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Almost Lost: The True Story of an Anonymous Teenager's Life on the Streets
Who in his right mind wants to talk to a shrink? I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to feel anything, taste anything ... or anything. The lyrics "just dying to die" run around in my brain day and night... Fifteen-year-old Sam is in pain. He comes to the therapist's office unwillingly, angry, depressed, and filled with guilt over his own self-destructive behavior. He is being drawn deeper and deeper into a black hole of despair from which he sees no way out. The Road Back This is the Real-life story of Sam's Recovery, told from tapes of his therapy sessions. It tells what drove him to leave home, how he survived on the street, and why he was desperate to escape from the brutality of the gang that had become his "family" and from the torment of his own self-loathing. For every teen who has experienced the pain and loneliness of a no-way-out darkness, and for all those who love them, here is the light that can lead the way back.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
42 people are currently reading
1634 people want to read
About the author
Beatrice Sparks
21 books1,394 followersBeatrice Sparks was an American therapist and Mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the 'real diaries' of troubled teenagers. The books deal with topical issues such as drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy or AIDS, and are presented as cautionary tales. Although Sparks always presented herself as merely the discoverer and editor of the diaries, records at the U.S. Copyright Office show that in fact she was listed as the sole author for all but two of them.
Sparks began working with teenagers in 1955, after attending the University of California at Los Angeles and Brigham Young University. She has worked as a music therapist at Utah State Mental Hospital and taught continuing education courses at BYU.
Critics have called the precise extent of Sparks' qualifications and experience into question. The editorial credit on some of the diaries published by Sparks identifies her as "Dr Beatrice Sparks, PhD". However, when journalist Aileen Pace Nilsen interviewed Sparks for School Library Journal in 1979, she was unable to find any confirmation of where or when Sparks earned her doctorate. Nilsen also wrote that Sparks was "vague about specifics" when asked about her counseling qualifications and professional experience.
Sparks said that her experience working with troubled adolescents made her want to produce cautionary tales that would keep other teens from falling into the same traps. Her first work, Go Ask Alice, was published under the byline 'Anonymous' in 1971.
Sparks began working with teenagers in 1955, after attending the University of California at Los Angeles and Brigham Young University. She has worked as a music therapist at Utah State Mental Hospital and taught continuing education courses at BYU.
Critics have called the precise extent of Sparks' qualifications and experience into question. The editorial credit on some of the diaries published by Sparks identifies her as "Dr Beatrice Sparks, PhD". However, when journalist Aileen Pace Nilsen interviewed Sparks for School Library Journal in 1979, she was unable to find any confirmation of where or when Sparks earned her doctorate. Nilsen also wrote that Sparks was "vague about specifics" when asked about her counseling qualifications and professional experience.
Sparks said that her experience working with troubled adolescents made her want to produce cautionary tales that would keep other teens from falling into the same traps. Her first work, Go Ask Alice, was published under the byline 'Anonymous' in 1971.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 20, 2013
Beatrice Sparks' Almost Lost tells the story of Sam, who a a 15 year old boy that suffers from depression. The book is set in his shrink's office, which he unwillingly had to go to so he can help himself and understand what may be causing his depression. Having no trouble in his past, getting good grades and being a normal teenager, Sam suddenly begins to to slowly lose himself and his happiness. Same goes to a shrink and denies the opportunity to talk about his father, a part in the book that leaves some kind of mystery about the history between them. This book tells the true story of a fifteen year old who disappears from home a few days after his session with a shrink, telling the readers that Sam has a serious issue that he's scared to face.
The most memorable part of the book was when Sam's mother, Paula, visits his shrink five days after he goes missing. When she gets there she tells Doctor B, the shrink, how she's been feeling not only for the past 5 days but, ever since Sam started showing signs of depression. She feels as if she is a bad mother to Sam, even if she does cater to his needs. Regardless of the love and care that she gives Sam, she feels as if he doesn't love her. But, surprisingly, Doctor B tells her that Sam admitted to loving his mother. Doctor B tells Paula that Sam never intentionally means to hurt her because of his depression, but Paula is so convinced that her son doesn't love her. This is memorable in my opinion because the love that Sam and his mom has is strong but, it's just sad that they can't communicate it to one another.
Ultimately, the story of the homeless 15 year old boy is a story of a teenager suffering from depression, and his journey to overcome it. It all adds up to a tale of a depressed teenager's journey of confused emotions, which tells us that teenage minds are still developing and it's not an easy process especially if they have been through something traumatic. Almost Lost tells that story strongly because a traumatizing event can affect the emotions and mind of a teenager.
I would recommend this book those who want to learn how teenagers are affected by traumatizing events since their minds are still developing. This book is not only from one point of view, which means that there are more sides to see. The book can give information about how teenagers cope with something they had to go through, letting adults out there know that sometimes, it hurts us too much to talk about. It tells the reader that problems at home can affect our social life also and that it's harder to deal with when everyone is in your business about it, wanting to know the detail as to what happen and wanting to solve the problem right on the spot when in reality, time is what teens need to cope with the problem. Emotions are still being developed and teens are confused about life because we're not at the peak of maturity yet.
From reading this book I learned that dealing with something traumatic is hard because it's always in the back of your mind because it's from your own experience. I learned that depression doesn't only affect one individual but, everyone around them because sometimes people don't stick around and walk away when they can't deal with the emotions. It has taught me to value my parents the people that have helped me through out life because they're the people that are going to be there for me when I need to be picked up. I also found that parent's love for their child is irreplaceable and the bond that they create together can affect their emotions in the long run if something goes wrong.
As I read this book a wide range of emotions came upon me because I felt sad at points and then happy the next. I didn't know how to feel sometimes and other times I felt angry at Sam for making horrible decisions. The book made me feel content. Being a teenager, my mind can make mistakes because it's still developing. I felt a connection to this book because it's about a teenager and it tells the journey they went through to find happiness. It makes me realize life is not an easy process but, when you have people that are willing to help you when you need it the most, it'll go by a lot easier.
