Mayfield, Sue. Drowning Anna.MAYFIELD, Sue. Drowning drowning /drown·ing/ (droun´ing) suffocation and death resulting from filling of the lungs with water or other substance. drowning, n asphyxiation because of submersion in a liquid. Anna. Hyperion. 253p. c2001.0-7868-0957-4. $5.99. J* This novel covers a topic rapidly becoming familiar territory because of current pressing social problems. Sixteen-year-old Anna is bullied at school by Haley, who was her best friend. Because of Haley's popularity and manipulative ma·nip·u·la·tive adj. Serving, tending, or having the power to manipulate. n. Any of various objects designed to be moved or arranged by hand as a means of developing motor skills or understanding abstractions, especially in tactics, Anna is abandoned by even her second-best friends. She first finds relief in mutilating herself with razor blades ra·zor·blade also ra·zor blade n. A thin sharp-edged piece of steel that can be fitted into a razor. razor blade n → hoja de afeitar razor blade , but eventually attempts suicide with her mother's antidepressants Antidepressants Medications prescribed to relieve major depression. Classes of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine/Prozac, sertraline/Zoloft), tricyclics (amitriptyline/ Elavil), MAOIs (phenelzine/Nardil), and heterocyclics and a bottle of vodka. Anna's story is told in flashbacks, journal entries, and from multiple points of view, exploring family, social, and school dynamics. This briskly moving novel enters into its central conflict on the first page and reveals the pain endured by victims of a group of girls with subtle but vicious bullying tactics. Haley is relentless in her pursuit of Anna, but the motivations of this seemingly nice middleclass girl are never explained. An interesting character is Melanie, the plain Jane caught in the middle. Sometimes she is seduced by the infrequent but alluring offers of Haley's friendship; but she also admires and likes Anna. Her failure to take a moral stand against Haley's bullying exemplifies the dilemma most teens face when bullying occurs in schools. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding , Provo, UT |
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