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　　1895年，德国医生Kummell首次报道了6例迟发性椎体压缩性骨折，其共同特点为：患者曾有轻微外伤史，数月或数周后疼痛消失，但数月或数年后症状复发、加重并出现脊柱后凸畸形。此后文献中将其称之为Kummell病，但详细报道及研究并不多见。近20年来，随着骨质疏松症研究及影像学技术的不断深入发展，对Kummell病的报道逐渐增多。现将有关文献作一简要综述。
　　1　病因
　　多数学者认为，Kummell病系由椎体的缺血性坏死所引起。骨骼系统的缺血性坏死常见于股骨头、腕骨、距骨及肱骨等。由于这些骨骼的血供以单一终末动脉为主，当受到创伤及其它因素干扰时很容易导致缺血性坏死。然而，尽管椎体压缩性骨折的发生率较高，且椎体血供来自椎动脉的终末支，但椎体的缺血性坏死却十分少见。 Benedek和Nicolas〔1〕认为，Kummell病是椎体骨损伤与修复过程相互影响、相互作用的结果。首先，椎体在外力作用下可发生松质骨(通常也包括终板)的微骨折。由于椎体本身原已存在的病理性改变，椎体骨小梁往往不能有效地承受载荷，轻微外力即可引起骨折。这一类型的微骨折用常规影像学检查方法又不易被发现。其次，椎体骨小梁的微骨折一般情况下比较容易愈合，但在原发疾病基础上如存在骨重建的负平衡则骨折往往难以修复，因此可产生一系列继发病理改变如椎体血供损害、骨内出血及形成Schmorl结节等。与此同时，在骨折愈合过程中如载荷超出椎体承受能力，也将使骨折的修复重建受到极大干扰。在上述内在和／或外在因素作用下脊柱的承载能力势必受到损害，此时即使轻微外力可使已发生微骨折的椎体塌陷。
　　在与椎体缺血性坏死可能有关的诸多病因中，以骨质疏松症最为多见。 Nicolas等〔2〕、Brower和Downey〔3〕于80年代初提出骨质疏松症是引起迟发性椎体压缩性骨折的主要原因，并指出此类病例的主要临床特点为见于中老年患者、部分有长期应用激素历史、创伤轻微或无明确创伤史。然而，尽管椎体压缩性骨折是骨质疏松症最为常见的临床表现之一，但椎体骨坏死在骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折病例中仍不多见。目前对骨质疏松与椎体骨坏死的关系尚缺乏详细研究。Laloux等〔4〕认为，造成椎体骨坏死的原因可能有二：①骨髓内血管长期受到挤压刺激导致脂肪变性；②严重骨质疏松基础上微骨折使椎体内小动脉发生损伤。
　　除此之外，Allen和Jinkins〔5〕曾报告1例小儿胰腺炎并发椎体骨坏死，Herman等〔6〕报告1例Gaucher病患者并发椎体骨坏死。Kummell病也可见于椎体骨髓炎〔7、8〕、长期接受激素治疗及放疗〔9〕、多发性骨髓瘤〔10〕、脊柱结核〔11〕以及大量饮酒者〔12〕。
　　2　临床表现和诊断
　　此病多见于老年患者，偶见于青少年及儿童。发病部位绝大多数位于胸腰椎。
　　2．1　症状和体征
　　自创伤发生至出现迟发性临床症状的时间长短不等，最早可在伤后数周出现而迟者可在伤后数年方被发现，其间一般无症状。 Baba等〔13〕报告27例，从受伤至症状发作时间为1个月～1．5年，平均5．3个月。
　　患者一般均有明显的腰背部疼痛，疼痛及压痛部位与首次外伤后部位相同。但与一般骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折相比，其疼痛程度更为剧烈，合并神经系统损害的发生率也明显要高。由于椎体发生进行性塌陷，在骨折局部可出现后凸畸形及椎管狭窄。患者常有明显的神经根性疼痛，严重者还可因脊髓、圆锥及马尾损害而表现出相应的症状和体征。
　　2．2　影像学检查
　　影像学检查可显示椎体的塌陷及后凸畸形，按Denis三柱理论分类可分属压缩骨折或爆裂骨折〔13〕。但其中最具特征性的征象当属真空现象(vacuum phenomenon)。真空现象实际上是指气体聚积于关节腔、椎间盘或骨内，椎间盘内气体的发生率在X线平片上一般为1％～20%〔14〕，而在40岁以上人群脊柱CT扫描的阳性率接近50%〔15〕，但椎体内的气体聚积却并不常见。1978年Maldague等〔9〕报告6例迟发性椎体塌陷时首次报告位于椎体内的真空现象，认为其属椎体缺血性坏死之典型征象。Kumpan等〔10〕对2000例X线平片作回顾性分析，仅发现17例存在椎体内真空现象，其中女性11例，男性6例，年龄51～81岁。均有椎体骨折及塌陷，发生部位为T5～L3，其中T11～L1占10例。这一以椎体内气体聚积为特征的真空现象可因脊柱后伸而增强〔9、10〕。此外，尚有人〔16〕报道椎体内气体可向腰大肌内扩散。
