Heartbreak and Roses

by Janet Bode

In a compelling collection of teenagers' essays, Janet Bode presents an honest look at romance and how it affects today's young people. The voices are true and vivid, painting a remarkable picture of teenage emotions and needs.

Teachers and students from dozens of schools used the first edition of Heartbreak and Roses to begin a dialogue about young love and its complications. By reading the essays, students were able to see that their worries and troubles are universal, and they were assured that others shared the problems they faced in their own lives.

Now in this revised edition, Bode again provides teachers and students with an invaluable tool. These essays serve as a starting point for those who wish to understand the experiences of teenagers who are in -- and out -- of love. The voices of these young people set the stage for frank discussions about boyfriends and girlfriends, issues of race and sexual orientation, and making good decisions amid pressure from parents and peers.

Young love is not merely about attraction; in our modern world, it can be about choosing sexual activity or abstinence, having to combat verbal or physical abuse, and balancing friendships with romances. Heartbreak and Roses presents the problems and pitfalls of love, and it provides hope for those who seek healthy and nurturing relationships.

Genres: Teen

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book and I've been trying to find it ever since. I love this book. And am going to buy it now so I can read it again I read it when I was 13 I am now 18 this book is one of the first books I read. Must read.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a random pickup at a school book sale. I thought it sounded and looked interesting and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone in what I was reading. Because it has short stories that were only a few pages long, I made it a Bathroom Book - I always have one of those - and am so glad that I didn't try to read it all in one sitting, it's not really made for that. If I had read this book as a teenager I still wouldn't have liked it, and if a teacher had forced me to read it for class, I'm pretty sure that it would have turned me off reading for a long while. There wasn't really a point to the whole book other than going; do you see, every teenager has love problems, too. Which is all great and good and some teens need to know that they are not alone in what they feel, but, somehow, the book just sort of missed a major point that I thought would be in it. Yes, I'm talking about help lines or sites or just having the author say; and so-and-so should have told the police about... It didn't have that added bit of important information which would have added a little hope to those teens that needed it. This whole book could have had some teens realizing that there are ways and people to help them get out of a bad relationship. It's sad that this book didn't have that.

And just to let you know, both of my kids read this book in school and both did not like it. Each story was written in the same adult voice, not as if a teenager had written them. There should have been a separate voice for each story not the same one over and over again. It reminded me too much of Go Ask Alice (a completely made up book that says it's a real journal! Never read it, it's not real) This book had the same vibe. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't mind reading the book and reading some of the entries were heartbreaking, but, I just didn't like it. Like all the books that I know I will never read again, I'm going to find a new home for this one. This one just wasn't for me.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book how teens dealt with different kind of relationships

[Jupiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how much this book changed my life. I first read it in 7th grade, and I was finally able to see the abuse that I was currently being in. I loved this book, I needed tissues by the first story was over. I love that the author put multiple stories in one book, the 'chapters' were short and it got the point across for the reader, I definitely recommend!

[Saran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't give up your life for anyone or anything.

[Kiera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of life stories, love tragedies and poems stories problems. ect....

[Michelle]

I want to read "Heartbreak and Roses: Real Life Stories of Troubled Love (Social Studies, Tenn Issues," because it seems interesting.