Goodbye Strangers
Stead, R. (2015). Goodbye strangers. NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
Summary
Bridge, Tab and Emily have been best friends forever. Bridge
suffered a near death experience and is now secretly suffering from anxiety. Tab is heavily involved in social justice. Emily is totally engrossed in social
media and her changing body. Now entering the seventh grade together, they have
vowed to never fight.
The story is told by Bridge. She comes from a pretty stable
family, a little eclectic (cat ears to school every day) and a bit of a people
pleaser. She lands the attention of a fellow student name Sherm. They began a
friendship that is grounded in genuineness and a mutual understanding.
Things start to change when Emily reveals to Bridge that a
boy name Patrick is pressuring her to send a risky pic of herself. She is torn
but decides to help her do it. This proves to be a big mistake! The pic is sent
to the entire school and they get in trouble. To get back at Patrick, Tab
decide to send out the pic that he initially sent to Emily. She figured that
would-be justice and that he would then know how it felt to be ridiculed. It
backfires and they all quickly learn that there is a double standard when it
comes to how the same issues are dealt with based on gender.
The rife between the girls is huge. They eventually fall
back on their promise to every fight and find their way back to each other
strengthening old friendships, new friendships, dignity and love.
Reflection
Goodbye
Stranger is a delightful read. It deals with the issues of social media, the
dangers of it and the consequences for poor decisions. It shows that through
true friendship and strong family support that young people can endure tough
adversities and come out on top.
The following books are by the author.
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