　　关于椎体内真空现象的MRI研究近年来也陆续有报道。 Naul等〔12〕对5例椎体缺血性坏死患者的MRI检查结果进行分析，指出其特征性表现系与X线平片所示真空裂隙位置相一致的MR信号变化：在T1加权像上为极低信号，而在T2加权像上为明显高信号，周围尚有低信号带包绕。与股骨头缺血性坏死时MRI所示的“双边征”十分相似。该作者认为，这一特征性表现可与恶性肿瘤或骨髓炎之改变相鉴别。后者虽然在T1加权像上亦表现为低信号，T2加权像上亦为高信号，但其T2加权像上信号范围更为弥散，强度亦不如缺血性坏死时改变那么强烈。Chevalier等〔17〕认为， MRI对于椎体压缩性骨折的诊断具有重要价值。当原发病变为良性(如骨质疏松或骨坏死)时椎体后缘向后突出成角；原发病变为恶性时则椎体后缘向后呈球形突出。但Tan等〔18〕指出，MRI对于椎体压缩性骨折的诊断并无特异性，他们报告4例MRI诊断为转移性的病例，最后证实为良性病变。Malghen等〔19〕指出，椎体内真空现象在T2加权像上显示为高信号，提示其可能原因为裂隙内气体已为液体所取代。他们对9例患者进行观察，发现当脊柱后伸时裂隙内出现气体而前屈时消失， MRI则在脊柱后伸时T2加权像显示为低信号或无信号，前屈时信号强度明显加强。 Dupuy等〔20〕报告了3例病例，其MRI检查提示塌陷椎体内有液体聚积。
　　最近，Lafforgue等〔21〕就椎体内真空现象的病理学实质提出质疑。他们对19名患者23处椎体内真空现象的影像学资料作了分折，并与199名骨质疏松患者708处无椎体真空现象的椎体压缩性骨折的影像学资料进行比较，结果在与23处椎体内真空现象相邻的椎间盘内，有19处发现有气体聚积，而在对照组中则仅有9处(13%)有椎间盘内气体聚积，其差异有非常显著之统计学意义(P＜0.0001)。如果仅将两组之X线平片资料进行比较，则椎体内真空现象组椎间盘内气体阳性率为50％，对照组仅为9．9％，统计学差异亦非常显著(P＜0.0001)。他们还发现有6例影像学资料似乎提示椎间盘及椎体内气体经骨折的终板而相通。据此，该作者分析以下可能：①有裂隙的椎间盘和椎体在某些患者有产生气体之倾向，其原因尚不明确，可能与年龄老化有关；②气体产生于骨折缺血的椎体内，然后经由终板进入有裂隙的椎间盘内，气体产生之来源不明；③气体产生于连接发生骨质疏松性骨折椎体的椎间盘内，如终板仍保持完整则气体不进入椎体，如终板骨折则气体经终板进入椎体。
　　2．3　活组织检查
　　明确有活组织检查的报道不多〔22～24〕。其中Gagnerie等〔23〕报告 l例多发性骨髓瘤病例经化疗、放疗及激素治疗后出现椎体内真空现象，经活检证实为骨缺血性坏死而无复发。
　　3　治疗
　　骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折本身并非手术指征，但由于Kummell病患者因椎体进行性塌陷及畸形，多表现为难以缓解的疼痛及神经压迫症状，因而常需要手术治疗。手术治疗所面对的第一个问题就是骨质疏松患者脊柱骨骼承载能力的明显下降，这一问题在使用经椎弓根螺钉内固定器械行后路手术时往往显得十分突出。目前对于这一问题看法并不一致，一种意见认为，严重骨质疏松应视为经椎弓根器械的手术禁忌证，即使骨质疏松程度不严重也应将螺钉穿透椎体前缘骨皮质或使用骨水泥、椎板钩等加强内固定；另一种意见则认为除个别部位外，骨质疏松并非手术禁忌证。手术治疗的第二个难点在于骨质疏松患者多已进入老年，全身情况差，并存疾病多，手术风险较大。再者骨质疏松患者行融合手术后愈合速度较慢，术后根据影像学检查判断是否融合常遇到困难。
　　Kaneda等〔25〕报告22例骨质疏松性迟发性椎体塌陷，其中引起脊髓损害12例，圆锥损害3例，马尾损害7例。计Frankel C级5例，D级17例，均采用前路椎体切除减压后植入生物陶瓷椎间假体，并以Kaneda器械固定。随访22～58个月(平均2年10个月)，恢复至Frankel D级8例(其中3例术前即为D级，但术后肌力明显增加)， E级14例，植骨融合及后凸畸形矫正均满意。Chou和Knight〔24〕报告1例L4椎体坏死行前路切除椎体后植入异体肋骨未作内固定，疗效满意。但也有人〔14〕认为后路经椎弓根内固定手术创伤小，可同时矫正后凸畸形，同样可取得满意疗效。
　　作者单位：第二军医大学附属长征医院骨科　200003　上海市
