Stork, Francisco X.
THE MEMORY OF LIGHT
New  York : Arthur A. Levine, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 978-0-545-47432-0

Trigger Warning: book & review contain information about suicide that can be triggering to survivors and those who have been affected. The day after an attempted suicide, teenager Vicky finds herself very much alive in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Her rigid and demanding father expects her to return home immediately, buck up, and get back to school before she fails her classes. But something in Vicky knows that she won’t survive at home unless she really understands what drove her to try and take her own life. Vicky, her therapist, and three other teens who are working through their own mental health crises, create a small community where they learn how to live--truly live--one moment at a time. Just when Vicky is starting to see a path forward for herself, the tiny group implodes, forcing Vicky to finally assess what is important to her, and if she will fight for it. What I loved most about this book is that the way that the characters--from all walks of life--normalize the struggle with mental health. Using the tools of mindfulness, they show readers how to move through trauma, pain, and shame and into healing and self-acceptance. --Leighanne Law Teacher-Librarian , Scriber Lake High School Evergreen Book Award Nominees 2018-19