Thursday, August 20, 2015

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King


Please Ignore Vera Dietz was my second A.S. King novel. I had first read Everbody Sees the Ants and really appreciated the unique psychological element that came with the character's narration. Vera was no different. Though rather than having visions of ants here and there influencing your thoughts and actions, Vera saw Charlies. Thousands of Charlies. Charlie was (and is?) Vera's best friend. It had been that way for as long as either of them could remember. But with high school, drugs, alcohol and sex getting in the way they went different directions but maintained an unspoken dedication to one another.

Author, A.S. King
When Charlie dies and is blamed for arson, Vera is overwhelmed with guilt. Her major case of the coulda-woulda-shoulda's is silenced, however, by an upbringing that taught her to bottle it up and fly under the radar. No matter what she encounters she holds onto it which sometimes threatens her safety and causes her dad to further doubt her sense of responsibility.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a young adult novel that accurately portrays the struggles of friendship, community and loss. I felt the greatest lesson to be learned in the novel was to talk about things with those you love and trust and develop a sense of community. If you witness something bad, consider what would happen if you did nothing about it. Consider the lives that could be affected outside of your own. Just because you can walk or drive away from something safely doesn't mean the next person will be so lucky.

Read along and experience the story of Vera as she comes to terms with the past, the present and the future. Watch her develop a sense of responsibility and self-respect as she comes to terms with the loss of Charlie and begins to understand her dad better.

You can borrow Please Ignore Vera Dietz from your local library or purchase it from Amazon.

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