The most memorable part of the book was when Sam's mother, Paula, visits his shrink five days after he goes missing. When she gets there she tells Doctor B, the shrink, how she's been feeling not only for the past 5 days but, ever since Sam started showing signs of depression. She feels as if she is a bad mother to Sam, even if she does cater to his needs. Regardless of the love and care that she gives Sam, she feels as if he doesn't love her. But, surprisingly, Doctor B tells her that Sam admitted to loving his mother. Doctor B tells Paula that Sam never intentionally means to hurt her because of his depression, but Paula is so convinced that her son doesn't love her. This is memorable in my opinion because the love that Sam and his mom has is strong but, it's just sad that they can't communicate it to one another.
Ultimately, the story of the homeless 15 year old boy is a story of a teenager suffering from depression, and his journey to overcome it. It all adds up to a tale of a depressed teenager's journey of confused emotions, which tells us that teenage minds are still developing and it's not an easy process especially if they have been through something traumatic. Almost Lost tells that story strongly because a traumatizing event can affect the emotions and mind of a teenager.
I would recommend this book those who want to learn how teenagers are affected by traumatizing events since their minds are still developing. This book is not only from one point of view, which means that there are more sides to see. The book can give information about how teenagers cope with something they had to go through, letting adults out there know that sometimes, it hurts us too much to talk about. It tells the reader that problems at home can affect our social life also and that it's harder to deal with when everyone is in your business about it, wanting to know the detail as to what happen and wanting to solve the problem right on the spot when in reality, time is what teens need to cope with the problem. Emotions are still being developed and teens are confused about life because we're not at the peak of maturity yet.
From reading this book I learned that dealing with something traumatic is hard because it's always in the back of your mind because it's from your own experience. I learned that depression doesn't only affect one individual but, everyone around them because sometimes people don't stick around and walk away when they can't deal with the emotions. It has taught me to value my parents the people that have helped me through out life because they're the people that are going to be there for me when I need to be picked up. I also found that parent's love for their child is irreplaceable and the bond that they create together can affect their emotions in the long run if something goes wrong.
As I read this book a wide range of emotions came upon me because I felt sad at points and then happy the next. I didn't know how to feel sometimes and other times I felt angry at Sam for making horrible decisions. The book made me feel content. Being a teenager, my mind can make mistakes because it's still developing. I felt a connection to this book because it's about a teenager and it tells the journey they went through to find happiness. It makes me realize life is not an easy process but, when you have people that are willing to help you when you need it the most, it'll go by a lot easier.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2012
Not intended to be funny but I laughed aloud at the ridiculous language of both the therapist and the alleged teenager,who is clearly fictcious. This book is a joke.Preachy nonsense in which depression is cured by positive thoughts and ,apparently,exclamation points. Propaganda and boring at that. Terrible. Worst book I've ever read.
July 22, 2011
this book was a complete ripoff – the cover and back indicate that it's going to be a firsthand account of life on the streets by a homeless teenager. Instead, it's a never-ending conversation between an uninspired psychiatrist and a teen which is poorly written, self absorbed, and unrealistic. It turned out that the author made up the entire thing and that there never was a "Sammy."
August 4, 2022
Ladies and gentlemen, this book broke me. But not for the reasons you may think.
(Who in his right mind wants to talk to a shrink? I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to feel anything, taste anything ... or anything. The lyrics "just dying to die" run around in my brain day and night...
Fifteen-year-old Sam is in pain. He comes to the therapist's office unwillingly, angry, depressed, and filled with guilt over his own self-destructive behavior. He is being drawn deeper and deeper into a black hole of despair from which he sees no way out.
The Road Back
This is the Real-life story of Sam's Recovery, told from tapes of his therapy sessions. It tells what drove him to leave home, how he survived on the street, and why he was desperate to escape from the brutality of the gang that had become his "family" and from the torment of his own self-loathing. For every teen who has experienced the pain and loneliness of a no-way-out darkness, and for all those who love them, here is the light that can lead the way back.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
Nobody acts or talks like a real person. One moment Sammy, the fifteen-year-old main character, without any hint of irony or sarcasm, uses infantile language like "Gobbly goop poop" as seen in the April 4th therapy session. Then the next moment he sounds like The Joker if he owned a collection of thesauruses like with this part in the August 10th therapy session, "She carbonated every red blood corpuscle in my bloodstream." He also implies that he read and liked the totally not self-insert psychologist's other books (like Go Ask Alice and whatnot) instead of making fun of them for the laughable, implausible pieces of crap that they are like a normal teenager.
Speaking of the totally not self-insert psychologist, she sounds like she's reading almost word for word from an off page psychology textbook. Also, there's some sexual tension between her and the mother and it's really noticeable during the little hypnotherapy session they have in the April 8th therapy session and a part in the very same section where she shows the mom a relaxation technique while softly touching parts of her body like her face and whatnot. Yes, this is all real. I highly doubt it was at all intentional, but in that case, it just makes me question why it was even written that way. Then during the technique demonstration the psychologist spits out this gem, "Yawn and jiggle all the parts of your body like your kids used to do when they were little and played 'rubber man' or 'Jell-O person.'"
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda]
But wait! It gets weirder. So what's her suggestion for treating depression? Think positive and sit under a light.
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda but faster]
I'm not a super huge expert on depression or anything, but I'm pretty sure it takes a lot more than that to properly treat it.
Oh and remember when I said there's some unintentional sexual tension between her and the mom? Well guess what? It's also present with her and Sammy! Like, every other thing she says to him is some variation of "Oh you're so smart" (my favorite being this one from the August 3rd therapy session, "Oh Samuel Gordon, you're so bright. I want to screw off the top of your head and pat your brains." because it makes her seem like a yandere Hannibal Lecter) and gives him massages and touches his arm and whatnot, yet she's supposed to be a benevolent and helpful character.
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda but it just devolves into absolute chaos]
Why? Why is this character written this way? How did the author or anyone else involved in publishing this book think this was acceptable? This disconnect is so huge, it makes Jupiter look like a grain of sand! Why?
So the story is supposed to be using a framing device where the chapters are told through various transcripts of taped therapy sessions, yet it barely felt like I was reading actual transcripts. Most of the time, it was just formatted like a regular story, with dialogue being nestled between quotation marks and everything. Also, in terms of the actions of the characters, they're formatted rather inconsistently. Sometimes they'll be in parenthesis and sometimes they won't. Oh and in the August 3rd therapy session, this actual dialogue tag is used: "...he said with an Arnold Schwartzenegger accent." There's even this tag in the September 9th therapy session, "I asked gently." Yes really. Like, come on. If you're going to have a bit, commit.
There are also moments where I burst out laughing even though I was clearly supposed to take it seriously like when Sammy says this in the July 27th therapy session, "I had allowed, probably even encouraged, hate and hostility to grow inside my like some mutated evil zucchini until it had not only taken over my mind and my heart, but my body and my soul and was now branching out to try to take over everyone that came close to me." and this in the August 24th therapy session, "...I came up behind him for a ball, and his backswing hit me in the head so hard that I googled out on the court..."
But what really tops this sundae is the fact that it has the balls, the cojones to claim that it's non-fiction! I'm going to repeat that again. The book with some of the most unrealistic characters and dialogue I've ever seen, the book with the most inconsistently used framing device, is claiming to be a non-fiction piece. At best, it's extremely laughable and at worst, it's false advertising.
Oh and speaking of that, I legitimately do not understand who this book was trying to fool. Teenagers weren't fooled by it if this 2007 Amazon review is anything to go by. The media wasn't fooled by it as seen with this statement by Sandra Doggett of The School Library Journal: "It is hard to imagine that the troubled teenager described in the beginning could change so dramatically so quickly and cure his father's cocaine habit, recover from depression, and restore his parents' marriage." and this other statement by Cindy Lombardo from the Voice of Youth Advocates: "It's difficult to feel much sympathy for Sammy as he whines his way through his therapy sessions and even harder to believe that the book is based on actual treatment sessions with a credible therapist." Based on how the psychologist was characterized and her suggestion for treating depression, I don't think aspiring psychologists, the strictest and most sheltered of religious families, or those with depression were fooled either.
Overall, Almost Lost: The True Story of an Anonymous Teenager's Life on the Streets is a group of dumpster fires all sitting in boxcars on a runaway train heading for the local dump with a seagull driving the whole thing. In other words, it's so bizarrely awful, it's actually kind of entertaining.
Overall Grade: F+
(Who in his right mind wants to talk to a shrink? I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to feel anything, taste anything ... or anything. The lyrics "just dying to die" run around in my brain day and night...
Fifteen-year-old Sam is in pain. He comes to the therapist's office unwillingly, angry, depressed, and filled with guilt over his own self-destructive behavior. He is being drawn deeper and deeper into a black hole of despair from which he sees no way out.
The Road Back
This is the Real-life story of Sam's Recovery, told from tapes of his therapy sessions. It tells what drove him to leave home, how he survived on the street, and why he was desperate to escape from the brutality of the gang that had become his "family" and from the torment of his own self-loathing. For every teen who has experienced the pain and loneliness of a no-way-out darkness, and for all those who love them, here is the light that can lead the way back.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
Nobody acts or talks like a real person. One moment Sammy, the fifteen-year-old main character, without any hint of irony or sarcasm, uses infantile language like "Gobbly goop poop" as seen in the April 4th therapy session. Then the next moment he sounds like The Joker if he owned a collection of thesauruses like with this part in the August 10th therapy session, "She carbonated every red blood corpuscle in my bloodstream." He also implies that he read and liked the totally not self-insert psychologist's other books (like Go Ask Alice and whatnot) instead of making fun of them for the laughable, implausible pieces of crap that they are like a normal teenager.
Speaking of the totally not self-insert psychologist, she sounds like she's reading almost word for word from an off page psychology textbook. Also, there's some sexual tension between her and the mother and it's really noticeable during the little hypnotherapy session they have in the April 8th therapy session and a part in the very same section where she shows the mom a relaxation technique while softly touching parts of her body like her face and whatnot. Yes, this is all real. I highly doubt it was at all intentional, but in that case, it just makes me question why it was even written that way. Then during the technique demonstration the psychologist spits out this gem, "Yawn and jiggle all the parts of your body like your kids used to do when they were little and played 'rubber man' or 'Jell-O person.'"
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda]
But wait! It gets weirder. So what's her suggestion for treating depression? Think positive and sit under a light.
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda but faster]
I'm not a super huge expert on depression or anything, but I'm pretty sure it takes a lot more than that to properly treat it.
Oh and remember when I said there's some unintentional sexual tension between her and the mom? Well guess what? It's also present with her and Sammy! Like, every other thing she says to him is some variation of "Oh you're so smart" (my favorite being this one from the August 3rd therapy session, "Oh Samuel Gordon, you're so bright. I want to screw off the top of your head and pat your brains." because it makes her seem like a yandere Hannibal Lecter) and gives him massages and touches his arm and whatnot, yet she's supposed to be a benevolent and helpful character.
[Gif of me ascending like Oogway from Kung Fu Panda but it just devolves into absolute chaos]
Why? Why is this character written this way? How did the author or anyone else involved in publishing this book think this was acceptable? This disconnect is so huge, it makes Jupiter look like a grain of sand! Why?
So the story is supposed to be using a framing device where the chapters are told through various transcripts of taped therapy sessions, yet it barely felt like I was reading actual transcripts. Most of the time, it was just formatted like a regular story, with dialogue being nestled between quotation marks and everything. Also, in terms of the actions of the characters, they're formatted rather inconsistently. Sometimes they'll be in parenthesis and sometimes they won't. Oh and in the August 3rd therapy session, this actual dialogue tag is used: "...he said with an Arnold Schwartzenegger accent." There's even this tag in the September 9th therapy session, "I asked gently." Yes really. Like, come on. If you're going to have a bit, commit.
There are also moments where I burst out laughing even though I was clearly supposed to take it seriously like when Sammy says this in the July 27th therapy session, "I had allowed, probably even encouraged, hate and hostility to grow inside my like some mutated evil zucchini until it had not only taken over my mind and my heart, but my body and my soul and was now branching out to try to take over everyone that came close to me." and this in the August 24th therapy session, "...I came up behind him for a ball, and his backswing hit me in the head so hard that I googled out on the court..."
But what really tops this sundae is the fact that it has the balls, the cojones to claim that it's non-fiction! I'm going to repeat that again. The book with some of the most unrealistic characters and dialogue I've ever seen, the book with the most inconsistently used framing device, is claiming to be a non-fiction piece. At best, it's extremely laughable and at worst, it's false advertising.
