SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Antipodes
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.michelebacon.com/
CITY: Seattle
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
http://www.michelebacon.com/about.html * https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/meet-the-author-michele-bacon/ * http://www.secretgardenbooks.com/event/michele-bacon-life
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016073698
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016073698
HEADING: Bacon, Michele
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040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF
100 1_ |a Bacon, Michele
370 __ |e Seattle (Wash.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Young adult literature |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Women |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Bacon, Michele. Life before, 2016: |b title page (Michele Bacon) author bio. (lives in Seattle, Washington)
PERSONAL
Born in OH. Married; children: three daughters.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has worked as an event manager, public information officer, management consultant, and fund raiser.
AVOCATIONS:Yoga, skiing, traveling, exploring, baking, board games.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Michele Bacon is a writer of young-adult fiction who was born in Ohio and now lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Having always been interested in reading realistic fiction as a youth, Bacon related in a YA Interrobang essay that she is accordingly driven to write realistic fiction herself. In the essay, she states, “I take my role as truth teller seriously. Part of my job is to honor teens by not lying to them about how things are. Some teens are abused. Some teens are orphaned. Some teens live in poverty. Some teens suffer crippling anxiety. Some teens make life-or-death decisions. Some teens are raising their siblings.” She added that romance, of course, is also a significant part of reality: “Most teens are intimate with one another today, just as most adults were intimate when they were teens.”
Bacon made her debut in 2016 with Life Before, in which white teenager Xander must cope with the terrifying event of his father murdering his mother. With his father on the loose, Xander decides to run away himself, finding his way from Ohio to Burlington, Vermont, with little more than a fake ID, a knife, and some cash. Unanchored from a stable life and fearing that his father is after him, Xander only gets himself deeper into trouble, but his new friend Kat, a spritely African American, helps him attain a beneficial existential perspective.
A Kirkus Reviews writer found the arc of the novel challenging, suggesting that “readers will fume” over Xander’s poor choices, while the early “pulpy possibilities” lead only to a static character study. The reviewer suggested that Life Before represents “a great concept obliterated by a lack of focus.” More positively, Kim Carter in Voice of Youth Advocates called the novel “a just unpredictable enough roller coaster ride with successive runs of building tension and release.” Carter called Life Before “both a coming-of-age story and a nail-biting thriller.”
Bacon was inspired to write her next book in part by a yearlong stay in Christchurch, New Zealand, which led her to consider herself a “Kiwi Wannabe.” Antipodes tells the story of Erin, an American seventeen-year-old who is headed for the Ivy League, just as her demanding parents expect, but finds her life turned upside down after a video of her in a terribly drunk state goes viral. To reboot her life, she decides to take a semester in New Zealand, where she feels unsettled, since people’s attitudes are the opposite of the American attitude she knows: indifferent toward achievement and focused on enjoying life. Some outdoor adventures with a handsome young man named Hank help her turn her life back around.
In Voice of Youth Advocates, Kristy Rademacher lamented that “Erin is a very unlikeable character for much of the book. She is spoiled, rude, ignorant, and ill-equipped to handle much of anything outside of her very specific bubble.” The depth of Erin’s self-absorption, Rademacher suggested, makes her ultimate awakening less believable. A Kirkus Reviews writer noted, “The unfolding love story is sweet, Erin’s metamorphosis is engaging, and the details about New Zealand are informative.” In Booklist, Jeanne Fredriksen called Antipodes “perfect for readers who yearn to travel abroad or are trying to bridge the happiness gap.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2018, Jeanne Fredriksen, review of Antipodes, p. 70.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2016, review of Life Before; February 15, 2018, review of Antipodes.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 2016, Kim Carter, review of Life Before, p. 55; February, 2018, Kristy Rademacher, review of Antipodes, p. 53.
ONLINE
Here’s to Happy Endings, http://www.herestohappyendings.com/ (March 24, 2018), author Q&A.
Michele Bacon Website, http://www.michelebacon.com (October 20, 2018).
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, https://www.scbwi.org/ (October 20, 2018), author profile.
