| Title | : | Cut |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0439324599 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780439324595 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 151 |
| Publication | : | First published October 30, 2000 |
| Awards | : | Lincoln Award (2005) |
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...
Cut Reviews
-
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. -
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. -
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.
-
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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.
-
حرف زدن دربارهش 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) -
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.
-
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 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. -
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. -
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 ��ریزم،. 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 اجتماعیتون 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!🤷♀️🤷♀️🤦🏼♀️ -
This 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! -
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.
-
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! -
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. -
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. -
The general idea of this book was a good one. I, myself struggle with the problem in this book. The fact that the author had to research for this book makes me angry. I feel as if since she didn't have the problem herself she shouldn't have written it.
I heard a lot of good things about this book but, when I read it I got very frustrated. First off, you cannot cut yourself with a credit card. That is very unrealistic. Along with the fact that in mental hospitals they do not allow their patients to use tin foil, or have access to it at any point in time.
This book was a big disappointment. It was unrealistic in so many ways and the fact that she wrote about something she was completely ignorant to the real facts. People who struggle with self harm usually go for sharper objects..just saying.
The main character also was a bit unrealistic. She cut herself all because she thought it was her fault that her family was falling apart and her brother had asthma. She seems a little dim-witted. People can't cause asthma.
As a person struggling with depression I have found myself in the same situation. They do strip searches every few days, watch you closely, and look through your clothing. Yet again, another unrealistic part of the story.
One last thought, why wouldn't the alarm go off when she opened the emergency exit? -
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! -
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. -
I just finished this right before bed and i can't decide what rating to give it. Maybe a high 3? I liked how it showed an inner look at mental illness and self destruction. I think it would help lots of people understand how hard it is and maybe have more respect for those who self harm. I loved the writing and Callie. Those who self harm don't do it for attention. As the book showed they do it to let out inner feelings that they are trying to cope with. I've been clean for a year and a half. I'm very proud of that. I hope Callie stops just like i did. It is a very tough journey. I only wish the book went on a little longer :/ Otherwise this was a great book.
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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 -
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.) -
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. -
3.79/5
I knew I had expectations, and midway I was like "you know what, let drop these and read the book for what it is and for what you want it be."
I found empathy in my heart for these young girls, because I had been them once, in many ways. I could see the magnitude of feelings Callie was experiencing, the guilt especially and how it was so overwhelming for her that she willed her focus on the world around her. At one point, med student that I am, I was diagnosing her but then because I lack the knowledge, I stopped trying to figure it out and saw her as a person not a problem, and honestly I was soft for her as well as the other girls.
This feels like a snippet out of a life, which is the closest thing to reality, because I imagine this is how it truly is, no dramatic events of life-changing mysteries, just straight up dull, almost mundane events, going through daily life motions inside a mental health hospital.
This book was on the softer side of things, relatively speaking, and honestly a light read, with a hopeful touch at the end, especially when her dad stepped up.
I think I could relate to her on some things, for reason it feels like I've been there with the girls in Group.
im a sucker for mental health centered ya.
