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Cut
From National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick, a new look for her debut novel, which THE BOSTON GLOBE called "Riveting and hopeful, sweet, heartbreaking."
A tingle arced across my scalp. The floor tipped up at me and my body spiraled away. Then I was on the ceiling looking down, waiting to see what would happen next.
Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside.
Now she's at Sea Pines, a "residential treatment facility" filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak.
But Callie can only stay silent for so long....
168 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2000
983 people are currently reading
51689 people want to read
About the author
Patricia McCormick
19books824followersPatricia McCormick is a journalist and writer. She graduated from Rosemont College in 1978, followed by an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1986 and an M.F.A. from New School University in 1999. Her first novel for teens was Cut, about a young woman who self-injures herself. This was followed by My Brother's Keeper in 2005, about a boy struggling with his brother's addiction and Sold in 2006. Her awards include the American Library Association Best Book of the Year, New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, and the Children's Literature Council's Choice.
She has written for The New York Times, Parents magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Ladies Home Journal, Town & Country, More, Reader's Digest, Mademoiselle, and other publications and has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an instructor of creative writing at the New School University. She lives in New York with two children, a husband, and two cats.
She has written for The New York Times, Parents magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Ladies Home Journal, Town & Country, More, Reader's Digest, Mademoiselle, and other publications and has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an instructor of creative writing at the New School University. She lives in New York with two children, a husband, and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,096 reviews
January 18, 2009
I actually read this book approximately two years ago, while I was undergoing the problem presented in this book. What I had hoped to find was perhaps a level of understanding, or just some -- any -- meaning. But in all honestly, I finished it about two hours later, consumed by irritation and aggravation at the injustice of this book on a scale of many different levels!
As I've stated, I am one of the people who has undergone the emotions and mentality in order to become so desensitised as to perform acts of self-mutilation. The main problem with this novel for myself was how I could not, no matter how hard I tried, connect with the main character. Honestly, she seemed ridiculous from the very beginning (I don't know why I didn't put the book down then, but I had hoped that maybe some sort of personality would shine through, just a little trace of it). She is stiff; a cardboard cut-out of a human being, with no real sense of personality of identity -- she is just the main character in which all these events revolve around, but it doesn't seem to actually affect her. (Do I make myself clear, or am I just rambling on?)
My main complaint is how short and vague this novel turned out to be. By the end of this short and flimsy book, one actually feels unsatisfied and disgusted (but maybe this is just me? I personally like depth into my stories...) And while, I suppose, this novel would be good for someone who wanted to get the gist of this (but why on earth would you only settle for the gist of it? Personally, I believe that this is quite a serious subject, and not one of those little silly teenage problems, so to speak. How can anyone take it so lightly in writing? It is unfair and unjust that such little effort and research has been put into this, and remarkable how it can turn into such a well-known novel!), it seems, to me, rather poorly researched and hardly believable.
McCormick could have done so much more to the story, such as a more in-depth character development, for one (and it seems to me that it should be something she should work on), and, if she were ever going to attempt another novel on issues similar to this on the future (see: drug/alcohol addiction, rape, etc.), perhaps she should do a bit more research instead of throwing together random facts and half-done characters into a weak plot and tossing it onto the shelves.
As I've stated, I am one of the people who has undergone the emotions and mentality in order to become so desensitised as to perform acts of self-mutilation. The main problem with this novel for myself was how I could not, no matter how hard I tried, connect with the main character. Honestly, she seemed ridiculous from the very beginning (I don't know why I didn't put the book down then, but I had hoped that maybe some sort of personality would shine through, just a little trace of it). She is stiff; a cardboard cut-out of a human being, with no real sense of personality of identity -- she is just the main character in which all these events revolve around, but it doesn't seem to actually affect her. (Do I make myself clear, or am I just rambling on?)
My main complaint is how short and vague this novel turned out to be. By the end of this short and flimsy book, one actually feels unsatisfied and disgusted (but maybe this is just me? I personally like depth into my stories...) And while, I suppose, this novel would be good for someone who wanted to get the gist of this (but why on earth would you only settle for the gist of it? Personally, I believe that this is quite a serious subject, and not one of those little silly teenage problems, so to speak. How can anyone take it so lightly in writing? It is unfair and unjust that such little effort and research has been put into this, and remarkable how it can turn into such a well-known novel!), it seems, to me, rather poorly researched and hardly believable.
McCormick could have done so much more to the story, such as a more in-depth character development, for one (and it seems to me that it should be something she should work on), and, if she were ever going to attempt another novel on issues similar to this on the future (see: drug/alcohol addiction, rape, etc.), perhaps she should do a bit more research instead of throwing together random facts and half-done characters into a weak plot and tossing it onto the shelves.
February 4, 2011
I'm going to skip over the summary of the story as many other reviewers have already taken care of that and explain my reasoning behind a single star rating.
First of all, I am a cutter (have been for 10 years and will always identify as such whether or not I'm actively self-injuring) who grew up with a neglectful mother who suffers from untreated bipolar disorder. In my opinion, based on my experiences and the reasons behind my cutting, I will say that a good 98% of this book is either a heavily glossed over version of what cutting and self-injury is really about or Patricia McCormick's complete inability to understand cutting despite a supposed three years of research.
Secondly, Callie's character had actual potential, which is possibly one of the saddest things about the whole disappointment we're calling a book. She's a runner, perfectionist, the oldest child with a perpetually sick sibling, neglected by both of her parents, the daughter of an alcoholic, and seems to suffer from a combination of trust issues and social anxiety. Potential. However, McCormick completely screwed all of that up by attempting to have Callie dissociate while cutting. Now, I'm not an expert on cutting or dissociation, I fully admit that, BUT in all the books on psychology I have ever read and in all the times I have self-injured, I have NEVER dissociated. Dissociation is something that occurs as a reaction to severe trauma, often repeated, prolonged trauma, which is something that Callie has never gone through. She does not suffer from any form of trauma or PTSD that would cause such an extreme reaction to hurting herself. In fact, as far as the reader is led to believe, her cutting is comparatively (to an extreme trauma victim's experiences at any rate) mild and her cutting doesn't last very long before she is sent to a hospital. This is quite possibly the worst part of how McCormick describes cutting. Of course, all self-injurers have different personalities and mindsets but to describe dissociation as McCormick does in the book, isn't even what real dissociation is and I think that's what makes me angriest. In those three years did she never look up an article or pick up a book about dissociation or dissociative identity disorders?
Thirdly, cutting is a much more intense experience than McCormick is able to describe. I related to Callie's feelings a good part of the time until it came to the parts I should relate to most strongly. I honestly don't think it's possible for anyone who has never intentionally hurt themselves for release from pain, stress, anxiety, etcetera, to understand the complexities of it. In the most simplest of descriptions, cutting is the result of such great pent-up emotions that the only way to release them, the only way to survive them, is to destroy yourself, remind yourself that because you can feel the pain means that you're alive and that to be able to feel pain you caused yourself gives you control over the pain others are causing you. It quickly becomes the most effective way that cutters know to deal with and accept what outside forces are instilling upon them. To reduce cutting to something so near-meaningless is an insult to sufferers of self-injury everywhere.
Finally, I do not recommend this book to people who are struggling with self-injury or friends and family of people who are in this situation. My advice is that whoever you are, if this is something happening now and you need help, find it. Seek counseling or therapy, seek out someone in this field who you feel comfortable with and trust. The most important thing for a cutter to do is to find someone they feel comfortable talking to. If you're not able to seek out professional help, utilize the internet. There are people willing to listen, I promise.
First of all, I am a cutter (have been for 10 years and will always identify as such whether or not I'm actively self-injuring) who grew up with a neglectful mother who suffers from untreated bipolar disorder. In my opinion, based on my experiences and the reasons behind my cutting, I will say that a good 98% of this book is either a heavily glossed over version of what cutting and self-injury is really about or Patricia McCormick's complete inability to understand cutting despite a supposed three years of research.