Sweet Sixteens, https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/ (November 2, 2015), “Meet the Author: Michele Bacon.”
YA Interrobang, http://www.yainterrobang.com/ (April 4, 2018), “Michele Bacon Talks Sex in YA and Antipodes.”
Michele Bacon was born a lover of stories in Ohio’s only square county. She read books to escape her unhappy childhood and began writing to create the things she craved: big happy families, international adventures, and unconditional friendships.
She’s built a life full of the things she craved, but still loves reading and writing stories. If you meet her, she’s bound to ask you to share one of yours.
Michele has traveled the world and handed out business cards with a range of titles while collecting pieces of characters and ideas for stories. Those ideas have been scrawled on writing surfaces from envelopes, lollipop wrappers, and fuel receipts to (once) that little paper bit that keeps a nursing pad sticky until it's time to use it.
Her novels Life Before and Antipodes had humble, torn-paper-scrap beginnings, but became books that captivated readers with their authenticity, adventure, and [need something else here that both books share and is trademark Michele].
Michele Bacon keeps her passport ready, but calls the Pacific Northwest home. She lives in Seattle with her partner, three growing children, bulging bookshelves, toppling stacks of tabletop games, and the scent of something delicious baking in the oven. [Education here if you want it]
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2
NOV
2015
Meet the Author: Michele Bacon
posted in Contemporary, Meet the Author, Young Adult Authors by victoriajcoe
Michele BaconMichele Bacon writes contemporary fiction for young adults and adults. (She also bakes ooey gooey brownies, finds inner calm in Tree Pose, and plays a mean game of Caylus.) Everything Michele has ever written started as a note scrawled on a scrap of paper (or 17 scraps of paper.) When she’s not writing, Michele enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three young children. (Also, she tends to overuse parentheses.)
Michele’s debut, LIFE BEFORE Skyhorse/Sky Pony, Spring 2016), is a contemporary Young Adult novel. LIFE BEFORE is a compelling, suspenseful coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old boy on the run, the danger following him, and the life he’s left behind.
Fun facts:
Favorite book growing up: Erich Segal’s LOVE STORY. She stole it from her mother’s shelf and read it in her closet with a flashlight. She loved reading anything adults said was inappropriate (and she carried that book around at the bottom of her back pack for months.)
Childhood aspiration: She wanted to be an author and a mother. (It took her many jobs and many years to get here!)
Favorite time of day/place to write: She prefers to write first thing in the morning, but she has small children. . .so she writes at nap time.
Book currently reading/most recently read: Lisa Genova’s INSIDE THE O’BRIENS.
Favorite things to do (other than reading): She enjoys her family, travel, baking, skiing, practicing yoga, playing board games, and exploring Seattle.
Surprising personal fact: She has visited all 50 states, and is working on a second round, with a more rigorous definition of “visit.”
Greatest thing about being a 2016 debut author: She really looks forward to connecting with readers.
Where to find her:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Add Book
ABOUT MICHELE BACON
Born in the Midwest, I lived in many cities before settling in Seattle. I held many jobs–event manager, Public Information Officer, management consultant, fundraiser–before I finally earned the job I’ve always wanted: author.
Now I write novel-length fiction for adults and young adults. I have three wonderful daughters and one fabulous spouse. Outside of writing and family time, I enjoy tabletop games, skiing, contract bridge, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I write fiction for young adults and children. My work explores relationships–between friends, among family, and that crucial and terrifying relationship with the self. My first YA novel, LIFE BEFORE (Sky Pony Press, June 2016) tackles all three. My second novel, ANTIPODES (due April 2018) is about an ambitious American teen forced to study abroad in New Zealand to augment her Ivy League applications.
My favorite aspect of being a writer–even more favored than the writing itself–is talking to readers. I truly enjoy school and library visits, whether we’re talking about my writing process or putting readers’ own pieces through a workshop. I hope to help everyone, but especially teens, find and use their voices to tell their stories.
Michele Bacon, Antipodes
Michele is a F.o.G. (friend of the Garden) in the most profound way. She heads up our book donation project over the holiday seasons, which benefits so many people in our direct community, including our shop! We just love her and everything she stands for.
We loved her debut book for young adults, Life Before, which came out in 2016. Now she's releasing her sophomore effort! It's also for a young adult audience and it's called Antipodes.
Tonight is the launch party for her second book! Cake will be had beginning at 6:30, and remarks will begin at 7:00. You are cordially invited to join us.
Michele's website.
MEET YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR MICHELE BACON
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2018
1:00 PM 3:00 PM
GOOGLE CALENDAR ICS
Michele Bacon writes contemporary fiction for adults and young adults. She often writes about family, friendship, and the blurred line between those two ideas. Michele geeks out over many things, but especially board games, skiing, and international travel.
On October 13th she will present her book Life Before. Everyone believes Xander has a normal life and a normal family. If he can just get through this summer, he'll start his real life in college with a clean slate-no risk, no drama, no fear.
Michele Bacon talks sex in YA and Antipodes.
They’ve called her aggressive. Horny. “More like a boy.” 0
BY MICHELE BACON ON APRIL 4, 2018 CONTEMPORARY, OP-ED
A tiny, itty bit of my new novel, Antipodes, shows a tiny, itty bit of sex. My protagonist, Erin Cerise, is a 17-year-old American teen. Readers see Erin and her American boyfriend during an intimate moment, but never see them have sex. While studying abroad in New Zealand, Erin is aggressive: she tackles a boy she’s been dating, and they have sex off the page.
A few readers have asked why Erin is so forward. They’ve called her aggressive, horny, and “more like a boy.”
They called her aggressive, horny, and “more like a boy.”
CLICK TO TWEET
As a YA novelist, my job is to write truth through fiction. In my first novel, Life Before, protagonist Xander Fife copes with childhood abuse. That is a true experience far too many children and teens live through. Xander also spends much of his journey dreaming about having sex with one specific girl. They make out for five hours, but do not have sex. Again: true experience.
Antipodes is my second YA novel. Before the novel begins, Erin would have done anything to make her American boyfriend, Ben, happy; he chose her, after all. Much later, as a testament to her personal growth, Erin chooses a guy in New Zealand, decides when she’s ready to be intimate with him, and dictates the terms under which they get naked. She is sex-positive, aware of her own desires, and unafraid to ask for what she wants.
And my third YA novel? Hoo Boy! I can’t get into that yet.
###
I take my role as truth teller seriously. Part of my job is to honor teens by not lying to them about how things are. Some teens are abused. Some teens are orphaned. Some teens live in poverty. Some teens suffer crippling anxiety. Some teens make life-or-death decisions. Some teens are raising their siblings.
Here’s the truth about teens and sex: teens of all genders are interested in sex. (Also true: some teens of all genders are disinterested in sex.) Most teens are intimate with one another today, just as most adults were intimate when they were teens.
For hundreds of thousands of years, teens have been having sex.
###
Every two years, as part of their Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention queries teens about their sexual behaviors. The 2015 study found more than 58 percent of high school seniors had engaged in sexual intercourse at least once. This does not take into account teens who were not in heterosexual relationships wherein sexual behavior could be considered “sexual intercourse,” nor does it account for oral sex, anal sex, or other sexual behaviors.
By even CDC’s very conservative definition, a majority of teens have had sex by age 18. And yet, fewer than half of our states require sexual educations in schools. Many states teach abstinence only, which is proven to neither decrease raes of pregnancy and STIs, nor to reduce the number of teens having sex. And, what’s worse, some “sexual education” programs teach teen girls their bodies are meant only for another person’s pleasure.
I’m not providing sexual education, but my protagonists’ experiences will reflect my truth of sex:
Sex feels good. Most humans have sex because it feels good. (I have had sex to procreate literally three times in my life. The results are ages 10, 7, and 5. Fertility was my superpower.)
Sex does not always involve dire consequences.
Sex needn’t be about trauma. It can be about experimenting.
There is no shame in having sex.
The number of sexual partners a person’s had has no bearing on their worth.
Consent is crucial.
