Review: Alexis by Alexis Singer

Alexis by Alexis Singer

At the age of sixteen, Alexis Singer was solicited by, manipulated by, and eventually became involved with a married thirty-seven-year-old man over the Internet. He coerced her into having cybersex with him and sending him explicit photos of herself.
In her debut memoir, Alexis Singer describes how she, a bright student at an arts school in Pittsburgh, first encountered an older man on a message board and how he posed as a friend and father figure who could support and advise her when her own father was physically and emotionally absent. Over the course of a year of online communication, Alexis became emotionally connected to and dependent on this man, whom she had never met. Alexis is the heart-stopping and raw account of Alexis's Internet affair, the turmoil and confusion that plagued her as she became more and more attached through her cyber encounters, and the dark details that ultimately led her to end the relationship. Alexis's recovery from the collateral damage of an affair gone awry continues to this day.

Review:

Alexis was my second Louder Than Words book and I'm so glad I decided to pick it up. Although intense and at times frightening, Alexis was a fantastic debut that I finished in a couple of hours.

To begin with, I really liked Alexis. It must have taken a lot of strength to write her story and share it with the world. I’ve never really understood how young girls get caught up with online predators, but Alexis was very eye opening and proved how one simple message can change someone’s life forever. Alexis was lonely and needed a distraction, and the internet provided just that. It was terrifying to realize there are people out there that would try and seduce a young girl. Alexis was soon caught up in speaking with this particular man and before she knew it things were getting out of hand, but she just couldn’t stop. I was constantly wondering- why is she going this far? Why isn’t she putting an end to this? By reading this memoir it really opened my eyes to how hard it is to extract yourself from a situation like that after you’ve gone one step too far. Alexis was a normal girl, like me, and she could be anyone. It made me rethink everything I’d ever known about online predators and how easy it is to fall subject to one.

I highly recommend picking this up. It’s an emotional and heart breaking read, that will hopefully make an impact on many teenagers today.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5 stars

August 2, 2010/HCI Teens/163 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher

Other books in this series: Hannah, Rae, Emily,Chelsey, Marni 

** I read this book and wrote this review awhile back, but I just realized I'd never posted it!**

Rae Review

Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety, and Social Phobia by Chelsea Rae Swiggett

Publisher: HCI Teens

Release date: August 2, 2010

Source: TLC Book Tours/Publisher

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.

Review:

Rae was my first Louder Than Words novel and it definitely won’t be my last. Reading Chelsea’s story was inspiring and heart breaking. I flew through it in a couple of hours, but Rae will stick in my head for a long time.

Reading about Chelsea’s anxiety and fear, especially at school, was heart breaking. She had such a hard time in high school and every day was a challenge to get through. As a high school student, I know how difficult it can be. I can especially relate to her fear of public speaking. I think every student fears class presentations, and there was a time when I couldn’t do them without shaking and stumbling over my words. That was bad enough, but seeing how every minute was like that for Chelsea was awful. I just wanted to go into the book and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Sharing the worst part of your life with the world is brave and awe inspiring. I applaud Chelsea for opening up, because it makes those suffering from similar problems realize they aren’t alone. I am sure Rae will impact many people, as it did me, and I can’t wait to share this memoir with others.

Chelsea, thank you for sharing your story, and I cannot wait to read your next release.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars