In meiner Haut

by Deborah Froese

Life seems good to sixteen-year-old Dayle. No longer a self-conscious bookworm, she's well aware that it's her looks that have drawn the attention of her new boyfriend Keith, a handsome jock. She's excited about this, even if it is causing friction with her long-time best friend, Amy. Dayle is no dreamer: she knows looks count.
But Dayle is forced to explore the depths beneath the surface when a moment of carelessness at a teenage bonfire party causes tragedy. Dayle is badly burned, one of her friends gravely injured. Out of the Fire follows Dayle as she undergoes a lengthy recovery, tracking her despair and triumph as she learns that her own resources go much deeper than appearances.
Despite the physical and emotional pain and the fear that she will be shunned by her peers and lose Keith because of her scars, stage by stage and day by day Dayle endures. Guided by the memory and example of a strong and loving grandmother, and sustained by her family and friends, Dayle fashions a new and more deeply rooted life for herself.
Froese provides an accurate portrayal of the trauma and long recovery process following a severe burn. Her carefully crafted plot and deft, polished prose capture the subtleties and contradictions of her teenage characters' inner lives as well as their interactions with one another. Out of the Fire is an honest, discerning novel which faithfully conveys the complexities of life faced by contemporary teens.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

327 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Deborah Froese is passionate about stories. As the mother of three energetic and creative young men, she has no shortage of fodder. Deborah is the author of three books for young people and numerous non-fiction articles. She serves as the editorial director for Rebelight Publishing Inc. and the director of news services for Mennonite Church Canada.

All three of her books—The Wise Washerman (Hyperion Press, 1994), Out of the Fire (Sumach Press, 2001), and Mr. Jacobson’s Window (Peanut Butter Press, 2014)—have been short-listed for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award for Young People. Her YA novel, Out of the Fire, was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association’s Young Adult Canadian Book Award and included on the American Library Association’s list of the Best Books for Young Adults, 2003. It also received a Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award (MYRCA) 2003 Honour Certificate.

Since 1996, Deborah has shared insights and experience about writing through school workshops and readings, and in various venues with adults who are interested in learning to write for younger audiences.

Reading and writing continue to fill empty pockets and corners of time.

“As a reader, I find that books add a measure of experience to my own life story. They open my eyes to other perspectives and share something of worlds I have never before encountered,” she says. “As a writer, that tells me I have a responsibility to recognize the direct and indirect power of words. When I write, I need to consider what I want to leave with readers.”

Reviews

[Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was in maybe 7th or 8th grade? And it was so good. I am 22 now and still remember this book so it definitely leaves a mark in you. Great read.

[Chloe Kelly]

16 year old Dayle has become involved with a boy named Keith. She isn’t sure how to please Keith and her best friend Amy without there being conflict. Suddenly Dayle becomes badly burned because of an incautious act. The author wrote,” As the horizon swallowed the setting sun, the sky slipped from blue to purple and the moon began to glow. Crickets or frogs, or maybe both, sang a romantic serenade.”, the use of personification here is used to describe the night the incident happened. Also the author does a good job of using repetition, in the book Dayle says,”Falling... falling...falling in slow-motion, falling into pain, then oblivion, and another kind of light…”, this emphasizes her point of view and how she felt during the incident. Deborah Froese does a great job of expressing how drained and how much pain Dayle is feeling in this story she uses his hyperbole, “I should be as good as dead. In addition, she uses alliteration to describe the sounds in the hospital, in the story the author wrote, “ Another body, not mine, lay flat against the sheets, beeping and bleeping, whirring and whistling.” Finally, the author really uses a lot of pathos so the audience can feel the pain Dayle is going through. I recommend this book because Deborah Froese does an excellent job of showing Dayle’s feelings throughout the book.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of the best books I ever read in my whole life...
And the end! The end.... *sighs*
GO AND GET IT!YOU NEED READ IT!!!

Some years later, and quite a bit older, a little bit more information and a maybe more helpful review:
This book is about a young girl, who gets seriously burned at a campfire accident at a party.
The book shows how she and her family and friends handle the situation. It is very realistic - some people sticking around, others avoiding her. Some wanting to help, other bullying. She of course doesn't have an easy time either - first off dealing with the pain and also with the scarring that will be there her whole life. There's also the other one who got burned - the boy who is thought to have caused the accident in the first place, and the feelings about that. Feeling pity for him, or rather be happy he got punished?
Also the relationship with her boyfriend is of course completely altered - will they stick together?

It is a really wonderful novel, that is not at all depressing, but rather showing that it will ALWAYS go on someway, if you just keep on fighting and trying. It has a really great ending, that gives me goosebumps even now - 12 years after I first read it, and for me it was full of hope and motivation.

A wholehearted recommendation for mostly girls aged 12 and up.

[Three O'Clock Press]

Life finally seems good to sixteen-year-old Dayle. No longer a self-conscious bookworm, she's captured the attention of Keith, the perfect dream boyfriend. Her worries are the same as those of most teens her age. She wants to stay friends with her long-time best friend Amy while pursuing the excitment of her relationship with Keith. At the same time, she has to fend off the embarrassing overtures of another friend Stu, and tend to her schoolwork and the usual demands of family. But suddenly Dayle's world turns inside out when a moment of carelessness causes tragedy. She is badly burned, and one of her friends is gravely injured. Stage by stage and day by day, Dayle endures, drawing strength from her family and friends and sustained by the memory of a strong and loving grandmother. Out of the Fire follows Dayle's despair and triumph as she learns painfully that her own resources go much deeper than appearances.

[Cymphonie Yaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dayle is a very interesting character. Before the accident she was distancing herself from her best friend Amy and only focused on her boyfriend Keith. However, when Keith and Dayle went to her grandmother's cabin with a couple of Keith friends, a horrible accident happened that caused Dayle's life to change forever. Dayle body was 45% covered in third degree burns. She and her boyfriends best friend Pete, who suffered from 67% third degree burns, missed graduation and were locked in what Dayle calls hell. I'm on page 185 and so far Dayle spends most of her time complaining and blaming Pete for what happened to her. Dayle wanted Pete to suffer, this is interesting to me because it makes me thunk about human nature and if we as species actually enjoy seeing others in pain or suffer with us. I am interested to find out if Dayle can forgive Pete and learn to look at herself in a mirror.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this because I was using it for Lit Circles in my classroom.

[Elke]

Nach einem Unfall ist für die 17-jährige Dayle nichts mehr, wie es war. Doch Dayle gibt nicht auf.Dayle schwebt auf Wolke sieben: Seit kurzem ist sie mit Keith zusammen und sehr verliebt. Gemeinsam mit Freunden feiern sie ein Sommerfest. Doch das Lagerfeuer gerät außer Kontrolle und es passiert ein Unfall, der Dayles Leben komplett verändert. Nur langsam beginnt sie, sich in ihrer Haut wieder wohl zu fühlen. Ein berührendes Buch über Freundschaft, Liebe und den - mitunter schmerzvollen - Weg zu sich selbst.

[Buttercup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bisschen pipi in den augen ngl

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Waking up in the intensive care unit after being badly burned at a party she cannot remember, sixteen-year-old Dayle struggles to come to terms with the changes in her life as well as the physical and emotional pain caused by her injuries.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different thatn any other book Ive read and more realistic than most popular books these days

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounds intriguing, right? Alas, I found the main character quite dull.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explores the relationship between two burn victims.