Secondly, Callie's character had actual potential, which is possibly one of the saddest things about the whole disappointment we're calling a book. She's a runner, perfectionist, the oldest child with a perpetually sick sibling, neglected by both of her parents, the daughter of an alcoholic, and seems to suffer from a combination of trust issues and social anxiety. Potential. However, McCormick completely screwed all of that up by attempting to have Callie dissociate while cutting. Now, I'm not an expert on cutting or dissociation, I fully admit that, BUT in all the books on psychology I have ever read and in all the times I have self-injured, I have NEVER dissociated. Dissociation is something that occurs as a reaction to severe trauma, often repeated, prolonged trauma, which is something that Callie has never gone through. She does not suffer from any form of trauma or PTSD that would cause such an extreme reaction to hurting herself. In fact, as far as the reader is led to believe, her cutting is comparatively (to an extreme trauma victim's experiences at any rate) mild and her cutting doesn't last very long before she is sent to a hospital. This is quite possibly the worst part of how McCormick describes cutting. Of course, all self-injurers have different personalities and mindsets but to describe dissociation as McCormick does in the book, isn't even what real dissociation is and I think that's what makes me angriest. In those three years did she never look up an article or pick up a book about dissociation or dissociative identity disorders?
Thirdly, cutting is a much more intense experience than McCormick is able to describe. I related to Callie's feelings a good part of the time until it came to the parts I should relate to most strongly. I honestly don't think it's possible for anyone who has never intentionally hurt themselves for release from pain, stress, anxiety, etcetera, to understand the complexities of it. In the most simplest of descriptions, cutting is the result of such great pent-up emotions that the only way to release them, the only way to survive them, is to destroy yourself, remind yourself that because you can feel the pain means that you're alive and that to be able to feel pain you caused yourself gives you control over the pain others are causing you. It quickly becomes the most effective way that cutters know to deal with and accept what outside forces are instilling upon them. To reduce cutting to something so near-meaningless is an insult to sufferers of self-injury everywhere.
Finally, I do not recommend this book to people who are struggling with self-injury or friends and family of people who are in this situation. My advice is that whoever you are, if this is something happening now and you need help, find it. Seek counseling or therapy, seek out someone in this field who you feel comfortable with and trust. The most important thing for a cutter to do is to find someone they feel comfortable talking to. If you're not able to seek out professional help, utilize the internet. There are people willing to listen, I promise.
February 6, 2014
You know, it's hard to review a book like this one. I bought this book while I was going through some tough situations and they recommended it to me, saying it would help me with my own cutting issues. And, I'm happy to say, it did.
This book was no Love story, it was no inspirational story, not a memoir, not dramatic. It was just real. I was incredibly surprised when I heard that the author has never self-harmed, I really was, it was like reading my own story. Callie is a cutter and she's interned in a rehabilitation center, and also she refuses to speak or try to get better. Until she realizes that she can't stay silent forever, and that maybe, just maybe she can get better.
The book is very short, it's only 160 pages long and it's pocket size. It isn't even Callie's full story, just the beginning of it. If you have troubles with self harm, it's a must read, it makes you realize you're not alone with your feelings, but most importantly, this book can help you take that first and most difficult step: It can help you understand that you are worth the recovery. And for the rest, this book is an insider, it'll make you understand why would someone go as far as to harm themselves, not to agree, but to understand.
The most amazing thing about the book is, like I mentioned before, that the author has never self harmed, it really is shocking, she captured everything perfectly. Cut is a simple, small book, with a story and emotions that are complicated, messy and painful. For me, this book became personal and like I said, no love story, no huge drama, and yet, it was life changing for me. I've been working hard on my recovery and this book has had a major role in it. I honestly hope that this book will inspire more people like myself.
This book was no Love story, it was no inspirational story, not a memoir, not dramatic. It was just real. I was incredibly surprised when I heard that the author has never self-harmed, I really was, it was like reading my own story. Callie is a cutter and she's interned in a rehabilitation center, and also she refuses to speak or try to get better. Until she realizes that she can't stay silent forever, and that maybe, just maybe she can get better.
The book is very short, it's only 160 pages long and it's pocket size. It isn't even Callie's full story, just the beginning of it. If you have troubles with self harm, it's a must read, it makes you realize you're not alone with your feelings, but most importantly, this book can help you take that first and most difficult step: It can help you understand that you are worth the recovery. And for the rest, this book is an insider, it'll make you understand why would someone go as far as to harm themselves, not to agree, but to understand.
The most amazing thing about the book is, like I mentioned before, that the author has never self harmed, it really is shocking, she captured everything perfectly. Cut is a simple, small book, with a story and emotions that are complicated, messy and painful. For me, this book became personal and like I said, no love story, no huge drama, and yet, it was life changing for me. I've been working hard on my recovery and this book has had a major role in it. I honestly hope that this book will inspire more people like myself.
April 5, 2020
4.5 stars
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - quote (and lately a popular Internet meme) that is variously attributed to Plato, Philo of Alexandria, and/or Ian McLaren
After finishing McCormick's novella Cut I inwardly debated whether it took some inspiration from Kayser's Girl, Interrupted, Anderson's Speak, and the 'anonymous' teen chestnut Go Ask Alice or if it just shamelessly / derivatively cherry-picked the gut-punch aspects of those works. I'm not sure, though it doesn't really matter. Also, GR reviews / ratings seem to indicate that readers generally either really liked or strongly disliked this story. (Said dislike seems to originate often from the succinct writing style or the reader's personal experiences with the subject matter of cutting.) I really don't know how accurate it is from a 'in real life' perspective, but it is a work of fiction, so the author has free reign to create and style her work as she wants, plausible or not. (Thanks, Captain Obvious.)
Cut is told in first-person narration by Callie, a sad young teenager away at the Sea Pines treatment facility, jokingly nicknamed 'Sick Minds' by her fellow similar-age patients. As the title suggest, she was admitted by her worried parents regarding a cutting issue, in which she intentionally causes minor physical self-harm. Initially a little uncomfortable with her new surroundings and unsure of the other young ladies in her therapy group, she remains quiet and is referred to as "S.T.," for Silent Treatment. (Also of minor note - it would appear the time setting is the early 90's, as cell-phones, Internet, and other present-day technology are noticeably absent from the proceedings, plus the Dunkin' Donuts described in one scene has the 20th century layout with the counter and stools.)
A breakthrough of sorts arrives at about a third of the way into the narrative, when Callie finally begins speaking to the unnamed but well-meaning staff therapist. (Callie would dutifully attend her scheduled one-on-one appointments, but remained silent out of fear and confusion.) It was not a particularly showy or demonstrative moment, but still extremely effective to provide a 'right in the feels' reaction. From there Callie seems to try a little harder in making progress with her mental health, but interestingly - or infuriatingly, to some - there are details about her background that are left unwritten, and then the story ends without a firm note of resolution. Still, I thought it was an illuminating and occasionally powerful little story that drives home the point of that opening quote.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - quote (and lately a popular Internet meme) that is variously attributed to Plato, Philo of Alexandria, and/or Ian McLaren
After finishing McCormick's novella Cut I inwardly debated whether it took some inspiration from Kayser's Girl, Interrupted, Anderson's Speak, and the 'anonymous' teen chestnut Go Ask Alice or if it just shamelessly / derivatively cherry-picked the gut-punch aspects of those works. I'm not sure, though it doesn't really matter. Also, GR reviews / ratings seem to indicate that readers generally either really liked or strongly disliked this story. (Said dislike seems to originate often from the succinct writing style or the reader's personal experiences with the subject matter of cutting.) I really don't know how accurate it is from a 'in real life' perspective, but it is a work of fiction, so the author has free reign to create and style her work as she wants, plausible or not. (Thanks, Captain Obvious.)
Cut is told in first-person narration by Callie, a sad young teenager away at the Sea Pines treatment facility, jokingly nicknamed 'Sick Minds' by her fellow similar-age patients. As the title suggest, she was admitted by her worried parents regarding a cutting issue, in which she intentionally causes minor physical self-harm. Initially a little uncomfortable with her new surroundings and unsure of the other young ladies in her therapy group, she remains quiet and is referred to as "S.T.," for Silent Treatment. (Also of minor note - it would appear the time setting is the early 90's, as cell-phones, Internet, and other present-day technology are noticeably absent from the proceedings, plus the Dunkin' Donuts described in one scene has the 20th century layout with the counter and stools.)
