The Other Side of the Story

Abusive relationships, attempted murders, sexting scandals and school shootings; all negative topics that seem so far away, so unreal that you can't fathom how someone could commit such crimes. These same thoughts flitted through two authors' minds, inspiring them to delve into the stories of these offenders, to tell their side of the story. Watch as both Jennifer Brown and Amy Efaw manage to create empathetic characters out of teens rejected for their wrongdoings in these four books; Bitter End by Jennifer Brown, After by Amy Efaw, Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown and Hate List, also by Jennifer Brown.

Published May 2011, Jennifer Brown tells readers the story of Alex, a highschool senior who's family is still overcome with grief after the death of her mother. When she meets handsome and athletic Cole, their connection is instant and strong but as their relationship continues to develop, she can't help but notice Cole's increasing jealousy and control over her life. Soon Cole starts to become violent, at first with little pinches and threats that soon unfold into punches and kicks. As Alex struggles to understand Cole's change in behaviour, she must ultimately make the decision between her "true love" and herself.

As they investigate the case of an abandoned baby in the dumpster near her apartement, police find straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport home sick from school. Soon, the connection is made; Devon has just given birth to a baby; the baby in the trash is hers. Charged with attempted murder, Devon must struggle through her deep denial of her pregnancy, so deep she refused to believe it was true, while she stays at a juvenile detention centre. If she's tried as an adult, she could face a lifetime in prison. But does Devon really deserve that punishment? Depends on whether you believe her story or not.

In a moment of peer pressure, fear and worry, Ashleigh takes a photo of herself - sans swimsuit - and sends it to her boyfriend Kaleb who is about to leave for college. But after a bad break-up, Kaleb takes revenge on her by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon, the photo has gone viral, Ashleigh is losing friends and Kaleb has been charged with child pornography. Ashleigh feels completely alone, that is, until she meets Mack, the one person who got the photo and didn't look, while serving her court-ordered community service. With Mack, Ashleigh finally comes to the conclusion that while a picture may be worth a thousand words, it doesn't always tell the whole story.

What started off as an easy way to blow-off steam against a classmate turned into a terrible tragedy as Valerie's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school classmates in their cafeteria. His reason? To truly get back at those on the Hate List they both created. Five months later, Valerie is still trying to confront her guilt as she returns to her last year of high school. Still haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves, Valerie has to learn to navigate rocky relationships with family, former friends and the girl who's life she saved while still trying to move on with her life.

All in all, I have to say that all of these books were powerful, thought-provoking and riveting. If I had to pick just one, it would definitely be After by Amy Efaw because of the ending. While it was heartbreaking, it was also so fitting for Devon Davenport's character. I personally couldn't think of a better way to end it! Of course though, all Jennifer Brown's books have a way of drawing you in until you can't stop reading. The most powerful, in my opinion, is Hate List - it was actually the first book of hers that I read! So SD, let go of those vampire and werewolf ridden teen romances and try one of these books out!

Aamenah Meghjee