Lucy+in+the+Sky

Leslie McLean EDN 352 February 11, 2013 Adolescent Novel Wiki

Anonymous. //Lucy in the sky//. New York: Simon Pulse, 2012. Print.
 * APA Reference:**

A sixteen year old girl, who remains nameless, gets a journal from her loving brother, Cam, for her birthday, which happens to be July 4th. He bought the journal for her when their yoga instructor explained that they should write about their feelings. The girl goes on to describe her daily activities and feelings about these activities, much like a diary, to help her handle her emotions. The novel is written in the style of her writing in her journal and is said to be the "diary that she left behind". She writes in her journal almost daily, keeping track of all of the events that happen during her adventures with her new friends: Ross, Lauren, Blake, Ian, and Astrid. Her new friends, and her new bond to her older brother, influence her to go down a path of partying and heavy drugs. It starts with a party, where she experiences her first taste of alcohol (beer and wine coolers) and her first taste of marijuana. She goes on to smoke marijuana multiple times, but eventually her friends introduce her and persuade her to try cocaine, then lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and it gradually goes from one heavy drug to another until she overdoses on heroin. This lifestyle also includes her making dangerous choices, like driving under the influence and unprotected sex. While she does not knowingly suffer from any of the possible consequences of unprotected sex, though she does not get tested, so there is still the chance that she did, she did get in a minor car accident when she drove under the influence. While the car accident was not caused by her intoxication but by her reading a text message, she did get arrested when the police officer came to investigate the accident and discovered the three people in her vehicle were all under the influence, and one was carrying marijuana. The judge gave them community service and had them go to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Her parents find out about everything that she has done after they bail her out of jail, and they become very strict about everything she does. She is given some freedom from her parents, and that is when her friends start influencing her to try more dangerous drugs. While at a party with friends, she sees that the boys are "shooting up" what she believes is methamphetamine (meth), and she decides that she wants to be a part of that and has them inject her, though she does not know exactly what they are doing. This is when she overdoses on heroin, not knowing what it was. Once she recovers from overdosing, she goes through rehab far from her friends and family. She does not remember anything that had happened that night, and is not told that it was heroin until the psychologist at the rehab clinic tells her. When she leaves the rehab clinic, and her brother tells her everything she did not know about that night, things start to look up for her, it seems as though she is going to make it through and clean up her act, but one more party and the book ends with her obituary.
 * Summary:**

This is an interesting and entertaining story of a young girl and how making choices at any age can determine one's future. While it might not be the happy ending that most people want out of a story, it is an influential and cautionary tale that panders more toward the modern times than the very similar //Go Ask Alice//. The writing style is that of the modern teenage girl, with a few "OMG"s and adding multiple letters to emphasize a point, but this does not take away from the story in any way and instead helps with the concept of it being a diary that was left behind. It is a compelling story about addiction and dangerous decisions, which could easily appeal to any adolescent who has struggled with the idea of trying drugs, struggles with peer pressure, or questions their decisions about not partaking in the dangerous activities because they are the same activities that their friends are doing and they are worried they are missing out. It is a cautionary tale, and it does not reflect every person who participates in these activities, but it is a story that could be discussed in a classroom in a deep, enriching conversation.
 * Critique:**


 * Interdisciplinary Connections**:
 * English/Language Arts:
 * Students could write their own journals for a week, focusing on any situations where they felt as though they were being pressured to do something they did not want to do.
 * Students could write letters to local rehab centers about how they wish the patients are doing well, and that they believe in them and support them in their recovery.
 * Students could write their feelings of the story in poem, short story, or essay format.
 * History:
 * A timeline of events could be made for the story.
 * If mentioning //Go Ask Alice// or //Jay's Journal//, a timeline of those stories and a discussion about how those times are similar and different from the times in this more modern story.
 * A discussion of the history of drugs, such as original uses for them and when it was discovered the negative side effects and when they were made illegal.
 * Arts:
 * The entire style of the novel is that of a journal, and the entire point of the journal is for her to express herself. This story could be used as inspiration for expression and discussion about appropriate ways to express yourself and handle struggles, particularly ways that are alternatives to drugs.
 * Art and history could be combined to compare and contrast the art of the times during the stories //Go Ask Alice//, //Jay's Journal//, and //Lucy in the Sky//.
 * Health/Science:
 * A lesson based on the side effects of drugs, and how they effect the human body.
 * A discussion about the side effects of drugs, both immediate and long lasting as well as addiction, dependency, tolerance, and withdrawals,
 * A discussion about the dangers of unprotected sex and driving under the influence.
 * Social Skills:
 * Discussions about peer pressure and different ways to either avoid being in situations where friends would be pressuring students to do things or ways to turn their friends down comfortably.
 * Discussions about the long lasting social consequences of drugs, alcohol, and unprotected sex