A breakthrough of sorts arrives at about a third of the way into the narrative, when Callie finally begins speaking to the unnamed but well-meaning staff therapist. (Callie would dutifully attend her scheduled one-on-one appointments, but remained silent out of fear and confusion.) It was not a particularly showy or demonstrative moment, but still extremely effective to provide a 'right in the feels' reaction. From there Callie seems to try a little harder in making progress with her mental health, but interestingly - or infuriatingly, to some - there are details about her background that are left unwritten, and then the story ends without a firm note of resolution. Still, I thought it was an illuminating and occasionally powerful little story that drives home the point of that opening quote.
March 14, 2015
I read that the author researched for 3 years before writing this book. Now is that violating GR's terms since I mentioned the author? Heck it's to the point where I don't know how to review a book anymore. I guess since I'm giving it 2 stars (which is not horrible) it's ok? If she did I just don't get it. The characters completely felt lifeless to me.
Maybe if the book was longer? I've read shorter books though that got their point across better. It's a sensitive subject that's handled here and I have a very close friend who experienced the same problem. It just seems that cutting isn't really delved into in this book.
Ok, so I'm going to run hide now because I cringe now every time I review a book.
Maybe if the book was longer? I've read shorter books though that got their point across better. It's a sensitive subject that's handled here and I have a very close friend who experienced the same problem. It just seems that cutting isn't really delved into in this book.
Ok, so I'm going to run hide now because I cringe now every time I review a book.
November 17, 2012
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
CUT is an amazing first novel by Patricia McCormick that offers a glimpse inside the mind of a 15-year-old girl who cuts herself. For Callie, life just became too complicated. The solution lay right in front of her. One tiny cut. A bubble of red. And yes, pain. Then, escape.
Callie now resides at Sea Pines with several other girls seeking treatment for a myriad of other disorders. She goes to group share time, hooks her sleeves over her thumbs, and hides behind her hair. She sees her counselor twice a day and counts the stripes on the wallpaper. But Callie doesn't share. With anyone. Not even when her mother and little brother visit.
Callie can't bring herself to speak. Instead she watches, and listens. She knows everything about her group mates. But they know nothing about this girl who won't talk. Then, when Amanda joins the group and brazenly flaunts her own scars, it becomes more difficult for Callie to remain silent. And as she begins to speak, she slowly finds she doesn't want to keep it all inside. She wants to get better.
Callie is a bright girl that the reader will easily identify with. You'll care for her the same way she cares about the others at Sea Pines. And you'll be amazed when you find out what started it all; that it's an entire family in pain, not just Callie. She'll make you cry, and make you laugh some, and in the end you'll feel so proud of her progress.
Cutting is a very real issue for teens. Many, like Callie, don't even know themselves why they do it. CUT is an honest look at how cutting can consume a young person. If you know someone who cuts, share this book with them. Let them know they can find help. They can stop. This is a gusty novel that you won't want to put down until you're sure Callie is safe.
CUT is an amazing first novel by Patricia McCormick that offers a glimpse inside the mind of a 15-year-old girl who cuts herself. For Callie, life just became too complicated. The solution lay right in front of her. One tiny cut. A bubble of red. And yes, pain. Then, escape.
Callie now resides at Sea Pines with several other girls seeking treatment for a myriad of other disorders. She goes to group share time, hooks her sleeves over her thumbs, and hides behind her hair. She sees her counselor twice a day and counts the stripes on the wallpaper. But Callie doesn't share. With anyone. Not even when her mother and little brother visit.
Callie can't bring herself to speak. Instead she watches, and listens. She knows everything about her group mates. But they know nothing about this girl who won't talk. Then, when Amanda joins the group and brazenly flaunts her own scars, it becomes more difficult for Callie to remain silent. And as she begins to speak, she slowly finds she doesn't want to keep it all inside. She wants to get better.
Callie is a bright girl that the reader will easily identify with. You'll care for her the same way she cares about the others at Sea Pines. And you'll be amazed when you find out what started it all; that it's an entire family in pain, not just Callie. She'll make you cry, and make you laugh some, and in the end you'll feel so proud of her progress.
Cutting is a very real issue for teens. Many, like Callie, don't even know themselves why they do it. CUT is an honest look at how cutting can consume a young person. If you know someone who cuts, share this book with them. Let them know they can find help. They can stop. This is a gusty novel that you won't want to put down until you're sure Callie is safe.
May 1, 2020
I find it very strange that Patricia McCormick spent three years of her life doing research for a 151-page book that really had no detail, description, story line, or character development of any kind.
Callie is a fifteen year-old cutter who is a patient at Sea Pines, but half of the time I was reading I forgot that she was in treatment for cutting because most of the book is centered around her social inabilities. It's never really explained why she cuts, how it started, or how she feels about it. It's like the author didn't want to give readers any ideas by going into too much detail. It was just weird, like Callie didn't even really know what cutting was, just something she did every now and again. But for no particular reason. And it didn't even seem to make her feel better! Or whatever emotions one experiences after self-mutilation. She goes to therapy everyday and tells vague stories about her life that really don't seem to totally relate to her problem.
The book ends with Callie coming to some sort of realization and "going down to [her therapist's] office first thing in the morning and tell[ing her] everything." That was literally the last line. It was a huge cop out! What's "everything"? What's the point of this story? What did Patricia McCormick do for three years while she was supposedly researching?
I find self harm to be one of the most complex and difficult to understand of mental health issues. So. You can't really write a simple book about it.
Callie is a fifteen year-old cutter who is a patient at Sea Pines, but half of the time I was reading I forgot that she was in treatment for cutting because most of the book is centered around her social inabilities. It's never really explained why she cuts, how it started, or how she feels about it. It's like the author didn't want to give readers any ideas by going into too much detail. It was just weird, like Callie didn't even really know what cutting was, just something she did every now and again. But for no particular reason. And it didn't even seem to make her feel better! Or whatever emotions one experiences after self-mutilation. She goes to therapy everyday and tells vague stories about her life that really don't seem to totally relate to her problem.
The book ends with Callie coming to some sort of realization and "going down to [her therapist's] office first thing in the morning and tell[ing her] everything." That was literally the last line. It was a huge cop out! What's "everything"? What's the point of this story? What did Patricia McCormick do for three years while she was supposedly researching?
I find self harm to be one of the most complex and difficult to understand of mental health issues. So. You can't really write a simple book about it.
September 10, 2007
I remember reading this book when I was eleven or so, and I found it really interesting. The way it's written [the main character speaks in a way that she addresses You yourself, as if you're her counselor] sort of just sucks you in, and you sort of find yourself in Callie's head, seeing things the way she sees them.
I read this book back when I was a normal little kid, too. The subject matter didn't really bother me then I guess, because it's really, really a fascinating book.
I read this book back when I was a normal little kid, too. The subject matter didn't really bother me then I guess, because it's really, really a fascinating book.
June 10, 2008
We all get depressed every now and then in our lives and to cure ourselves is a good laugh. But could you picture yourself becoming seriously depressed and your only relief is to self mutilate? Patricia McCormick, the author of "Cut", can. This book is written in the first-hand account of the author. Patricia describes growing up as an empty teen with many hardships and her only escape is to hold a blade against her skin and cut. To think that her troubles would stop there, she's sent to Sea Pines or what she calls "Sick Minds", an institution for depressed and troubled teens like herself.
McCormick describes her life as a "cutter" and life in a mental hospital. You may ask yourself "How did she get this way?" Unlike the majority of her peers in school, her family values were crushed. After school, she went home to an empty, broken home. A home in which nobody is there to hear her cry out after a long frustrating day in school. Her mother works long, exhausting hours just to make ends meet. While her peers go home to both parents, a mother and a father, who listens to their needs. Knowing that she lacks a stable family, she results to cutting and is then sent to Sea Pines Hospital.
At Sea Pines, the author is confined in a small hospital room and she goes to group therapy where she talks to other teen patients that are there due to their own personal problems such as anorexia, bulimia, and drug abuse. Listening to these people's personal problems, causes her to have the powerful urge to cut. For McCormick and other cutters, it's an addiction.
While receiving help, she learns that cutting is a dangerous and stressful way to vent her anger and frustration. That's why Patricia McCormick wrote the book "Cut" to encourage teens that are in the same situation to stop and seek help.
