Left vulnerable after Hurricane Katrina took the lives of
her mother and grandmother and forced the rest of Laurel’s family to start over
in a new town, Laurel is quick to give into the tempting smile of the star of
the high school basketball team. She seemingly
has no idea of the consequences when she accepts his offer of a powder he
promises will “take all that shivering far, far away.” Laurel loves how meth makes her feel that
first time; she also immediately falls for the boy nicknamed T-Boom. Her downfall is quick and there’s nothing her
father or her best friend can do to save her as Laurel’s life spirals so out of
control that she winds up sleeping on the streets and begging for change. That’s what she’s doing when a boy named
Moses comes across her. Moses paints
murals in memoriam of other teens who have died from their addictions. It is through her friendship with Moses that
Laurel is finally able to start seeing a better life for herself.
The narrative of Beneath a Meth Moon by award-winning author
Jacqueline Woodson is a bit disjointed; it truly feels like a meth addict is
telling her rambling tale. It is
amazing. When Beneath a Meth Moon opens
Laurel is already at the height of her addiction. She then jumps around in the timeline to
explain how she got to such a place. The
plot is compelling, so I was able to finish Beneath a Meth Moon in a matter of
hours. Given the book’s length, it is
understandable that Woodson does not delve into some of the deeper issues of
meth addiction; she instead keeps the book entirely centered a short period of
a young girl’s life, which serves to make it all the more gripping. This cautionary tale is highly recommended.
5/5
Review copy provided by BookDivas.
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