Oh and speaking of that, I legitimately do not understand who this book was trying to fool. Teenagers weren't fooled by it if this 2007 Amazon review is anything to go by. The media wasn't fooled by it as seen with this statement by Sandra Doggett of The School Library Journal: "It is hard to imagine that the troubled teenager described in the beginning could change so dramatically so quickly and cure his father's cocaine habit, recover from depression, and restore his parents' marriage." and this other statement by Cindy Lombardo from the Voice of Youth Advocates: "It's difficult to feel much sympathy for Sammy as he whines his way through his therapy sessions and even harder to believe that the book is based on actual treatment sessions with a credible therapist." Based on how the psychologist was characterized and her suggestion for treating depression, I don't think aspiring psychologists, the strictest and most sheltered of religious families, or those with depression were fooled either.
Overall, Almost Lost: The True Story of an Anonymous Teenager's Life on the Streets is a group of dumpster fires all sitting in boxcars on a runaway train heading for the local dump with a seagull driving the whole thing. In other words, it's so bizarrely awful, it's actually kind of entertaining.
Overall Grade: F+
February 15, 2024
Fake, boring, racist, god-bothering pseudo-psychological crap. The attempts to write teen dialogue are particularly excruciating. “Pos ‘tude?” Please, no.
Also, why is the therapist massaging a 15-year-old boy? It’s a good thing he’s not real, or it would be horribly inappropriate.
Also, why is the therapist massaging a 15-year-old boy? It’s a good thing he’s not real, or it would be horribly inappropriate.
December 28, 2018
This could be a great story if it were actually true and not written poorly. I found the language used by the alleged 15 year old to be laughable and wholly unrealistic. I don’t think this book is intended to be funny, but here are some quotes from a “15 year old” that made me laugh out loud:
“At last, when I was thoroughly intoxicated by the action and the attention, and I felt I had almost won the fracas . . . .”
“As I started to drift off into dim delicious delirious drug dreams . . . .”
"Man that hits a harmonious chord in my dissonance-filled brain.”
“Doesn’t he sound like the dandiest dude of dudedom?”
“At last, when I was thoroughly intoxicated by the action and the attention, and I felt I had almost won the fracas . . . .”
“As I started to drift off into dim delicious delirious drug dreams . . . .”
"Man that hits a harmonious chord in my dissonance-filled brain.”
“Doesn’t he sound like the dandiest dude of dudedom?”
April 4, 2018
The writing, which is mainly in dialogue from sessions of therapy, is the book's downfall. The dialogue is horrible, unrealistic, and just plain awful.
May 12, 2015
3.5 ish.
This was a sweet story but it wasn’t very believable. And I don’t mean as in it doesn’t seem nonfictional, I really don’t care whether it is or not. I just mean that while I’m glad this book actually had a happy ending, it seemed so quick and out of the blue. Like literally everybody started getting along and being happy again out of nowhere. It didn’t seem realistic to me. I feel like for all the extreme things they’d gone through, there needed to be more time in between.
I’m also still not sure what to think of therapy in general (and yes, I know this isn’t representative of all therapy out there). There seemed to be some interesting ideas in here that may work. I used to be forced to go to one when I was younger, and a lot of good that did me. Also, I wasn't the one in my family who needed therapy, and the people who actually needed it never got it. But I digress. I didn’t really like one of the therapists I had because she actually tried to tell me what I was and wasn’t feeling, which was very condescending and stupid. The only reason I liked going was because I got to miss school, and anything getting me out of that hellhole was good for me. The therapist in this book (Beatrice Sparks) seems a lot nicer, but I still wasn’t feeling the ending where it was all “anger and hatred are bad” because frankly, I kind of disagree. I think it’s only natural for humans to feel that way sometimes, because there are bad things in this world that we need to be critical of, and also we just need to be honest about how we feel instead of bottling them up inside. So I don’t know how I really feel about that.
I was sort of thrown by the title. I guess I’d originally thought it was going to be about a teenager who was homeless for a while, which certainly part of it was, but I didn’t think it was because he was a runaway that joined a gang. I thought it was going to be something that dealt primarily with homelessness. But that’s my fault for assuming that. It was still a serious and interesting plot nonetheless. I also kind of wished it had remained mostly about Sammy, rather than bringing in the whole family at the end. But that’s just me.
One big criticism: The dialogue was really wonky for me. Like, I like that most of it WAS dialogue rather than heaps and heaps of description like a lot of books out there, but I can’t actually imagine anyone in real life sounding as dramatic as these characters. There was a LOT of CAPITALIZATION and italicizing whole sentences and a lot of exclamation marks and so on. Those are good for effect every once and a while, but you should limit yourself or it gets to be overkill. The way they kept abbreviating words too, like saying “pos tudes” instead of “positive attitudes” kind of drove me crazy. I thought that was something that happened more now than back then, but I guess it happened then too =/
Okay, onto positives. I didn’t really have a problem with any of the characters. I mean, I wasn’t absolutely in love with any, but I sympathized enough with them, which has been hard to do as of late. I actually would like to apologize to this book right now for putting off to read other things like City of Lost Angels and It’s Our Prom because those books…let’s just say they were more than infuriating, so this at least was a nice little break from that.
I think my favorite part(s) was in the middle when Sammy talked about his principle and the experiences he'd had when he was in school, that he'd shared with Sammy.
I could relate to this so much because that’s literally exactly what my schools were like. Anyone who says school is about learning is kidding themselves—it is not about that at ALL. It’s about sitting there in the middle of a zoo, watching your teacher yell at the same kids over and over again, but not doing anything to actually discipline them. It’s about having teachers who will take it out on everybody else, including us well-behaved students, by punishing the whole class thus forcing me to take responsibility for other peoples’ actions, because they’re too lazy or too afraid to hold an individual accountable for their actions. It’s about waiting for that damn bell to ring (and I don’t care what any teacher says, the BELL, NOT THE TEACHER, dismisses you) because you cannot wait to get home and get back to the peace and quiet of an actual civilized environment for a change. It’s about teachers taking it out on the whole class by refusing to actually teach anymore, and still getting paid. Quite literally, I’ve had two teachers sit down in the middle of class time and stop their lesson just because one or two people in the class was misbehaving. And I’m supposed to feel privileged about all of this?
No.
Fuck no.
School is NOT a privilege, no matter how many idiots out there claim it is.