McCormick describes her life as a "cutter" and life in a mental hospital. You may ask yourself "How did she get this way?" Unlike the majority of her peers in school, her family values were crushed. After school, she went home to an empty, broken home. A home in which nobody is there to hear her cry out after a long frustrating day in school. Her mother works long, exhausting hours just to make ends meet. While her peers go home to both parents, a mother and a father, who listens to their needs. Knowing that she lacks a stable family, she results to cutting and is then sent to Sea Pines Hospital.
At Sea Pines, the author is confined in a small hospital room and she goes to group therapy where she talks to other teen patients that are there due to their own personal problems such as anorexia, bulimia, and drug abuse. Listening to these people's personal problems, causes her to have the powerful urge to cut. For McCormick and other cutters, it's an addiction.
While receiving help, she learns that cutting is a dangerous and stressful way to vent her anger and frustration. That's why Patricia McCormick wrote the book "Cut" to encourage teens that are in the same situation to stop and seek help.
August 22, 2017
I waited the entire book for some big twist. Callie is in a treatment facility because she is lost in her own depression and anxiety to the point that she's completely mute and self harms. The whole time I'm waiting to hear the details of why and how she's fallen into this pit of despair. What horrible traumatic event did she go through? Was she attacked? Abused? Had some horrible accident? Survivors guilt? What? Then you find out that it's because... . That's simplifying it a bit but seriously. Break it down and that's what you get.
June 12, 2022
حرف زدن درباره� برام سخته و سخت خواهد بود. با این جمله داستان رو هَم میارم؛
درد را باید با تمام وجود احساس کرد.
(خطای ستارگان بخت ما - جان گرین)
درد را باید با تمام وجود احساس کرد.
(خطای ستارگان بخت ما - جان گرین)
April 14, 2017
Your typical “what not to do� warning story.
I honestly don't know if it's necessary to say more, but I'll try. This is yet another poorly-researched book that doesn't try to be anything more than an issues book. It shows some teenagers who have done something wrong, sensationalizes that bad thing, and tells you not to do that thing.
Never does it try for character work, development, or even a sensible plot. The main character is unforgivably flat. In such a book, we need to see why the main character is cutting. What about the protagonist led her to this fate? Frankly, without development, this book veers on the side of offensive drivel.
I honestly don't know if it's necessary to say more, but I'll try. This is yet another poorly-researched book that doesn't try to be anything more than an issues book. It shows some teenagers who have done something wrong, sensationalizes that bad thing, and tells you not to do that thing.
Never does it try for character work, development, or even a sensible plot. The main character is unforgivably flat. In such a book, we need to see why the main character is cutting. What about the protagonist led her to this fate? Frankly, without development, this book veers on the side of offensive drivel.
March 28, 2009
Wow - this book is such a package for being such a short read. The main protaginist is Callie - a fifteen year old girl who suffers from an addiction that makes her cut herself. The story focuses on the time she spends at the Sea Pines (Sick Minds) Treatment Center and how she recovers from her problem.
As someone who knows what it feels like to experience this type of self-injury, this book really hindered my ability to really enjoy the book for what it's worth. I would give the book a 3.5, or some score that was over three but below four, however, because the site doesn't allow it I'll have to settle at three. One thing is that this book really doesn't portray the actual cutting too well, but, it does provide for a very emotionally touching story.
As someone who knows what it feels like to experience this type of self-injury, this book really hindered my ability to really enjoy the book for what it's worth. I would give the book a 3.5, or some score that was over three but below four, however, because the site doesn't allow it I'll have to settle at three. One thing is that this book really doesn't portray the actual cutting too well, but, it does provide for a very emotionally touching story.
September 2, 2012
I just finished reading this about 10 minutes ago, and I wanted to get this review written while my emotions were still fresh. I have to admit though, it's kind of hard to have many emotions with this book. I picked it up at The Goodwill after a friend told me she read it and liked it. It's a pretty short read, so I picked it up. Sometimes the shortest books are the most delightful reads. This one however, wasn't. It's a story about this girl named Callie, who has some kind of connection with running...although the author never really touches up on it. She is in a mental institution called "Sea Pines" which all the girls call "Sick Minds" instead. Callie is a cutter. She doesn't cut herself because she feels she has to, or to release any kind of pain, it's just something she does every now and then. Her little brother has asthma and it sick a lot, so she doesn't do much with her family, because her mom, dad, and Sam are always busy being careful that Sam is okay. When she flashes back to memories before she was in "Sick Minds" she basically just talks about how she'd always have to be quiet when Sam and her mom were resting, and her dad wasn't around much. I don't really see why she would start cutting because of that. The whole book is her narrating this inner diary to her psychologist. Also, while she is at this place, she doesn't talk. She just completely gave up speaking altogether, but I don't understand WHY. At one point, her psychologists brings up her dad, and Callie didn't want to talk about him. This part of the story was a bit of a mystery, and I was holding out hope that it would go more into depth and the story would finally have some purpose. Maybe her dad has abused her, or was cheating on her mother, or had something BIG going on that affected Callie. Instead, we find out that one day the dad was supposed to be watching Sam, and he instead was at some bar, so Callie was watching him. He had his first asthma attack and Callie gave him CPR. Sam lived, and he was okay after that. I suppose that was the incident that made Callie start cutting. She thought Sam being sick was all her fault. Again...this doesn't really seem like a deep enough issue to harm herself over. Her parents never held her responsible, her brother didn't either. I have to be honest and say that I think Callie was just an attention-craver. She cut herself, but she didn't need to, she just did it sometimes. Also, after she stopped speaking for no real reason, she just magically starts yapping again. It didn't really make sense to me. The other girls in the book (she also narrates their day to day lives as well) are serious cutters, or girls with eating disorders, or one girl who is way overweight. They have serious issues while Callie just decided not to talk and felt the need to cut herself every now and then. She had no deep rooted home problems or any mental problems that were rooted as a child. I just don't like how she seemed completely normal but the author was trying to make her out to be such a basket case. Also, randomly and out of nowhere, there are two occurrences where she feels the room move, or shift, or something out of the ordinary but it never leads anywhere. Where are THOSE hallucinations coming from? The whole thing just made me mad. It was an okay story as far as details. I liked Callie narrating what other girls were doing and how they felt, I'm a big fan of detailed writing. But I can't help but wish this same book was written with one of the other girls at "Sick Minds" as the main character, and maybe by a different author as well. The story had potential to be really deep, but it lacked in my opinion. If the plot had been in another writers hands, maybe it could have been more believable. Maybe if Sam had died or Callie had started seeing his ghost or something totally crazy happened like that, it would have made much more sense for her to be at the institution. The back of the book said the story was part psychological mystery and I just couldn't disagree more. It also compared this book to "Speak" which I read earlier this year. I think it's an insult to compare this book to Speak because Speak was a very deep and meaningful book, the main character was raped and dealing with inner demons throughout the entire book. She has real issues whereas Callie just felt like everyone blamed her and boo-hoo she cut every once in a while for no real reason. The one night she did cut deep enough to scare herself, she immediately went to find help. She didn't cut to find a release, she didn't want to feel the pain, she had no idea what she was doing and it just made her look ridiculous. I know after the fairly harsh review I gave, it seems like I really don't like Callie...but that's not it. I really like how she cared about the other girls, and there are certain things about her that I think would make great characteristics in a book...but this was not the right kind for a person like Callie. A different storyline would have suited her much better. She is not the mental-cutting-psycho that she is trying to be perceived as. Just my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2017
I had heard a lot about this book before I read it, even before I had heard of booktube/goodreads and equivalent sites. One half of my dual major is psychology, so I was hoping for a good explanation on the mental health topics covered in it; also coming from a perspective of going through some of the things in this book as well, and I wanted a book to relate to in some way shape or form. I heard about some of the author's statements on why she wrote them, but since I heard so much about this small volume, I decided to overlook it.
And BOY... do I wish I hadn't made that choice. The thing is, what happens in this book? Cause I am damn sure I must have missed something somehow because this small volume packed zero punch, just a whole lot of words and the ability to waste my time.No characters grew, it was about a recovery center with no recoveries and seemingly barely any good, consistent help for the characters. On the topic of the characters,they were forgettable. I'd say that is the last thing you want to hear about book characters, especially ones meant to have any sort of impact on the reader. There was potential, that was not utilized and I can leave it at that... like wishing I left this book back on the shelf.
