22. From the Wreckage by Michele G Miller
Synopsis:
“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.”
"Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”
For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with the new reality of her life, she must find a way to rise From The Wreckage and answer the question - how do you get back to normal, when everything that was normal is gone?
"Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”
For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with the new reality of her life, she must find a way to rise From The Wreckage and answer the question - how do you get back to normal, when everything that was normal is gone?
My Review:
For most high school students, Friday nights means going to football games, cheering on their respective schools, and then going out to eat/celebrate/hang out at a local pizza place, or wherever it might be, after the game. And for Jules and her friends, that Friday night was no exception. Like any other teen, they didn't think anything bad would happen, except for maybe the occasional fight with their rivals.
Jules and her friends were celebrating their football team's win when they heard something that no one wants to hear: a tornado siren. Unfortunately for them, there was not much time to run for cover and before they knew it, a tornado ripped through the town. Afterwards, while the teens are taken to the hospital for treatment, their parents have to navigate through the devastation to see if their children made it out alive.
From the Wreckage is told in a video format as Jules tells her story of survival in front of a camera for a college admissions project. As she takes us through her experience, we also experience it right along with her. It provides an accurate depiction of what it's like to go through a traumatic event, no matter what it may be. Jules tells of her grief and the healing process of not only herself, but her family, friends, and town as well. She goes on her own personal journey of discovery, growth, love, etc, as anyone would when they go through something like this. It's through the hard times that we learn the most about ourselves.
While From the Wreckage was well-written and told of the many emotions one experiences in tragedy, there were only a couple things that bothered me. It went back and forth between the past, as she was telling her story of that fateful night, and the present, as she struggles to move forward and accept the new normal. It was hard to differentiate between the two at times, but it also kept you wanting to keep reading. And even though her friends were also experiencing the same things as she was, there were times where it felt like only she was going through it. She acted like no one understood, when in fact, there were her classmates who did in fact understand, as well.
How do we move on from tragedy or loss or any rough time in our life? How do we accept having a new normal when everything that we know changed forever? From the Wreckage does a good job at trying to explain and show that. The answer is that there is no easy answer. It becomes a day by day process, taking things one step at a time. While time may make things easier, better, and more acceptable as everyday life starts returning back to "normal", the fear, grief, anger, and any other emotion doesn't ever truly go away; we just don't deal with those emotions as much as when it first happened. Nothing stays the same forever and change is hard for anyone to overcome, but it is possible. And it's important to remember that the grieving process can take any length of time; while it might take a month or so for one for example, it could take a year for another. We all grieve differently, in our own time and place and no matter how long it takes, it's okay. There is no definitive answer as to when it is acceptable to move on.
While I am writing this, our country is once again dealing with a mass shooting tragedy with the school shooting in Parkland, FL. While things need to change, like banning assault weapons, I can only offer prayers to those dealing with loss and fear. I know it's not enough, but I think about it like this. Right now, they're dealing with grief of losing friends, children, teachers, etc, and even if there would be a gun control change, those seventeen people still lost their lives and their friends and loved ones will still have to deal with their loss.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
Jules and her friends were celebrating their football team's win when they heard something that no one wants to hear: a tornado siren. Unfortunately for them, there was not much time to run for cover and before they knew it, a tornado ripped through the town. Afterwards, while the teens are taken to the hospital for treatment, their parents have to navigate through the devastation to see if their children made it out alive.
From the Wreckage is told in a video format as Jules tells her story of survival in front of a camera for a college admissions project. As she takes us through her experience, we also experience it right along with her. It provides an accurate depiction of what it's like to go through a traumatic event, no matter what it may be. Jules tells of her grief and the healing process of not only herself, but her family, friends, and town as well. She goes on her own personal journey of discovery, growth, love, etc, as anyone would when they go through something like this. It's through the hard times that we learn the most about ourselves.
While From the Wreckage was well-written and told of the many emotions one experiences in tragedy, there were only a couple things that bothered me. It went back and forth between the past, as she was telling her story of that fateful night, and the present, as she struggles to move forward and accept the new normal. It was hard to differentiate between the two at times, but it also kept you wanting to keep reading. And even though her friends were also experiencing the same things as she was, there were times where it felt like only she was going through it. She acted like no one understood, when in fact, there were her classmates who did in fact understand, as well.
How do we move on from tragedy or loss or any rough time in our life? How do we accept having a new normal when everything that we know changed forever? From the Wreckage does a good job at trying to explain and show that. The answer is that there is no easy answer. It becomes a day by day process, taking things one step at a time. While time may make things easier, better, and more acceptable as everyday life starts returning back to "normal", the fear, grief, anger, and any other emotion doesn't ever truly go away; we just don't deal with those emotions as much as when it first happened. Nothing stays the same forever and change is hard for anyone to overcome, but it is possible. And it's important to remember that the grieving process can take any length of time; while it might take a month or so for one for example, it could take a year for another. We all grieve differently, in our own time and place and no matter how long it takes, it's okay. There is no definitive answer as to when it is acceptable to move on.
While I am writing this, our country is once again dealing with a mass shooting tragedy with the school shooting in Parkland, FL. While things need to change, like banning assault weapons, I can only offer prayers to those dealing with loss and fear. I know it's not enough, but I think about it like this. Right now, they're dealing with grief of losing friends, children, teachers, etc, and even if there would be a gun control change, those seventeen people still lost their lives and their friends and loved ones will still have to deal with their loss.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
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