Rae
Author: Chelsea Rae Swiggett
Series: Louder Than Words
Publisher: HCI Teens
How Received: TLC Book Tours
When you're fourteen and trying to deal with the highs, lows, traumas, and humiliations that go along with being a high school freshman, having severe anxiety can become all consuming. Chelsea Rae Swiggett's anxiety has affected every area of her life—school, family, friendships, and romance—ultimately pushing her to lose her voice, withdrawal from everyday life and school, and develop an eating disorder.
The sounds of planes flying overhead could spark a panic attack and something as simple as being called on in class could push her over the edge, convinced that everyone was judging her, mocking her. Faking sickness so she could stay home became her only solution, since she'd rather do anything than face the reality of what happened behind the school's double doors. Rae tells a story all-too-many teens today relate to—what it feels like to see the world through a lens of constant debilitating fear, anxiety, and stress.
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Going into this, I refused to let the fact that I know Chelsea sway my opinion on her book. If anything, I knew I was going to be harder on it, more nit-picky about things.
I shouldn't have worried. Girl can write.
Rae is rather like getting a phone call from your best friend. You get on the phone and she rants about her day, because she needs to get it off her chest. And you listen, because that's what a best friend does, and by the end of it you've forgotten that you were just doing your best friend duty and were actually waiting with bated breath to hear the end of the story. Sure, she gets off track sometimes, and backtracks, but it makes the story just as entertaining.
I have to admit: books that aren't linear annoy the crap out of me. I mean, for fiction, I NEED things to be
linear for a plot, so I give biographies like this a little leeway. But Chelsea had a tendency to jump back and forth between times, which made it a little hard for me to keep up.
However, like I said, girl can write! The entire book was very well written - the quotability factor was skyrocketing through the roof - and her analogies were fantastic. I liked learning (more) about her as the book went on.
The one thing I wish she had made more clear was, actually, her love of reading. Yes, I know she loves to read, and I know she's involved in the book blogging world, but she only mentions it once or twice - and then brings up that she met Kristi as part of the blogging world. You never mentioned you blog! *tear*
But I think everybody can relate to what she went through, at least on some level. Yes, what she had was extreme - which is why it makes such a good story. But she presents herself in such a way that everybody, on some level, is going to connect to her story.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: A solid 8/10. I'm not a biography fan, and the fact that not everything was in time order annoyed me a little bit, but the writing is fantastic and the story something everybody can relate to, at least on some level.
Author Notes: Chelsea runs The Page Flipper, which is one of my favorite blogs ever, and I finally got to meet her in person at BEA. Whenever I bring her up to my mother I describe her as one of my favorite people ever. And it's true.