I even remember this one boy who sat next to me in math class calling me a “bitch” in front of everyone because I got a higher grade on a math test than him. Why are ANIMALS like that allowed around ME? Why I am forced against my will to go to this prison—PRISON—for 12 years straight, forced to endure this bullying and abuse, and not even get any payment for it? I, and every other person out there who’s ever been forced to be bullied, deserve compensation for every year we were incarcerated when we haven’t committed any crimes at all. Unless simply being born and being young is a fucking crime.
I could go for days about school and all of the specifics and all of its bullshit, but I’ll stop for now. Another part I liked about this book was when he’d escaped the gang and was discovered by the old couple (can’t remember their names…Gordon and someone else?). And the part with the kitten shortly before that was sweet and sad too ):
It was an alright book. It wasn’t as good as Go Ask Alice, but at least this one had a happy ending. This book is awfully hard to find though. It kind of irks me that certain books are harder to find just because they happen to be older, yet shittier books are easier to find just because they happen to be newer.
This was a sweet story but it wasn’t very believable. And I don’t mean as in it doesn’t seem nonfictional, I really don’t care whether it is or not. I just mean that while I’m glad this book actually had a happy ending, it seemed so quick and out of the blue. Like literally everybody started getting along and being happy again out of nowhere. It didn’t seem realistic to me. I feel like for all the extreme things they’d gone through, there needed to be more time in between.
I’m also still not sure what to think of therapy in general (and yes, I know this isn’t representative of all therapy out there). There seemed to be some interesting ideas in here that may work. I used to be forced to go to one when I was younger, and a lot of good that did me. Also, I wasn't the one in my family who needed therapy, and the people who actually needed it never got it. But I digress. I didn’t really like one of the therapists I had because she actually tried to tell me what I was and wasn’t feeling, which was very condescending and stupid. The only reason I liked going was because I got to miss school, and anything getting me out of that hellhole was good for me. The therapist in this book (Beatrice Sparks) seems a lot nicer, but I still wasn’t feeling the ending where it was all “anger and hatred are bad” because frankly, I kind of disagree. I think it’s only natural for humans to feel that way sometimes, because there are bad things in this world that we need to be critical of, and also we just need to be honest about how we feel instead of bottling them up inside. So I don’t know how I really feel about that.
I was sort of thrown by the title. I guess I’d originally thought it was going to be about a teenager who was homeless for a while, which certainly part of it was, but I didn’t think it was because he was a runaway that joined a gang. I thought it was going to be something that dealt primarily with homelessness. But that’s my fault for assuming that. It was still a serious and interesting plot nonetheless. I also kind of wished it had remained mostly about Sammy, rather than bringing in the whole family at the end. But that’s just me.
One big criticism: The dialogue was really wonky for me. Like, I like that most of it WAS dialogue rather than heaps and heaps of description like a lot of books out there, but I can’t actually imagine anyone in real life sounding as dramatic as these characters. There was a LOT of CAPITALIZATION and italicizing whole sentences and a lot of exclamation marks and so on. Those are good for effect every once and a while, but you should limit yourself or it gets to be overkill. The way they kept abbreviating words too, like saying “pos tudes” instead of “positive attitudes” kind of drove me crazy. I thought that was something that happened more now than back then, but I guess it happened then too =/
Okay, onto positives. I didn’t really have a problem with any of the characters. I mean, I wasn’t absolutely in love with any, but I sympathized enough with them, which has been hard to do as of late. I actually would like to apologize to this book right now for putting off to read other things like City of Lost Angels and It’s Our Prom because those books…let’s just say they were more than infuriating, so this at least was a nice little break from that.
I think my favorite part(s) was in the middle when Sammy talked about his principle and the experiences he'd had when he was in school, that he'd shared with Sammy.
“Dr. D said his teachers had to spend so much time keeping, or at least trying to keep, order that they were more like policemen than teachers. Each one of his classes was mainly a daily exercise in crowd control. He and the few other kids who were interested in learning were in the minority, and the street culture was as noticeable inside the building as outside. Actually, in many ways, the few good students were in more danger inside the school than outside. They were teased, tormented, and sometimes even tortured.”—pgs. 102-103.
I could relate to this so much because that’s literally exactly what my schools were like. Anyone who says school is about learning is kidding themselves—it is not about that at ALL. It’s about sitting there in the middle of a zoo, watching your teacher yell at the same kids over and over again, but not doing anything to actually discipline them. It’s about having teachers who will take it out on everybody else, including us well-behaved students, by punishing the whole class thus forcing me to take responsibility for other peoples’ actions, because they’re too lazy or too afraid to hold an individual accountable for their actions. It’s about waiting for that damn bell to ring (and I don’t care what any teacher says, the BELL, NOT THE TEACHER, dismisses you) because you cannot wait to get home and get back to the peace and quiet of an actual civilized environment for a change. It’s about teachers taking it out on the whole class by refusing to actually teach anymore, and still getting paid. Quite literally, I’ve had two teachers sit down in the middle of class time and stop their lesson just because one or two people in the class was misbehaving. And I’m supposed to feel privileged about all of this?
No.
Fuck no.
School is NOT a privilege, no matter how many idiots out there claim it is.
I even remember this one boy who sat next to me in math class calling me a “bitch” in front of everyone because I got a higher grade on a math test than him. Why are ANIMALS like that allowed around ME? Why I am forced against my will to go to this prison—PRISON—for 12 years straight, forced to endure this bullying and abuse, and not even get any payment for it? I, and every other person out there who’s ever been forced to be bullied, deserve compensation for every year we were incarcerated when we haven’t committed any crimes at all. Unless simply being born and being young is a fucking crime.
I could go for days about school and all of the specifics and all of its bullshit, but I’ll stop for now. Another part I liked about this book was when he’d escaped the gang and was discovered by the old couple (can’t remember their names…Gordon and someone else?). And the part with the kitten shortly before that was sweet and sad too ):
It was an alright book. It wasn’t as good as Go Ask Alice, but at least this one had a happy ending. This book is awfully hard to find though. It kind of irks me that certain books are harder to find just because they happen to be older, yet shittier books are easier to find just because they happen to be newer.
