Wintergirls: A Story of Loss and Hope Olivia Turner

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 Wintergirls has been the one novel to rock me to my absolute core. I was extremely hooked throughout the novel! How could this happen, what is going to happen next, will Lia get help and heal? This has probably been my favorite book so far. So much so, that I breezed through the book in two days. I just couldn't help but keep reading. One thing that really stuck out to me was the theme of loss and hope. Lia is struggling in this new world where she isn't a 'real girl'. She has a vicious eating disorder and has faced the death of her best friend, Cassie. She isn't sure what to do or who she can talk to as she faces her eating disorder; she is in denial that was happened to Cassie can surely happen to her. If she doesn't get the help she needs, she will surely die. While Lia is dealing with the loss of Cassie, the loss of her health, the loss of friendships and relationships, and the loss of motivation, she discovers hope. Lia discovers hope in her healing and hope in all aspects where she once felt loss. I will absolutely push to teach this novel in my classroom because it highlights so well what many adolescents go through! Many adolescents don't know they need help and many become extremely sick from eating disorders. I think my students can use this as a mirror or window to the world of eating disorders. 

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