seeing her blood flow gives her a sense of calmness. But even Ruth knows that this wrong, but she can't seem to stop. She tries to hide it from others but someone wearing long sleeves in summer looks suspicious. It finally takes Ruth's admittance that cutting is an addiction that needs to be stopped for her to realize that she can do something to break the cycle that she's been living in.

This was one of the most difficult and painful teen fiction books I have ever read. It was so real, like I was reading an actual account of a teenage cutter. I wish that no one ever has to go through what Ruth did, but I know that there are so many kids who share the same experience. I could not stand Ruth's dad. I believe that verbal abuse is just as bad if not more so than physical abuse as inner scars are slower to heal. There is an explanation as to why he acted that way but I was glad that the story did not portray him unrealistically changing at the end of the book. It was horrifying to read about how Ruth would get a "high" from hurting herself in such a matter. Even worse because she would feel sometimes that she deserved it. I think that it was very sad that her extended family did not do anything to protect the kids from their abusive father. Ruth's recovery did not seem fake, in fact it only made it more realistic because it took her so long to accept help. Melody Carlson is gifted at bringing touchy subjects like this to life. The subjects in this series are difficult and not ones many Christians like to face. In fact, there are some who think that teens only face these kinds of issues because of a lack of faith. Thus, many teens especially those who are Christians find that they have no one to go to about their problems. This series shows readers what really happens out there, allowing for questions and advice about where to turn for help. I believe this is the first Christian book to mention cutting. There needs to be more books that talk about this subject as there are many people out there who need help.

Blade Silver is a great book about a girl named Ruth Anne Wallace and her troubles with herself and her family. Her dad's words are very abusive, Ruth's mother is very sick and her brother was tired of her dad's disrespectful words and ran away. Because of this she decides to cut herself to deal with her dad's hurtful words.
Ruth wears long sleeves to hide her new cuts and old scars. After her friend takes her shopping, she discovers Ruth's scars and tells her that she needs to get help for her addiction of cutting. Ruth goes to the school counselor. The counselor takes Ruth from her dad's custody and places her at and center to heal her cuts and stop her habit. Will Ruth Anne Wallace quit her addiction before it is too late?
I liked a lot about this book; it explained what many teenagers could be going through. Blade Silver is an inspirational and encouraging book that any teenagers, mostly girls would like.

I am so glad Carlson started writing teen literature. She has done miracles through her work. Thanks to her, we are seeing a refreshing vein in young adult Christian literature. There is now an alternative to the bland novels that Christian authors have written in the past for teens. Either we have the Lurlene McDaniel books where everybody dies, the perky Christy Miller series, or the historical fiction like Anne of Green Gables or Christy by Katherine Marshall which has little relevance for today's teen. I know that all of these have their audience, but what was missing was Christian fiction for today's teen. What teens seem to want these days is books about REAL problems they are facing daily in their schools: drugs, sexual pressure, and self-injury.

Carlson's books fill a much needed gap. I think her books could be enjoyed by Christians or non-Christians because it is real teens with real problems told in a non-judgmental way. Each character does use their faith to help them cope with a traumatic incident, but it is not done in a preachy way.

Blade Silver is part of the TrueColors series, with each book in a different color cover. The lead characters have all been girls, so far, and each book has been excellent. The voices of her characters are realistic and the voice is true to life.

In Blade Silver, Ruth has started cutting herself as a way to cope with the pain she is feeling. Her father verbally abuses her and her brother constantly. Her mother, also a victim, tried to kill herself and now lives in an almost catatonic state. Basically her mom sits in a bathrobe in her bedroom and sleeps all day, leaving Ruth and her brother to do all the chores and take the brunt of her husband's wrath. The reader follows Ruth as she starts to become more and more controlled by the urge to cut herself, at first only once a day and then finally three times a day. Ruth shows how a cutter thinks, wearing long sleeves to hide the slash marks, working in a detailed way to cut, stop the flow of blood, and clean up. I really like the descriptions Carlson gives of the pain Ruth is feeling inside:

"Like a drug, that warm feeling rises up in me, a sense that I have control again, that everything's going to be just fine. Then I watch the red ribbon of blood for just a split second before I press the toilet paper onto it. I breath deeply, and for the moment I am fine. Perfectly fine."

Ruth finally seeks help from a school counselor and ends up in a group home for girls like her. One of the counselors there ends up being a Christians, but these scenes are done in such a natural, non-preachy way that I don't think they would make anyone feel uncomfortable.