October 26, 2018
My teen daughter and I read this book together, and we both really learned a lot from it! Ms. Sparks shares dozens of therapy techniques we can use individually and as a family at home to improve our mental health, communication, and relationships. The story is told from an omniscient point of view and focuses exclusively on the therapy sessions, not Sammy's life outside of the therapist's office. Because it's not told in first-person, the tone can sound clinical at times rather than personal, but that approach reduces triggers for readers who may be affected by depression, anxiety, drug/alcohol use, or abuse. Overall, this is an excellent book and one worth sharing with families and young teens who struggle with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and/or relationship challenges.
August 25, 2022
Thankfully the author is dead because I can say it; toxic positivity meets unprofessional marginalized psychological services to poverty themes. Absolutely not, no no no and doubly NOPE. How dare the plot speaking about the lonely trauma living into street being a young with a problematic lifestyle. 🙄
September 11, 2024
She's a bad therapist. Yes, I said it. Full of platitudes and condescending nicknames ("dear Sammy", "Solemn Sammy", "Smart Sammy", etc), but short on real help. The poor kid admits to having a gun in his hand ready to kill himself and she doesn't have him hospitalized for his own safety? His father hits him while in possession of a ton of Cocaine and she doesn't call CPS? Wow. Just wow.
April 5, 2020
Not as good as some of the other ones.
May 23, 2024
Possibly the worst book I've ever read.
September 22, 2020
Better than Jay's Journal, but still not as good as Go Ask Alice.
October 2, 2014
"Who in his right mind wants to talk to a shrink? I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to feel anything, taste anything ... or anything. The lyrics "just dying to die" run around in my brain day and night."
15 year old Sam goes into a therapist office unwillingly, he goes in completely resentful, filled with hatred, depressed, and just self-destructive.
Beatrice Spark's, "Almost Lost" changed how I feel about depression, hate, pain and anything similar. After reading this book, I learned that you can overcome anything no matter how much you think otherwise.
I would say the theme of this book would be to never give up. No matter how depressed, resentful, or full of hate you may be, it's never too late to make a full recovery to happiness. This book illustrates that you should never give up and it is possible to forgive other people's mistakes.
I completely enjoyed this book, I really liked how he even included a few relaxation methods. He even made a few jokes and said things that probably anyone could relate to. I thought it was pretty descriptive, It explains in pretty great detail everything that Sam had to go through.
Also, the author described Sam in such a way that made me feel almost like I was there with him. Kind of like I actually know Sammy. Sometimes I think it's so well described that sometimes I feel like I can completely relate even if I know I actually can't. Dr. B describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes detail, especially since the book was based off tapes recording the meetings. Sammy even goes into explaining exactly how he feels and what he's gone through.
The setting is also pretty well described. Sammy described how his environment has effected him. The way he describes it makes it seem like almost a totally different world. They might not explain it to the point where it actually feels like I'm there but can still get an idea about it. If I put enough mind to it, I can slightly imagine it. The story isn't really based in one single setting so it's not described in lots of detail.
Furthermore, This story is about a 15 year old boy who is very troubled and pained who goes through a full recovery back into happiness. He talks about his problems, what he goes through and explains how hard it is to come back from a seemingly endless dark hole. This book is just about unlike every other book i've read, even if I don't read that much, although it kind of does remind me of the problems with teens being depressed and suicidal nowadays. Lastly, I could relate with this book on a personal level a little which only made me enjoy it more.
As a final point, I strongly recommend this book for everyone. I especially recommend this book for anyone who might be going through any of the same things Sammy went through or maybe to anyone who knows someone going through it and don't know how to help. This is just a very good book, period.
15 year old Sam goes into a therapist office unwillingly, he goes in completely resentful, filled with hatred, depressed, and just self-destructive.
Beatrice Spark's, "Almost Lost" changed how I feel about depression, hate, pain and anything similar. After reading this book, I learned that you can overcome anything no matter how much you think otherwise.
I would say the theme of this book would be to never give up. No matter how depressed, resentful, or full of hate you may be, it's never too late to make a full recovery to happiness. This book illustrates that you should never give up and it is possible to forgive other people's mistakes.
I completely enjoyed this book, I really liked how he even included a few relaxation methods. He even made a few jokes and said things that probably anyone could relate to. I thought it was pretty descriptive, It explains in pretty great detail everything that Sam had to go through.
Also, the author described Sam in such a way that made me feel almost like I was there with him. Kind of like I actually know Sammy. Sometimes I think it's so well described that sometimes I feel like I can completely relate even if I know I actually can't. Dr. B describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes describes detail, especially since the book was based off tapes recording the meetings. Sammy even goes into explaining exactly how he feels and what he's gone through.
The setting is also pretty well described. Sammy described how his environment has effected him. The way he describes it makes it seem like almost a totally different world. They might not explain it to the point where it actually feels like I'm there but can still get an idea about it. If I put enough mind to it, I can slightly imagine it. The story isn't really based in one single setting so it's not described in lots of detail.
Furthermore, This story is about a 15 year old boy who is very troubled and pained who goes through a full recovery back into happiness. He talks about his problems, what he goes through and explains how hard it is to come back from a seemingly endless dark hole. This book is just about unlike every other book i've read, even if I don't read that much, although it kind of does remind me of the problems with teens being depressed and suicidal nowadays. Lastly, I could relate with this book on a personal level a little which only made me enjoy it more.
As a final point, I strongly recommend this book for everyone. I especially recommend this book for anyone who might be going through any of the same things Sammy went through or maybe to anyone who knows someone going through it and don't know how to help. This is just a very good book, period.
December 30, 2011
Sparks is a therapist who wrote this book, taken from tapes of her sessions with her 15 year old patient and his family. “Sam” was unhappy, as his parents were divorced. Sam ran away to live on the streets for a few months. He hung out with drug addicts, but eventually was tired of being high, hungry, cold, and lonely, and returned home. Ms. Sparks helped Sam come to terms with why he was so unhappy and angry. It turned out that his father was a cocaine addict, and Sam was upset that his father’s habit ruined the family relationship. Also, when his father found out that Sam was taking drugs, his father punched him. Sam resented his father for hitting him and wanted to get away from him. Sam clearly loved his mother and told his therapist that one main reason he returned from the streets was that he did not like that he was hurting his mother, knowing that she would be worried about him.
Through time, Sparks helps Sam feel better about himself and helps him communicate better with his family. She meets his mother and father. His father apologizes for his drug dependency and apologizes for striking Sam. He tells Sam that he hit him because he was upset that Sam was leading down the same road. He wanted better for Sam.
