Book Review: Break by Hannah Moskowitz

Break by Hannah Moskowitz
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse; 272 pages

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders.

When Jonah's self-destructive spiral accelerates and he hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender to his breaking point?

This was my first book I've read by Hannah and I was definitely drawn in. It was a disturbing book and it made me cringe just picturing him injuring himself. I've broken plenty of bones in my life, thanks to being so clumsy, so I know its no walk in the park. All the things Jonah goes through makes you really sympathize with him. No seventeen year old should have to deal with all he's dealing with, especially with this being such a short, easy read. He breaks down on more than one occasion, which eventually lead him into a pyschiatric ward.

Jesse is also a character I found myself falling in love with. Jonah and Jesse have such a strong relationship and it was hard to see them struggling so much toward the end of the book. Jesse has had such a hard life but yet he's always so up and positive, its inspirational, really.

What I really loved about the story is how real it seemed. How real it probably is for someone out there. No one lives in a world where they're family is perfect, everything is perfect. Jonah's family seems a bit extreme to you or me but not to someone out there. But while you're reading, you feel Jonah's pain. The physical pain (which makes me cringe) and the emotional pain he goes through. You truly feel like you're this character, for the few hours you make friends with this book, you're living it. The one good thing about actually not living it? Recovering from all those broken bones and the physical pain and hardship with that! Bonus! ;)

I've recommended this book to most of my friends, my only warning is that Hannah does use a lot of language in her books. I don't mind it, in fact, I think it makes it seem more real. Lots of seventeen year old guys I know would curse in the same cases that Jonah or any other character does. However, I do know some who don't like to read YA books with this amount of language. While I highly recommend her work, I give you the heads up on her preference of writing. So, don't say I never warned you! ;)