I encourage all young adult librarians to familiarize yourself with this series because they fly off the shelf at my library, and they booktalk great. I have also read Deep Blue: Color Me Lonely about a girl who is lonely when her best friend abandons her for a more popular crowd and Bright Purple: Color Me Confused, which deals with a character who learns her best friend is a lesbian. By the way, I wasn't sure if Carlson could pull off such a controversial topic without getting preachy, but she did. Thumbs up to Carlson!

Blade Silver is about a young girl, Ruth, who turns towards self-injury in an attempt to cope with life. Her father is verbally abusive towards the whole family, which caused her mother to break down and attempt suicide. Ruth hides her cutting by wearing long sleeves and somehow manages to keep it to herself for a number of months.

As a former cutter, I really enjoyed the book in the beginning. It does a very good job at expressing the emotions and feelings that one experiences in self-injurying: before the act, during, and after. Ruth is a realistic character who focuses on trying to keep everyone happy, including her hard-to-please father. As a fiction book, I was expecting it to be different... Many of the fiction books I have read on cutting don't seem real. But it's obvious that Carlson is a good writer with a great imagination. She was really able to pick up on Ruth's feelings, struggles, and resistance to help. The only part that I was not too fond of was the sudden appearance of God towards the end (I guess I just wasn't expecting it). I didn't feel it was very necessary. While it might provide hope for the religious, the non-religious addicts are left with nothing if they do not turn to God. I had really enjoyed the book up until that point.

However, I feel that this book is appropriate for most people: cutters, friends/family of cutters, and even just people who know nothing about self-injury (as long as no one tries to shove God in anyone's face... the book made it very clear that the only way to stop cutting was through God). I would definitely recommend this book.

Blade Silver by Melody Carlson is about a young girl named Ruth. Her father does not abuse her and her brother, Caleb, but his words abuse them any worse than physical abuse. Her mother is very sick and doesn't take up for her children. Ruth deals with the pain by cutting herself. No one knows she cuts herself, but for how long? She can't wear long sleeves all summer, can she? Her brother has run away from home after his father hit him. Ruth's best friend, Abby, and her crush, Glen, are getting suspicious. Ruth wants to tell them what she's doing to herself, but she doesn't think they will handle it very well. When Abby finally finds out, "I want to stop doing it, I really do" Ruth confesses to her best friend. Will Ruth ever tell Glen about her cutting? Can they help her heal her scars, mental and physical?
I think that Blade Silver is a great book for people that cut themselves or are thinking about cutting themselves or for anyone who just wants to read a good book. I don't think that very young children should read Blade Silver. Blade Silver is a book that can relate to almost anybody's life.

How can you understand the searing desire to open a vein unless you are one of the many who use SI as a coping method? For those uninitiated who wish to see into the mind of a cutter, Melody Carlson has crafted an amazing glance into one branch of SI.

Ruth Anne is a brilliant student, with a close group of friends, and a family that looks normal on the outside; however, once through the doors of her parent's ranch-style house it is revealed that her father is verbally abusive, her mother is more ghost than person, and Ruth and her brother Caleb are struggling to cope with the chaos their life has become.

As a former member of the SI community, I really enjoyed how clearly this book portrayed the emotions and thoughts that can go through a cutter's mind before, during, and after breaking skin. My single complaint with the book was the rather sudden appearance of God in the storyline; while I was aware of the fact that the book was classified as religious, I was still slightly disappointed by Carlson's need to get the message of God out as the only way to truly quit cutting.

However, I still believe that this book can be a wonderful resource for creating a bridge of understanding between a teenage cutter and their parents, and for giving all involved a sense of hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

As a recovering cutter myself, I must state that I find this book close to the target, yet not there. Yes, she discusses a good number of problems people who struggle with cutting have but here are my 3 largest issues with the book:
*Warning this contains triggering matterial*
1) most cutters choose to cut because they are afraid that if they DON'T they WILL commit suicide. Carlson implies that Ruth is wanting to "end it all" with the razor. Most cutters will only use cutting to relieve the pain.. if they die in an episode it is often an ACCIDENT. If they choose to try and kill them selves, they will often use a method outside of cutting.
2) All of a sudden the "God" aspect gets thrown in there. It's like "OH! This is supposed to be a Christian book.. let me pepper the last few chapters with God and we'll have it covered."
3) It is an unrealisic expectation for the ending. -Not only does she NOT go home (which would usually be the case), but she's done cutting after one inpatient thing. Let's be realisic here: Cutting IS an addiction. And REALLY who gets over their addictions in one big swoop? Most people struggle YEARS with this, and to imply that Ruth is all better.. and not going back to the home.. is just a fairy tale.