Sparks also meets Sam’s younger siblings who express how much they love their older brother. Sparks teaches the family some good methods about how they could communicate better with each other.
Through time, Sparks helps Sam feel better about himself and helps him communicate better with his family. She meets his mother and father. His father apologizes for his drug dependency and apologizes for striking Sam. He tells Sam that he hit him because he was upset that Sam was leading down the same road. He wanted better for Sam.
Sparks also meets Sam’s younger siblings who express how much they love their older brother. Sparks teaches the family some good methods about how they could communicate better with each other.
May 11, 2015
I read the book, Almost Lost, edited by Beatrice Sparks. The time frame of the book was about 2 years. The main character in the book is Sammy and a person who highly influenced him is his shrink. Sammy “wrote” a memoir because he went through some hard, depressive times of trying to commit suicide or doing drugs to keep the pain out.
One event that was interesting was when Sammy joined a gang so he wouldn’t feel lonely. After Samy joined a gang he ran away to L.A. with them. After Sammy was done with the gang life, his dad wanted to meet him again, but Sammy didn’t want to because his dad abused him and abandoned his family. After a while, Sammy agreed to meet his dad and after all the screaming and arguing, they made up.
Some weaknesses of the book are that at times it got really boring like when Sammy is telling his story to his shrink and it gets to a interesting part then he just stops until tomorrow, which is also annoying. Another weakness is that his shrink says things to help you be more positive, but they don’t seem realistic like, if you stay under a light, or relistening to the tapes of each of their sessions.
In conclusion, the book was inspiring, but there were also slow and boring parts in the book that seemed unrealistic; like when she said to stay positive by sitting under a light. I would recommend this book to people who are going through a hard, depressive time.
One event that was interesting was when Sammy joined a gang so he wouldn’t feel lonely. After Samy joined a gang he ran away to L.A. with them. After Sammy was done with the gang life, his dad wanted to meet him again, but Sammy didn’t want to because his dad abused him and abandoned his family. After a while, Sammy agreed to meet his dad and after all the screaming and arguing, they made up.
Some weaknesses of the book are that at times it got really boring like when Sammy is telling his story to his shrink and it gets to a interesting part then he just stops until tomorrow, which is also annoying. Another weakness is that his shrink says things to help you be more positive, but they don’t seem realistic like, if you stay under a light, or relistening to the tapes of each of their sessions.
In conclusion, the book was inspiring, but there were also slow and boring parts in the book that seemed unrealistic; like when she said to stay positive by sitting under a light. I would recommend this book to people who are going through a hard, depressive time.
April 25, 2011
I liked ALMOST LOST well-enough, though I felt that I couldn't quite connect with the people in the book.
ALMOST LOST was about a 15 year-old boy that fell into a deep depression, then ran away. The story follows his recovery by transcribing the therapy sessions that he has with Beatrice Sparks, Ph.D., while incorporating some narrative aspects into the piece. Throughout the book, Sammy, the 15 year-old boy, tells his story and learns to cope with his past.
I think that it was interesting, especially since Sammy was so articulate in describing the feelings of deep depression. But at the same time, I couldn't quite grasp his feelings, his story, although this might be due to having lived a butterfly-and-daisy childhood - with some ups and downs, but with stability, and not too much depression.
I think that the book was written so that the people can learn about different techniques that can be used to get past you past, especially for people who can't afford counseling. I think that it is a very good bok to have for anyone, though, because it shows that no matter how alone you feel, there are others who feel the exact same way,
The book, I think was strong and well written, and, even though I couldn't connect to the people in the story so well, I'm glad to have read it.
ALMOST LOST was about a 15 year-old boy that fell into a deep depression, then ran away. The story follows his recovery by transcribing the therapy sessions that he has with Beatrice Sparks, Ph.D., while incorporating some narrative aspects into the piece. Throughout the book, Sammy, the 15 year-old boy, tells his story and learns to cope with his past.
I think that it was interesting, especially since Sammy was so articulate in describing the feelings of deep depression. But at the same time, I couldn't quite grasp his feelings, his story, although this might be due to having lived a butterfly-and-daisy childhood - with some ups and downs, but with stability, and not too much depression.
I think that the book was written so that the people can learn about different techniques that can be used to get past you past, especially for people who can't afford counseling. I think that it is a very good bok to have for anyone, though, because it shows that no matter how alone you feel, there are others who feel the exact same way,
The book, I think was strong and well written, and, even though I couldn't connect to the people in the story so well, I'm glad to have read it.
October 4, 2013
"I don't want to feel anything, taste anything. . .or anything. I just want to. . .pull the plug. . .do the deed. . .get it over with. It's my candle. I should be able to blow it out if I want to." This is how 15 year old Sammy felt about himself when he entered Dr. B's office.
Almost Lost replays the therapy sessions between Sammy, his family and counselor, therapy sessions that were essential in bringing him back from the gang, drugs, theft and self-destruction. Over the next few months Sammy and his family faced themselves and each other. There was pain, tears, and a little bit of blame, but eventually the family began healing.
Almost Lost is very inspirational because a teenager took the help that was offered to him and chose to live rather than blowing out his candle. Sammy had a very long route to navigate, many monsters to face but with the help of his family, he got there.
This is a good read because it was told from the tapes of Sam’s real therapy sessions. Excellent description was used and that makes the story fell more like you were there. I especially liked the charts, pictures and diagrams that Sparks used. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone, especially anybody that may be feeling or doing any of the things that Sammy was.
Almost Lost replays the therapy sessions between Sammy, his family and counselor, therapy sessions that were essential in bringing him back from the gang, drugs, theft and self-destruction. Over the next few months Sammy and his family faced themselves and each other. There was pain, tears, and a little bit of blame, but eventually the family began healing.
Almost Lost is very inspirational because a teenager took the help that was offered to him and chose to live rather than blowing out his candle. Sammy had a very long route to navigate, many monsters to face but with the help of his family, he got there.
This is a good read because it was told from the tapes of Sam’s real therapy sessions. Excellent description was used and that makes the story fell more like you were there. I especially liked the charts, pictures and diagrams that Sparks used. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone, especially anybody that may be feeling or doing any of the things that Sammy was.