And BOY... do I wish I hadn't made that choice. The thing is, what happens in this book? Cause I am damn sure I must have missed something somehow because this small volume packed zero punch, just a whole lot of words and the ability to waste my time.No characters grew, it was about a recovery center with no recoveries and seemingly barely any good, consistent help for the characters. On the topic of the characters,they were forgettable. I'd say that is the last thing you want to hear about book characters, especially ones meant to have any sort of impact on the reader. There was potential, that was not utilized and I can leave it at that... like wishing I left this book back on the shelf.
December 28, 2020
کالی خودش را میبرد آن قدر عمیق که درد را احساس کند! آن قدر عمیق که درد را احساس کند! آن قدر عمیق که درد را احساس کند!
و آن قدر عمیق که من در حال خواندم کتاب های های برای کالی اشک بریزم،. آن قدر عمیق که تمام آسیب های روانی خودم رو از اول به یاد بیارم و یادم بیفته که چرا رفتم روانکاوی! و آن قدر عمیق که من دوباره با روانکاوم تماس بگیرم تا روان درمانی خودم رو ادامه بدم...
و خلاصه آنقدر عمیق که تمام آسیب های اجتماعیتو� یادتون بیاد و اگر مثل من با همسرتون راجع به کتاب صحبت کنید کمی نگرانتون بشه که نکنه زخم های روی ران پاتون واقعا از پنجه گربه نباشه اون هم دل خانه ای که ۵ تا گربه در آن زندگی میکنند!🤷♀️🤷♀️🤦🏼♀�
و آن قدر عمیق که من در حال خواندم کتاب های های برای کالی اشک بریزم،. آن قدر عمیق که تمام آسیب های روانی خودم رو از اول به یاد بیارم و یادم بیفته که چرا رفتم روانکاوی! و آن قدر عمیق که من دوباره با روانکاوم تماس بگیرم تا روان درمانی خودم رو ادامه بدم...
و خلاصه آنقدر عمیق که تمام آسیب های اجتماعیتو� یادتون بیاد و اگر مثل من با همسرتون راجع به کتاب صحبت کنید کمی نگرانتون بشه که نکنه زخم های روی ران پاتون واقعا از پنجه گربه نباشه اون هم دل خانه ای که ۵ تا گربه در آن زندگی میکنند!🤷♀️🤷♀️🤦🏼♀�
Read
November 25, 2008This book is obviously called "Cut."
if you like drama and detailed writing, this is the book for you! I do not recomend it to younger viewers. It is about a girl who cuts her wrists to replace her emotional pain with physical pain. She also never talks. After her mom found out she was cutting her wrists, she was sent to a place for people who are, Physicaly hurting themselves, Anorexic and other illnesses. After a month or two she finds ways to cut herself while she is there... And she begins to talk a little. This book is awesome!
if you like drama and detailed writing, this is the book for you! I do not recomend it to younger viewers. It is about a girl who cuts her wrists to replace her emotional pain with physical pain. She also never talks. After her mom found out she was cutting her wrists, she was sent to a place for people who are, Physicaly hurting themselves, Anorexic and other illnesses. After a month or two she finds ways to cut herself while she is there... And she begins to talk a little. This book is awesome!
March 30, 2020
Surprised to find 15 years later that this book was actually worthy of the comparison to Speak. Me performing parts of it as a dramatic interpretation for speech and debate remains a poor decision.
December 2, 2015
When I read this I was looking forward to reading a character where I could relate to about cutting. And I wish I never had to because I was sooooo disappointed. I didn't even finish this book. It was that bad.
I have nothing against the author or anything. Her writing style is okay but her characters bored me and I hated the main. I never met a character who doesn't even have a purpose when she cuts herself. Who does that? I mean, I tried really hard to understand her but she just drove me crazy and I wanted to throw the book (that I borrowed from a friend) and step on it with muddy shoes and I wanted to tie it with a brick and throw it away in a muddy dump. No offense. And I'm the type of person who tries to see the good things in people but with her, I can't even remember her name (Good riddance!), I just couldn't see it.
So... To my friend, who recommended this book for me, you can have it back. Sorry if I accidentally ripped a page, I got so angry at the book I didn't even know I was doing it.
Oh and these are my opinions. Hate me all you want but I just didn't like it. And I'm not sorry for that. Happy reading!
I have nothing against the author or anything. Her writing style is okay but her characters bored me and I hated the main. I never met a character who doesn't even have a purpose when she cuts herself. Who does that? I mean, I tried really hard to understand her but she just drove me crazy and I wanted to throw the book (that I borrowed from a friend) and step on it with muddy shoes and I wanted to tie it with a brick and throw it away in a muddy dump. No offense. And I'm the type of person who tries to see the good things in people but with her, I can't even remember her name (Good riddance!), I just couldn't see it.
So... To my friend, who recommended this book for me, you can have it back. Sorry if I accidentally ripped a page, I got so angry at the book I didn't even know I was doing it.
Oh and these are my opinions. Hate me all you want but I just didn't like it. And I'm not sorry for that. Happy reading!
June 6, 2007
A girl cuts herself and ends up in this clinic. She stays quiet for along time and the people from the clinic tries to kick her because they say she doesnt have insurance money but the girl thinks because she does not talk to no one. Then she cuts herself badly and goes to her counclier and finally starts talking to her counclier. She stats talking with her group, then she ran out the door she ran so far she got lost and dad gets called from her than she has to decide either she wants to stay were she is at or come home. Chooses to go back to the clinic. I learned that sometimes when lifes not going good and that when you talk to people about your problems helps more than keeping it inside you still have to strive for the best set your goals so you can become better than what you are.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2015
I can really relate to calli, the main character in the book. She is fighting a mental illness and so do I !
It's like this book was about me, besides the cutting, this book was pretty good!
It's like this book was about me, besides the cutting, this book was pretty good!
February 20, 2024
There is a lot more emotions packed into this than I would have expected for less than 200 pages.
I enjoyed the inner monologue presentation and how the MCs mind was shown wandering during conversations.
Very realistic.
I was also very fond of how the author presented tiny pieces of the whole story so we learn most of it at the same time as everyone else.
Very well done!
I enjoyed the inner monologue presentation and how the MCs mind was shown wandering during conversations.
Very realistic.
I was also very fond of how the author presented tiny pieces of the whole story so we learn most of it at the same time as everyone else.
Very well done!
May 19, 2010
Cut
By: Patricia McCormick
Published in 2002
Publisher: Push
Classification: Young Adult fiction
This book Cut has a interesting story line. In the book you saw just how kids with "problems" are like.
Cut is about a 13 year old girl named Callie, who likes to cut herself. Never to deep, but just enough for her to feel the pain. Callie's parents sent her to a residential treatment facility to try to get her to stop cutting herself. The only problem is that Callie won't talk. Not until another girl checks in who also likes cutting herself, but this time in a different way.
The other girls at the treatment facility are, Amanda, Becca, Tara, Debbie, Sydney and Tiffany. Amanda the new girl cuts herself in a different way. Instead of just slitting her wrist like Callie does. Amanda gives her self tattoos, and after Callie has seen them she wanted to stop cutting herself. Becca, Tara, and Debbie all have eating problems. Becca is anorexic and bulimic. Even though she's at the treatment facility Becca refuses to get help. Like Becca, Tara is also anorexic and is bulimic, but unlike Becca, Tara wants to get help. In the book Tara helps Callie, and becomes good friends with her. Debbie on the other hand is the complete opposite of Becca and Tara. Debbie is a compulsive eater, and she is very over weight. In the book Debbie feels that she has to take care of Becca. Sydney, Callie's best friend there has a drug problem. She get addicted to any drug she has tried. Tiffany went to the treatment facility a.k.a Sick Minds, because she had a huge temper. Tiffany went to Sick Minds instead of going to jail. In my opinion, these characters were well written, and easy to follow. I also believe that Patricia McCormick wrote this book to help educate people about these kinds or characters, as well as just writing for the sake of writing. On the authors note it says that Patricia McCormick spent a few years gathering research for this book and for the characters. I actually quite liked this book because I thought the storyline was good, I also liked how the book was written so it felt like you were reading a letter to someone. Over all I enjoyed this book.