Teen sex (and, let’s be real: adult sex, too) can be awkward, messy, and uncomfortable.
Teen sex (and, let’s be real: adult sex, too) can be fun.
Your body is the one thing no one can take away from you. Do what you want with it.
In my characters’ experiences, consent is paramount. If consent is absent, I’ll explore why and the consequences of that.
My characters’ sexual encounters will include prophylactics. Unprotected sex will have real consequences, which may include pregnancy, a sexually-transmitted infection, or a week of full-on panic that one of those things will happen.
I won’t give a character shame for their sexual behavior, unless it’s germane to the story and the character resolves that sham in a positive way.
I owe this to teens. Many adults read my work, but I write for teens. Not for the teens adults remember being, and not for teens parents idealize their children as now, and definitely not for parents of today’s teens.
I don’t think about whether teens having sex is “good” or “bad.” It just is. It is truth.
Yes, Erin Cerise develops a healthy and positive relationship with sex, but sex is not the point of Antipodes. Erin’s journey is about understanding herself and what she wants from life. Her positive relationship with sex is an important but fraction of her complex character.
I have no intention to write someone’s sexual journey. Nor am I writing a manual about how to have sex. (That would be fun! Dr. Lindsey Doe already covers almost everything on her Sexplanations YouTube channel.) I also am not interested in being the go-to resource for teens. (Scarleteen has resources in spades.)
I am here for the truth.
And of course, other authors can and should write books about other truths: teens who are abstaining from sex or feel guilty about sex or stop having sex. Authors can and should write asexual protagonists. All those are awesome. All those are true. Diverse books should include sexual diversity.
But from me, teens will read positive sex with no shame.
24
MAR
2018
Blog Tour: Antipodes by Michele Bacon – Q & A and Giveaway!
Posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways |
Book Tour
Antipodes
Author: Michele Bacon
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Synopsis: When Erin Cerise steps off her plane in Christchurch, New Zealand, she is focused intently on her mission: do something unique that will erase the mess she made of her life on her 17th birthday. She’s already lost her swim team captainship, her boyfriend Ben, and her reputation. Her mother is certain studying abroad will regain Erin’s chances of a good future. Once Erin sees her uninspiring host family and city, though, she’s not so sure.
Before Christchurch, Erin wasn’t always intense and focused. Years ago, a mission sounded like a fun adventure, and the only ivy she cared about was the stuff growing around her grandparents’ back porch at their peaceful Upper Peninsula home. When had her priorities gone upside down?
Now Erin balks at NZ’s itchy school uniforms, cold houses, and her hosts’ utter inability to pronounce her name correctly. Christchurch does boast amazing rock climbing, gorgeous scenery, and at least one guy who could make her forget Ben if she lets him. With months ahead of her, Erin slowly begins to draw on the years behind her, one step back into her memories at a time. As she rebuilds her life from the other side of the world, she finds that when life turns your world upside down and you’re far from home, every way you move takes you closer to where you came from.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Book Depository | Kobo
Where did you get the inspiration for Antipodes?
I lived in New Zealand for over a year, and I knew I wanted to write a book about the landscape and people. Because I’m not a native, my protagonist couldn’t be a native. She needed to be an American teen, and I didn’t want her to be on vacation. I’d been thinking about how many students are pushed into activities to augment their college applications, and I wanted to talk about that.
What kind of books did you like to read growing up?
I liked safe books. I wanted stable, nuclear families and realistic stories. I had no interest in fantasy or science fiction until much later.
What was your favorite part of living in New Zealand?
Kiwis acknowledge a society needs grocers, bus drivers, and rubbish collectors, just as it needs doctors. There certainly are classes within the society, but purposeful divisions are rare. For instance, American universities divide their employees into faculty and staff, but in New Zealand university employees are not segregated. In the States, many people with advanced degrees demand we use their titles. In New Zealand, we called our doctor Robert; he was merely doing his job, like everyone else.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
The Darkest Corners (Thomas), The Fifth Season (Jemison), and Useless Bay (Beaufrand).
What advice do you have to offer aspiring writers?
