Book+Rationale+-+Basgall


 * Alt Ed - Book Rationale **

Stereotypes, something that all high school students subconsciously have as labels for each other. In Alt Ed, Atkins takes us into the world behind the students' minds. She introduces us to the main character, Susan, who is struggling with her weight and so much more. By having this problem she has lost her voice and believes that she should feel pain, that she deserves this __pain__ as her punishment. Susan isn’t the only __character__ with issues, but __other__ characters within the book have their own individual problems as well. In order to not be expelled from the school for whatever problem this group of students did, they must meet with Mr. Duffey (high school counselor) in a camouflaged therapy/counseling group. The problems addressed __within the group__ deal __t__ with weight, sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, violence, physical abuse, pregnancy, and gay rights. With all of these problems come solutions __within the book__. The students are forced to work together to discuss their problems __as well as__ their point of views and opinions. By __sharing these various solutions and working as a team,__ the students develop a kind of understanding and also make friendships by the end __of the novel__. I __personally__ have never come across a book that fully talked about so many real __teenage__ issues and ways of dealing with them. It was refreshing to be able to follow these students’ lives and see how they handled certain situations, and in the end found a voice for themselves or finally stood up for something they believed in. Usually in books we hear about all __of__ the negative endings to such big problems that students might not find that there are ways of seeking help and healing. __This book is beneficial for a high school setting as students can relate to these characters or may be suffering through one of these issues and may feel that they have no one to speak to about their issues.__ With this book being present within middle school or high school curriculum, we may be not only educating our students but also hitting the few that really do struggle with these problems in their every day lives where they can relate and find an outlet/ solution for what they are dealing with.