By: Patricia McCormick
Published in 2002
Publisher: Push
Classification: Young Adult fiction
This book Cut has a interesting story line. In the book you saw just how kids with "problems" are like.
Cut is about a 13 year old girl named Callie, who likes to cut herself. Never to deep, but just enough for her to feel the pain. Callie's parents sent her to a residential treatment facility to try to get her to stop cutting herself. The only problem is that Callie won't talk. Not until another girl checks in who also likes cutting herself, but this time in a different way.
The other girls at the treatment facility are, Amanda, Becca, Tara, Debbie, Sydney and Tiffany. Amanda the new girl cuts herself in a different way. Instead of just slitting her wrist like Callie does. Amanda gives her self tattoos, and after Callie has seen them she wanted to stop cutting herself. Becca, Tara, and Debbie all have eating problems. Becca is anorexic and bulimic. Even though she's at the treatment facility Becca refuses to get help. Like Becca, Tara is also anorexic and is bulimic, but unlike Becca, Tara wants to get help. In the book Tara helps Callie, and becomes good friends with her. Debbie on the other hand is the complete opposite of Becca and Tara. Debbie is a compulsive eater, and she is very over weight. In the book Debbie feels that she has to take care of Becca. Sydney, Callie's best friend there has a drug problem. She get addicted to any drug she has tried. Tiffany went to the treatment facility a.k.a Sick Minds, because she had a huge temper. Tiffany went to Sick Minds instead of going to jail. In my opinion, these characters were well written, and easy to follow. I also believe that Patricia McCormick wrote this book to help educate people about these kinds or characters, as well as just writing for the sake of writing. On the authors note it says that Patricia McCormick spent a few years gathering research for this book and for the characters. I actually quite liked this book because I thought the storyline was good, I also liked how the book was written so it felt like you were reading a letter to someone. Over all I enjoyed this book.
November 22, 2015
What a great book. I have read a lot of mental illness books this year and this one was something I could totally relate to. Which allowed me to be invested in Callie's story and her recovery.
Callie is a cutter. She blames herself for her parents distance. For her mom being a nervous wreak, for her brother being sick. Callie has no way of expressing her fear, her sadness and anger and so she cuts herself. To numb the pain. I may not have been a cutter but I was a pincher. I would pinch the inside of my arm when I was really sad or stressed out. Almost obsessed with the bruises. Wanting more to color the inside of my arm. This display of self hurt reflected the pain I felt on the inside.
In the book Callie is placed in a hospital for teens with behavioral issues. Eating disorders, Drug addicts, etc. Callie didn't speak for most of the time she was there. She was scared to talk, scared people would be mad at her. I related a lot to that. If you don't say anything you can't get in trouble.
The book is just about Callie and her life at the hospital, the other girls that are there and Callie's road to recovery. To know that it isn't her fault and to be okay with not taking the blame. To also be okay with not being fine. That is important. It is okay to not have the answers, to not know how you are feeling. It's okay to say I don't know.
The book is super short, but very powerful. I really liked the ending. It showed definite progress in the right direction. It made me teary eyed.
Callie is a cutter. She blames herself for her parents distance. For her mom being a nervous wreak, for her brother being sick. Callie has no way of expressing her fear, her sadness and anger and so she cuts herself. To numb the pain. I may not have been a cutter but I was a pincher. I would pinch the inside of my arm when I was really sad or stressed out. Almost obsessed with the bruises. Wanting more to color the inside of my arm. This display of self hurt reflected the pain I felt on the inside.
In the book Callie is placed in a hospital for teens with behavioral issues. Eating disorders, Drug addicts, etc. Callie didn't speak for most of the time she was there. She was scared to talk, scared people would be mad at her. I related a lot to that. If you don't say anything you can't get in trouble.
The book is just about Callie and her life at the hospital, the other girls that are there and Callie's road to recovery. To know that it isn't her fault and to be okay with not taking the blame. To also be okay with not being fine. That is important. It is okay to not have the answers, to not know how you are feeling. It's okay to say I don't know.
The book is super short, but very powerful. I really liked the ending. It showed definite progress in the right direction. It made me teary eyed.
May 31, 2011
Books like this are often read by people who are suffering from the same pain as the main character and maybe in some cases it is comforting or cathartic to read about a similar situation. But even if that is the case I still think it's difficult to identify with the main character. Callie has some problems with depression, granted. But she is attention-seeking in her silent-treatment behavior and the progress she makes in the facility sounds superficial.
But I may be too close to the issue to judge this book without bias. I used to work in a residential facility and work with girls who cut themselves as a coping mechanism. Their background stories are so much more genuine and heart-wrenching and this book certainly pales in comparison.
Overall, Callie is annoying and her development and progress is made through choppy jumps that often lacked a strong, fluid connection. I think some young, teen girls would enjoy this book, especially if they consider themselves alternative or are particularly interested in mental issues but I wouldn't really recommend this book very highly.
But I may be too close to the issue to judge this book without bias. I used to work in a residential facility and work with girls who cut themselves as a coping mechanism. Their background stories are so much more genuine and heart-wrenching and this book certainly pales in comparison.
Overall, Callie is annoying and her development and progress is made through choppy jumps that often lacked a strong, fluid connection. I think some young, teen girls would enjoy this book, especially if they consider themselves alternative or are particularly interested in mental issues but I wouldn't really recommend this book very highly.
January 21, 2022
Grade: B
Callie doesn't speak. Not to her roommate. Not to the other girls in the treatment center. Not to her doctor. Not even to her beloved little brother. She doesn't know why she can't talk any more and she doesn't know why she cuts herself. But if she's going to start feeling better, she'll have to start trusting those who can help her figure out how.
Written for tweens and young teens, CUT is a good introduction to the problems and treatment for the mental health issues many teen girls face. The girls on Callie's ward deal with substance abuse, eating disorders and self injury, engage in therapy to various degrees. While this short novel is somewhat dated in terms of technology and length on inpatient treatment, young readers may be able to recognize themselves in the characters and seek appropriate help from parents or other adults.
Themes: self injury, eating disorders, substance abuse, inpatient treatment, family
CUT is an appropriate book for advanced readers as young as grade school to early high school students.
Callie doesn't speak. Not to her roommate. Not to the other girls in the treatment center. Not to her doctor. Not even to her beloved little brother. She doesn't know why she can't talk any more and she doesn't know why she cuts herself. But if she's going to start feeling better, she'll have to start trusting those who can help her figure out how.
Written for tweens and young teens, CUT is a good introduction to the problems and treatment for the mental health issues many teen girls face. The girls on Callie's ward deal with substance abuse, eating disorders and self injury, engage in therapy to various degrees. While this short novel is somewhat dated in terms of technology and length on inpatient treatment, young readers may be able to recognize themselves in the characters and seek appropriate help from parents or other adults.
Themes: self injury, eating disorders, substance abuse, inpatient treatment, family
CUT is an appropriate book for advanced readers as young as grade school to early high school students.
September 12, 2017
داستان درباره دختری که خودش را با تیغ و چاقو و چیزهای برنده زخمی می کنه و به یک مرکز برده میشه تا ازلحاظ روحی درمان بشه و اونجا افراد مشکل دار دیگه ای هم هستند مثلا نوجوانان معتاد یا افراد دچار سوءتغذیه که به انورکسی مبتلا شدند. داستان بیشتر دور این حول میزنه که به نوجوانان یاد بده که باید به دنبال بهتر شدن و درخواست کمک باشند.
البته تو ریویوهای افرادی که دچار مشکلی زخمی کردن و اسیب رسوندن به خودشون بودند، به نظرشون این کتاب مزخرف بوده و هیچ کمکی به اون ها نکرده. خوب این کتاب هیچ راه درمانی ارائه نداده. فقط یاداوری کرده به دنبال درمان باشند.
برای نوجوانان مشکل دار کتاب خوبی میتونه باشه
البته تو ریویوهای افرادی که دچار مشکلی زخمی کردن و اسیب رسوندن به خودشون بودند، به نظرشون این کتاب مزخرف بوده و هیچ کمکی به اون ها نکرده. خوب این کتاب هیچ راه درمانی ارائه نداده. فقط یاداوری کرده به دنبال درمان باشند.
