Danny's Mom: A Novel

✍ Scribed by Wolf, Elaine

• Book ID: 107804464
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 145 KB
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN-13: 9781611456943

✦ Synopsis

A bully primed for battle. A high school ready to explode. A must-read for every parent.

"You think only students have to deal with backstabbing and bullying in high school? Think again. Wolf's heroine, a high school guidance counselor, fights back." (The Denver Post)

Friday Night LightsmeetsOrdinary Peoplewhen Beth Maller returns to her job as a high school guidance counselor shortly after her teenage son, Danny, is killed in a car accident. Now back at work, Beth rails against the everyday injustices she had overlooked until her world cracked open. Her new circumstances cause Beth to become a major player in the moral battles being waged at Meadow Brook High--where homophobia snakes through the halls, administrators cling to don't-rock-the-boat policies, and mean girls practice bullying as if it were a sport. While Beth struggles to find her "new normal," she learns to speak out, risking her career, her marriage, and the very life she's embraced.Danny's Momillustrates what really goes on behind the closed doors of our schools from the perspective of the adults who are charged with keeping our children safe. It's a powerful novel that will appeal to all readers, especially parents, everyone who works in schools, and the LGBT community.

A great choice for book clubs.

From Booklist

Bullying permeates both the student body and faculty of Meadow Brook High School in Wolfs unsettling novel. Wolf, the award-winning author of the young adult novel Camp (2012), writes primarily for adult readers as she follows a grieving mother and guidance counselor who channels her devastation over the sudden loss of her son into fierce advocacy for vulnerable teens. Wolfs subject matter is valuable and convincing, including gay bashing, vicious gym-class harassment, and cliques among the faculty and administration that threaten to spill over into the classroom. The novels villains, however, tend to announce their malicious intentions too overtly at times. The best passages occur in more subtle moments, such as when the narrator realizes that adults often live in fear of teenagers, rather than the other way around. Adult readers may recognize their past selves in the fragile students hanging around outside the high schools guidance office during passing period, hoping for a last-minute appointment or at least a nod from a reassuring face. --Carolyn Alessio

Review

"Wolf writes with insight and authority about an issue that society cannot afford to ignore as she points out that, even though many schools have implemented effective programs to deal with bullying and intolerance, recent cases serve as proof that institutions like Meadow Brook High do, indeed, exist and that more needs to be done." (Kirkus Review)"Once you start [Danny's Mom], it's hard to put down." (Instinct Magazine)

"From the beginning pages ofDanny's Mom, my heart felt the exact pain that Beth Maller felt. Wolf has captured that pain with utmost precision." (Uniquely Moi Books)

"Wow!Danny's Momwill invoke change and encourage people to speak up against bullying and other injustices. I applaud Wolf and her ability to write such honest, moving, and important work. Go out and get your copy today, read it, and then share it with others!!!" (Mrs. Mommy Booknerd Blog)

"With honest and unflinching emotional detail that recalls the 1980 Oscar-winning movieOrdinary People, Wolf shows how a supposedly strong marriage can die, leaving in its wake a grief as profound as any that would follow an actual physical death.CAMPandDanny's Momsignal the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary American fiction." (Elizabeth Ridley, author ofDear Mr. Carsonand*Rainey's Lament***)**

"I couldn't putDanny's Momdown....While reading this novel, I was back in high school dealing with teenagers and all their problems. How many times did I ignore issues so as not to sway the ship? How many students slipped through the cracks because I followed the rules? I'll be haunted by these thoughts andDanny's Momfor a long while." (Linda's Reading Blog)

"You think bullying and backstabbing is only happening in High School. Think again. Wolf's Heroine, a High School Guidance Counselor, fights back." (Denver Post)

"Danny's Mom is an eye-opening novel about what really goes on in schools and with the people in charge. This is an excellent and essential read for mothers, adults who work in schools, and the LGBTQ community." (Advocate.com)