Work a paying job enough to feed, clothe, and house yourself. Put all the rest of your energy into writing. I once believed I could not be an author, and spent fifteen years doing other work. Now I imagine what stories I might have written if I’d kept my focus on my craft instead. If you want to publish your work, write and read as much as you can.
Michele Bacon writes novel-length fiction for young adults and older adults. When she’s not writing, she’s skiing, playing tabletop games, traveling, or dreaming of travel. She lived in Christchurch, New Zealand for over a year, and is eager to return. Today, Michele lives in Seattle with her partner and three children. She is also the author of Life Before.
Print Marked Items
Bacon, Michele: ANTIPODES
Kirkus Reviews.
(Feb. 15, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Bacon, Michele ANTIPODES Sky Pony Press (Young Adult Fiction) $17.99 4, 3 ISBN: 978-1-5107-2361-0
When her life goes off the rails, 17-year-old Erin, an American high school student, spends a semester
abroad trying to get it back on track.
Erin's overly anxious and status-conscious mother has big plans for her time in New Zealand. She is to work
on her college applications, pursue extracurriculars, and, most of all, transform herself into a stellar Ivy
League applicant. But while the South Island promises beautiful vistas, exciting adventures, and new
friends, Erin's privileged upbringing renders her ill-prepared for her Kiwi host family's modest home. It is
not until she sees the benefits of a slower-paced, nature-filled lifestyle that she begins to appreciate her new
setting. But when her past returns to haunt her, it is up to Erin to decide whether to turn back or keep
looking forward. Flashback chapters unfortunately prove distracting rather than building suspense or
enhancing character development. The unfolding love story is sweet, Erin's metamorphosis is engaging, and
the details about New Zealand are informative, but the narrative is flattened by its own construction. Erin's
best friend back in the States is Indian-American, and her love interest is a sexy, tattooed, athletic Chinese
Kiwi. She also makes some Maori friends; most characters are assumed white.
Epic landscapes and tender moments fail to coalesce. (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bacon, Michele: ANTIPODES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2018. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527248113/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=edf75ac7.
Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A527248113
Bacon, Michele. Antipodes
Kristy Rademacher
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.6 (Feb. 2018): p53.
COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Bacon, Michele. Antipodes. Sky Pony, April 2018. 288p. $17.99. 978-1-5107-2361-0.
3Q * 3P * J * S
Erin is a driven, competitive swimmer on track for Ivy League in one year. Her control-freak mother
micromanages every detail of her daughters life to ensure acceptance to Columbia. The pressure is intense,
and after an unfortunate event goes viral on social media, Erin heads Down Under for a semester abroad,
solely for the purpose of beefing up her college resume. Once there, she is woefully unprepared for cultural
shock, making many mistakes until finally finding her footing, and ultimately herself, during her months in
New Zealand.
Erin is a very unlikeable character for much of the book. She is spoiled, rude, ignorant, and ill-equipped to
handle much of anything outside of her very specific bubble. She complains about the small, poor house in
which she is to live in New Zealand. She has no idea about the country, culture, recent history, or customs of
her new home. She wallows most of the book in self-pity and insults those around her about "superior" life
back home. All of this makes her abrupt attitude change during the last few chapters less believable. The
one saving grace is that chapters alternate between past and present, slowly revealing a very different Erin
from childhood. The chapters set in the present are told in normal, linear time while chapters in the past
move chronologically backwards via flashbacks, affording readers a unique way of understanding better
where Erin lost her way. Purchase Antipodes where additional coming-of-age stories are needed. --Kristy
Rademacher.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Rademacher, Kristy. "Bacon, Michele. Antipodes." Voice of Youth Advocates, Feb. 2018, p. 53. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529357103/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b31e5bc3. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529357103
Antipodes
Jeanne Fredriksen
Booklist.
114.14 (Mar. 15, 2018): p70.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Antipodes.
By Michele Bacon.
Apr. 2018. 288p. Skyhorse/Sky Pony, $17.99 (9781510723610). Gr. 8-12.