برای نوجوانان مشکل دار کتاب خوبی میتونه باشه
February 1, 2008
i'm a sucker for the second person, so i think that i enjoyed the book more than i would have otherwise. i'm especially a sucker for second person when relating to a therapist, so this was kind of tailored for me.
that said, i think it could have been more. also, it didn't make a ton of sense - most people don't get shipped to resident facilities the first time they are really caught cutting. the reasoning behind her cutting was vague and, i thought, a little trite when she was so clearly capable of more. then again, this is YA so maybe she thought she had to dumb it down a little - which i think is a total flaw. because she didn't have to.
her brief sketches of the other characters in "Sick Minds" are pretty brilliant, which is why i think i was frustrated with its brevity. i wanted more of amanda, the cutter with attention problems, i wanted more of sydney and i wanted to know if debbie "graduated" and becca finally realized she had a problem.
the ending scene though, with callie and her father at the dunkin' donuts, kind of broke my heart.
it's an excellent book, for what it is. i just wish it was more. maybe there will be a sequel or something.
(also, i loved the little detail that callie focused on - her therapist's shoes, for example. or the way the nurse's footsteps sound in the hallway. that is so true to life, it kind of freaks me out.)
that said, i think it could have been more. also, it didn't make a ton of sense - most people don't get shipped to resident facilities the first time they are really caught cutting. the reasoning behind her cutting was vague and, i thought, a little trite when she was so clearly capable of more. then again, this is YA so maybe she thought she had to dumb it down a little - which i think is a total flaw. because she didn't have to.
her brief sketches of the other characters in "Sick Minds" are pretty brilliant, which is why i think i was frustrated with its brevity. i wanted more of amanda, the cutter with attention problems, i wanted more of sydney and i wanted to know if debbie "graduated" and becca finally realized she had a problem.
the ending scene though, with callie and her father at the dunkin' donuts, kind of broke my heart.
it's an excellent book, for what it is. i just wish it was more. maybe there will be a sequel or something.
(also, i loved the little detail that callie focused on - her therapist's shoes, for example. or the way the nurse's footsteps sound in the hallway. that is so true to life, it kind of freaks me out.)
February 24, 2010
I read it in my third year of high school and remember hardly any of it. The best way to describe this book is "bland". Callie is an unrealistic farce of a teenage character, pliable and unsympathetic. It reads like it was written by someone who had never actually experienced anything relating to the subject, but still wanted to take a soapbox stand about it. Unfortunately, that's exactly the case with this author.
One of the biggest things I remember is that, at some point, Callie exchanges self-injury for exercise EDNOS. Although McCormick clearly wants the reader to believe that Callie's running obsession is healthy, her own writing betrays her - Callie's behavior is not healthy or healing, which was obvious even to my unhealthy, self-hating mind.
Steer clear. Don't give this to anyone under the age of 30 unless you want to laugh at it with them. This ridiculous and condescending novel will prove harmful if taken seriously.
One of the biggest things I remember is that, at some point, Callie exchanges self-injury for exercise EDNOS. Although McCormick clearly wants the reader to believe that Callie's running obsession is healthy, her own writing betrays her - Callie's behavior is not healthy or healing, which was obvious even to my unhealthy, self-hating mind.
Steer clear. Don't give this to anyone under the age of 30 unless you want to laugh at it with them. This ridiculous and condescending novel will prove harmful if taken seriously.
November 22, 2017
DNF at around 50%
-- I just really didn't like this book and I had a lot of problems with it. More in-depth reasons throughout reviews.
1.5 stars (basically 1-star; I threw in the extra half story mainly for the hell of it [more of my reason behind later on])
And that is where everything all started for Callie. Callie was a cutter, but she never did it too deep enough to die; only enough to feel the pain and the sensation of it. Enough to have it numb the pain of the world around her, bubbling her up in her own little world.
She eventually gets checked into Sea Pines because of cutting. She spends her time there with other girls who have problems of their own. Eventually, a girl named Amanda joins her Group, a fellow cutter.
This story follows Callie's adventures throughout her time at Sea Pines as well as some of her life before and a little history of her and her family.
Enough of the plot synopsis. I'm sure what you really want to hear is my review. So, here you go:
Now, I want to preface this by saying I have had my own share of experiences similar to Callie's, and I have had countless friends in that place, too, so a lot of this is going to be based on me as well as my friends and just general experiences.
Let me just say that while yes, I think this was a good concept for the book, I think that it is losing some things and that there were a few execution problems.
Honestly, the only reason I gave this book the extra half a star was because I felt like it had a lot of potentials to be a great, inspiring book, but it didn't live up to that potential that I had in mind for it to really any means, so really, this book doesn't deserve that extra half a star -- I was being nice and threw it in mainly just for the hell of it.
I might as well start off with what I liked (it's VERY little) about this book before I get into what I disliked (which is a lot, and it is going to be filled with rants -- you've been warned)
Something I appreciated was how McCormick made the characters all have their own issues. We have the girls with eating disorders, the cutters, the depressed chicks, a little of everything, so there is something for everyone that is reading it to relate to, or that they previously could've related to.
There was some second person sporadically used throughout, and I think that was a fun little extra touch to this story. However, when second person was being used, it could've been used and written better, but props to McCormick for throwing it in there in a nonetheless unique way.
Remember two seconds ago when I said there was very little that I liked about this book? Well, that is my likingness of this book stopped, right at a dead end.
Now, onto what I disliked about this book, aka like 89% of this book.
This book was kinda poorly written, in my opinion. Going back to the bad execution of it, we got basically no insight into Callie whatsoever. Maybe a tiny, tiny but here and there but it was lightly sprinkled in, not pack-punched into the whole book.
Something that I think would've helped the execution of it was if McCormick actually experienced this in her life. Yes, you can research it all you want (she did for a supossed three years) but it will never come close to the real feelings and the rawness of it. If you are going to write a book on such a hard-hitting topic that a lot of your target audience is dealing with, right now, in this very moment as I write this and as you are reading this, then it should be up to the best that it can be. This book, quite frankly, isn't up to the best that it can be.
There is nothing worse than someone with any issue, but mainly cutters, like Callie, can do besides not getting help. Callie literally got NO help. It's not that help was unavailable to her, it was there. It was practically biting her ankles for her to pay some attention to it instead of taking it for granted and pretending like it didn't even exist. Callie barely talked. Yes, later on in the book she talks more, but not nearly as much as she should be. That is no help to someone who's going through something similar to Callie (trust me, most of the people who read these kinds of books have some relation the character[s] in it, some stronger than others, of course). For someone who already is skeptical to get help, this could influence them even more not to get it.
Callie gets checked into Sea Pines because of cutting. Callie seems to want to get help, regardless she's taking it 100 percent for granted, but yet, while she is there, she finds literally every possible way to still continue to cut. Still, it was never deep enough to die; only enough to feel the pain and the sensation of it. Enough to have it numb the pain of the world around her, bubbling her up in her own little world (yes I copy and pasted that from the intro to this review, it's called EMPHASIS, people!). From the sharp edge at the bottom of the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom to a ripped piece off of a pie plate from two nights ago's dinner, Callie always found a way. She never gave up on it.
This book gave no alternative to cutting. The main character kept cutting and cutting and cutting regardless of really anything. I wish there was an alternative given, but haha, NOPE! Not to my surprise, there wasn't one. Some people like that there wasn't an alternative because that it made it more "real and raw" but I don't like it, as you will hear more of my reasoning behind why I dislike it. I guess there is some good, like in the way that it can help you realize more why these people do it and what their emotions are behind it, but this book didn't do a good job at that anyway. There was little to no reason given as to why Callie was cutting and there has to be some reason -- literally any reason at all -- as to why she was doing it. Maybe it was for attention, she had depression, a bad family life, unhealthy relationships with friends, but I guess we'll never know the truth behind why. That's another thing I don't like about this book: no reasons were given. She did what she did with no reasoning. There was an intention in it, but there wasn't a reason. A reason is different than an intention behind doing something. At least some intention was given, I guess (*inserts the emoji of a girl holding her hands up like a waitress holds a platter, minus the platter, with an "I guess so" face here*).
