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Things Left Unsaid
Grade 6-8
- Sarah is not unlike other teens; she's interested
in shopping, boys, and her girlfriends. However, she
is tired of her predictable life and is "looking for
something." The "something" she finds is Robin - a
defiant, tough-talking girl who smokes, vandalizes,
and wears nothing but black. Sharing an affinity to
buck authority, the two become fast friends. Even
Sarah isn't sure why she has given up her friends
and lost herself. She posits, "...I often choose to
be the plastic doll on bended knee, throwing other
people's words out my mouth. Why do I surrender my
voice like that?" When Robin attempts suicide, Sarah
slowly returns to her former self, realizing that
she may have wanted to be different, but not that
different. Hemphill has her pacing and character
development down pat. She takes Sarah from August
through the end of her junior year, alternating
shorter and longer passages effectively, showing a
life peppered with despair, romance, and confusion.
The teen's friendships (both destructive and
healthy) shape who she becomes. In the end, she
displays not only hope, but growth, as she invites
the destructive Robin to "forge new footprints" with
her and turn her back on the "skeletons of
disappointment and unhappiness." Readers don't know
what will happen, but they do have a better idea of
who Sarah is through this telling final poem. A
thought-provoking read. - Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca
Area Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of
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