September 16, 2013
I could see the use of this book for teens with depression wanting to understand their issues more, but I'm not sure it is one that would actually interest teens. I liked the concept of the story, even liked the message of the story, but--and this opinion is based on little knowledge of what a therapy session would sound like in the 90s--some of the conversations between the "patient" and the therapist didn't seem to be genuine. I felt like words were often put into Sammy's mouth. I know it is supposed to be non-fiction, but I didn't feel like I actually knew Sammy. His story wasn't presented in a way that, at least to me, helped the reader relate. There was a distance there that kept me from connecting with him and it made it hard to feel like the story was genuine. If that makes sense. Other than that some of the random format changes bothered me, but overall, it was an interesting story. I still feel like the transcripts were extremely edited to make the message better and to make it come from the patient's mouth because it progressed too quickly, but the message was still a good one. Overall, not sure I'd recommend it unless I thought someone could relate or use it.
January 22, 2009
Almost Lost is very different then any other teen diary like Go Ask Alice or even Jay's Journal. For a while we don't even know about the location Samuel. We hear from the doctor and what is said to the doctor nothing more. In a way you can see the difference in the way characters open up but it is really hard to understand what they are like alone.
From the beginning we feel sorry for Samuel, he is a boy that is lost and can't even enjoy being around the ones that love him and want to help him. We watch Sam grow into a happy loving teen again. I don't really thing that Sam was really ever lost, he went to the doctors the first time and opened up. When he did run away he came back and got help.
over all the book was decent but not the best story since we only saw Sam in the settings of Dr. Phillip Morgenstern and it was hard to really get to know how the character related on his own.
From the beginning we feel sorry for Samuel, he is a boy that is lost and can't even enjoy being around the ones that love him and want to help him. We watch Sam grow into a happy loving teen again. I don't really thing that Sam was really ever lost, he went to the doctors the first time and opened up. When he did run away he came back and got help.
over all the book was decent but not the best story since we only saw Sam in the settings of Dr. Phillip Morgenstern and it was hard to really get to know how the character related on his own.
January 26, 2010
Imagine reading a book about teenagers and you wonder what they are like. Well this book shows a story of a teenager who have been through a lot. This book is very interesting to think of how a teenager can survive a lot. Reading this book will give you a lot of thoughts of what are some things going through the mind of teenagers.
The main character book is a teenager who has been through what most teenaagers might have not been through in their life. He has been attacked, join gangs, seen drugs and many more. This book is really interesting because i couldn't really imagine that a teenager could actually been through that much. Also he isn't that much older than me so it really keeps me wondering what if my life was like this.
I recommend this book for a lot of teenagers who wonder about things like gangs and criminal lives. This book is also a good book to tell why you should join gangs in your life and how messed up your life can be if you do.
The main character book is a teenager who has been through what most teenaagers might have not been through in their life. He has been attacked, join gangs, seen drugs and many more. This book is really interesting because i couldn't really imagine that a teenager could actually been through that much. Also he isn't that much older than me so it really keeps me wondering what if my life was like this.
I recommend this book for a lot of teenagers who wonder about things like gangs and criminal lives. This book is also a good book to tell why you should join gangs in your life and how messed up your life can be if you do.
June 4, 2008
this was a very good book. i especially liked it because i could relate to alot of thing that the main character was going through. he was feeling like he didnt belong anywhere and i use to feel the exact same way. that was until i moved back to my mom in janesville. on day the main character of the bool went to this psychic lady. she gave him a magic potion, the potion made him fall into a deep sleep. while he was sleeping, the potion made his soul escape from his body, and the lady captured it in a small jar. he wanted her to put his soul in a jar, because he didnt want to feel any more pain. both physically and mentally he didnt want to hurt anymore. thats just about all i remember about that book, and that was my favorite part that i could remember.
May 13, 2013
Great book. I really enjoyed reading this book, the theme and plot is amazing! Sam who is the main character is very depressed and looks forward to a therapist's office because he just feels lonely.I really like this book because it gives a brief thought about life and how bad it sucks to live a life of hate and loneliness. Awww, an amazing book. I would recommend this book to y'all because it's a great story and has a strong lesson behind it. I wold recommend this to high school student because it gives and idea on how to revive strong pain. It also says why you shouldn't "fall" in a black deep whole. Great book and author as well. Sam is great guy who feels depressed, lonely, hated on. The main character brought him self out of that whole and made it trough. :) READ THIS BOOK !
October 10, 2009
This is one of my favorite books. Its about about a boy (sammy) who has some type of mental problem afer being in a gang and doing drugs. It is not an auto biography just a copy of sessions with a doctor of a real boy who faced these situations. He is mainly a boy that is stuck in his past. he cant get out its really hard for this boy to pull the veil of his past deeds of his face. Its hard for him. One statement he says is "God forgives people its actually people who refuse to forgive themselves" located on page 28. Its an amazing book of transforming a boys horrid past into a bright future by removing all the bad things he did from his eyes.
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October 21, 2013This book is allegedly the male version of "Go Ask Alice" (a book I loved!). I'm not so fond of this one. It's a teen angst meets evenagelicalism meets new-age spirituality (or at least Jonathon Livingston Seagull). I believed (hoped) the preachy tone of the counselor would change, but it doesn't! That said - the story line is good. Samuel, a teen in trouble, seeks suicide as refuse from the murky black nothingness that overwhelms him. With he help of a counselor and the support of his Mom, sisters and grandmother, (and the cutesy tricks the counselor suggests) he overcomes his negative feelings and begins his road to reovery by uncovering traumatic events in his past.
June 2, 2008
I was recommended this book again. I found out that sometimes what you need was right there in your face the whole time. This book is about a lost kid, Sam that needs to find his way out of himself. Sam starts a life on the streets and doesn't realize that all this trouble he has gone through is meant for nothing. However it's like an experience to him since he does not know how it feels, once it involves him, he knows what it is about and how he feels. He gets into a gang and drugs, and realizes that the place he needed to be all along was at home.
August 31, 2009
This is the story of 15-year-old Sam who got into drugs, left home and survived on the street with the aid of his gang family. Told by his therapist from recorded tapes of his therapy, the story traces his growing trust of her and growing control of his own depression and self destructiveness. Positive, with reservations—it’s pretty explicit in language and lifestyle. I would like to get a reaction of a teen reader. The therapist is pretty preachy throughout with moralizing and advice and very affectionate compliments and loving remarks towards this boy throughout the narrative.
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