It's so hard to get out of that hole (trust me, I would know), and this book just doesn't help a teen, or anyone for that matter, who is confused on whether or not to get help. If anything, it would make them even more confused on that decision. Here's the hard thing about cutting: once you do it once, it becomes an impulse and basically a part of your everyday routine, a part that needs to be cut out of your life immediately. Callie never cuts it out of her life. Instead, she keeps cutting and slitting her wrists even when she is literally in a mental facility for doing so, what the hell? And I'm sure she doesn't enjoy being there, who would? Okay, maybe Craig Gilner would, but that's beside the point. The point is, that this book is a bad influence on people going through that. I made this point previously, but screw it, I'm bringing it up again: Most people who read these books are experiencing it. Why you make a book like this such a horrible influence?
Think about it: If you had the option to get help and deep, deep down inside you know you wanted that help and you know that it would help you, and not just you, but the people around you EMMENSLEY, wouldn't you take it? Well, NOT CALLIE! :) She sees it as stupid and instead decides to continue with her bad decisions and let her impulses take over and control her everything, and let me just tell you, in a real-world situation, that is not okay! You need to have control of your thoughts and your impulses, not just let them run wild and out of control.
Here's my few sentence summary of this book: It had a lot of potentials to be an amazing book, but it wasn't. From the poor execution to not relating and hitting home hard enough to the target audience and more, it just wasn't THERE where I wanted and where I was hoping it would be.
SIDE/ENDING NOTE: I'm sorry that this was a lot of repetition and ranting that you probably found nonetheless unenjoyable and annoying, but I didn't know what else to say or else to put it.
1.5 stars (basically 1-star; I threw in the extra half story mainly for the hell of it [more of my reason behind later on])
Then I place the blade next to the skin on my palm.
A tingle arced across my scalp. The flood tipped up at me and my body spiraled away. Then I was on the ceiling looking down, waiting to see what would happen next. What happened next was that a perfect, straight line of blood bloomed from under the blade.The line grows into a long, Fat bubble, A lush crimson bubble that got bigger and bigger. I watch from above, waiting to see how big it would get before it burst. when it did, I felt awesome. Satisfied, finally. Then exhausted.
And that is where everything all started for Callie. Callie was a cutter, but she never did it too deep enough to die; only enough to feel the pain and the sensation of it. Enough to have it numb the pain of the world around her, bubbling her up in her own little world.
She eventually gets checked into Sea Pines because of cutting. She spends her time there with other girls who have problems of their own. Eventually, a girl named Amanda joins her Group, a fellow cutter.
This story follows Callie's adventures throughout her time at Sea Pines as well as some of her life before and a little history of her and her family.
Enough of the plot synopsis. I'm sure what you really want to hear is my review. So, here you go:
Now, I want to preface this by saying I have had my own share of experiences similar to Callie's, and I have had countless friends in that place, too, so a lot of this is going to be based on me as well as my friends and just general experiences.
Let me just say that while yes, I think this was a good concept for the book, I think that it is losing some things and that there were a few execution problems.
Honestly, the only reason I gave this book the extra half a star was because I felt like it had a lot of potentials to be a great, inspiring book, but it didn't live up to that potential that I had in mind for it to really any means, so really, this book doesn't deserve that extra half a star -- I was being nice and threw it in mainly just for the hell of it.
I might as well start off with what I liked (it's VERY little) about this book before I get into what I disliked (which is a lot, and it is going to be filled with rants -- you've been warned)
Something I appreciated was how McCormick made the characters all have their own issues. We have the girls with eating disorders, the cutters, the depressed chicks, a little of everything, so there is something for everyone that is reading it to relate to, or that they previously could've related to.
There was some second person sporadically used throughout, and I think that was a fun little extra touch to this story. However, when second person was being used, it could've been used and written better, but props to McCormick for throwing it in there in a nonetheless unique way.
Remember two seconds ago when I said there was very little that I liked about this book? Well, that is my likingness of this book stopped, right at a dead end.
Now, onto what I disliked about this book, aka like 89% of this book.
This book was kinda poorly written, in my opinion. Going back to the bad execution of it, we got basically no insight into Callie whatsoever. Maybe a tiny, tiny but here and there but it was lightly sprinkled in, not pack-punched into the whole book.
Something that I think would've helped the execution of it was if McCormick actually experienced this in her life. Yes, you can research it all you want (she did for a supossed three years) but it will never come close to the real feelings and the rawness of it. If you are going to write a book on such a hard-hitting topic that a lot of your target audience is dealing with, right now, in this very moment as I write this and as you are reading this, then it should be up to the best that it can be. This book, quite frankly, isn't up to the best that it can be.
There is nothing worse than someone with any issue, but mainly cutters, like Callie, can do besides not getting help. Callie literally got NO help. It's not that help was unavailable to her, it was there. It was practically biting her ankles for her to pay some attention to it instead of taking it for granted and pretending like it didn't even exist. Callie barely talked. Yes, later on in the book she talks more, but not nearly as much as she should be. That is no help to someone who's going through something similar to Callie (trust me, most of the people who read these kinds of books have some relation the character[s] in it, some stronger than others, of course). For someone who already is skeptical to get help, this could influence them even more not to get it.
Callie gets checked into Sea Pines because of cutting. Callie seems to want to get help, regardless she's taking it 100 percent for granted, but yet, while she is there, she finds literally every possible way to still continue to cut. Still, it was never deep enough to die; only enough to feel the pain and the sensation of it. Enough to have it numb the pain of the world around her, bubbling her up in her own little world (yes I copy and pasted that from the intro to this review, it's called EMPHASIS, people!). From the sharp edge at the bottom of the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom to a ripped piece off of a pie plate from two nights ago's dinner, Callie always found a way. She never gave up on it.
This book gave no alternative to cutting. The main character kept cutting and cutting and cutting regardless of really anything. I wish there was an alternative given, but haha, NOPE! Not to my surprise, there wasn't one. Some people like that there wasn't an alternative because that it made it more "real and raw" but I don't like it, as you will hear more of my reasoning behind why I dislike it. I guess there is some good, like in the way that it can help you realize more why these people do it and what their emotions are behind it, but this book didn't do a good job at that anyway. There was little to no reason given as to why Callie was cutting and there has to be some reason -- literally any reason at all -- as to why she was doing it. Maybe it was for attention, she had depression, a bad family life, unhealthy relationships with friends, but I guess we'll never know the truth behind why. That's another thing I don't like about this book: no reasons were given. She did what she did with no reasoning. There was an intention in it, but there wasn't a reason. A reason is different than an intention behind doing something. At least some intention was given, I guess (*inserts the emoji of a girl holding her hands up like a waitress holds a platter, minus the platter, with an "I guess so" face here*).
It's so hard to get out of that hole (trust me, I would know), and this book just doesn't help a teen, or anyone for that matter, who is confused on whether or not to get help. If anything, it would make them even more confused on that decision. Here's the hard thing about cutting: once you do it once, it becomes an impulse and basically a part of your everyday routine, a part that needs to be cut out of your life immediately. Callie never cuts it out of her life. Instead, she keeps cutting and slitting her wrists even when she is literally in a mental facility for doing so, what the hell? And I'm sure she doesn't enjoy being there, who would? Okay, maybe Craig Gilner would, but that's beside the point. The point is, that this book is a bad influence on people going through that. I made this point previously, but screw it, I'm bringing it up again: Most people who read these books are experiencing it. Why you make a book like this such a horrible influence?
Think about it: If you had the option to get help and deep, deep down inside you know you wanted that help and you know that it would help you, and not just you, but the people around you EMMENSLEY, wouldn't you take it? Well, NOT CALLIE! :) She sees it as stupid and instead decides to continue with her bad decisions and let her impulses take over and control her everything, and let me just tell you, in a real-world situation, that is not okay! You need to have control of your thoughts and your impulses, not just let them run wild and out of control.
Here's my few sentence summary of this book: It had a lot of potentials to be an amazing book, but it wasn't. From the poor execution to not relating and hitting home hard enough to the target audience and more, it just wasn't THERE where I wanted and where I was hoping it would be.
SIDE/ENDING NOTE: I'm sorry that this was a lot of repetition and ranting that you probably found nonetheless unenjoyable and annoying, but I didn't know what else to say or else to put it.
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