Pressured by her parents to excel in everything, Erin is focused on one thing at her overly privileged high
school: Ivy League acceptance. Her promising future nearly dies, though, when a video of her mortifyingly
drunk on her seventeenth birthday goes viral. Now she finds her life has become the antipodes, or opposite,
of what it was. Erin hopes that spending a semester abroad in Christchurch, New Zealand, will heal her
reputation and add a unique factor to her already-impressive resume. However, New Zealand is not what she
expected. No one there does anything "important," yet they're always happy. It takes a few outdoor
adventures with Hank, a friend of her host family, to get Erin to appreciate her temporary home. Slowly, she
falls for Hank and understands the New Zealand belief that enjoyment of what one does is more fulfilling
than always winning. Brief interspersed chapters reveal her past in reverse chronology, anchoring Erin's
personal journey forward. Perfect for readers who yearn to travel abroad or are trying to bridge the
happiness gap.--Jeanne Fredriksen
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Fredriksen, Jeanne. "Antipodes." Booklist, 15 Mar. 2018, p. 70. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A533094586/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=03e89303.
Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A533094586
Bacon, Michele: LIFE BEFORE
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Bacon, Michele LIFE BEFORE Sky Pony Press (Children's Fiction) $16.99 6, 7 ISBN: 978-1-63450-639-7
A teenage runaway makes the best of a bad situation.Xander's had his share of hardships, and he can't wait
to finish high school and go off to college and start his life far away from the small town and painful
memories. But when Xander's rage-filled father kills Xander's mom, things take a sudden turn for the worse.
With his father on the lam, the skinny white teen makes a hasty decision to skip town, armed with a fake ID,
a knife, and a handful of cash, eventually settling in Burlington, Vermont. Running away is just the first of
several increasingly poor decisions Xander makes. Readers will fume as Xander makes boneheaded moves
over and over again. More frustrating is the author's curious decision to ignore the pulpy possibilities
inherent in the novel's premise and turn the latter half of the book into a character study. Unfortunately, the
author's characters don't hold up to much analysis. Xander befriends a black Manic Pixie Dream Girl named
Kat, who is full of groaners like "One of the worst things we can do to people is not see them." The
conversations between Xander and Kat stop the novel's momentum. Who cares about existential angst when
there's a violent killer on the loose tracking down the protagonist?A great concept obliterated by a lack of
focus. (Thriller. 12-16)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bacon, Michele: LIFE BEFORE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2016. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A449241009/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b4299139.
Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A449241009
Bacon, Michele. Life Before
Kim Carter
Voice of Youth Advocates.
39.3 (Aug. 2016): p55+.
COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * J * S * NA * R
Bacon, Michele. Life Before. Sky Pony, Press 2016. 288p. $16.99. 978-1-63450-639-7.
Barely two weeks after his graduation day goes horribly wrong, seventeen-year-old Xander is on the run
from a murderer he knows all too well. Leaving everyone and every place he knows behind for the first time
in his life, Xander finds a place as remote from his Ohio hometown as he can imagine. Instead of spending
the "Infinite Summer" between high school and college with his best friends Jill and Tucker, and enjoying
his barely begun relationship with Gretchen, Xander navigates homelessness and a possible fresh start,
imagining he may just have managed to give the past and his pursuer the slip. It only takes one moment of
complacency on his part, however, to undo all his careful planning and camouflage.
Life Before's first-person narrative quickly captures the reader, delivering a just unpredictable enough roller
coaster ride with successive runs of building tension and release as Xander's first experience of true
independence comes with little preparation and sudden and unexpected urgency. While Life Before does not
offer resources, strategies, or psychological understanding for the highly charged topic of domestic abuse, it
does offer the possibility of relationships that nurture and sustain, and the hope of building a life and identity
beyond denial, fear, and pain. Both a coming-of-age story and a nail-biting thriller, this debut novel will
appeal to a wide range of readers and could be a good book club selection for older teens, especially if
paired with informative resources.--Kim Carter.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Carter, Kim. "Bacon, Michele. Life Before." Voice of Youth Advocates, Aug. 2016, p. 55+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A461445104/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=26f4137e.
Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A461445104