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Neck anatomy is a well-engineered structure of bones, nerves, muscles, ligaments and tendons. The cervical spine (neck) is delicate—housing the spinal cord that sends messages from the brain to control all aspects of the body—while also remarkably strong and flexible, allowing movement in all directions.
The neck is connected to the upper back through a series of seven vertebral segments.Watch:
The neck begins at the base of the skull and through a series of seven vertebral segments connects to the
(the upper back). With its complex and intricate construct, and the many stresses and forces that can be placed on it through a trauma or even just daily activities, the cervical spine is at risk for developing a number of painful conditions.
This article explores how the neck functions and how spinal anatomy relates to common causes of cervical neck pain, a stiff neck, arm pain, and other symptoms of cervical spine disorders.
Article continues below
The Cervical Spine: Roles and Functionalities
The cervical spine performs several crucial roles, including:
Housing and protecting the spinal cord. A bundle of nerves that extends from the brain and runs through the cervical spine and thoracic spine (upper and middle back) prior to ending just before the
(lower back), the spinal cord relays messages from the brain to the rest of the body.
Supporting the head and its movement. The cervical spine literally shoulders a big load, as the head weighs on average between 10 and 13 pounds. In addition to supporting the head, the cervical spine allows for the head's flexibility, including rotational, forward/back and side bending motions.
Facilitating flow of blood to the brain. Vertebral openings (vertebral foramen) in the cervical spine provide a passageway for vertebral arteries to pass and ensure proper blood flow to the brain. These openings are present only in the vertebrae of the cervical spine.
Cervical Spine Anatomy and Neck Pain
The cervical vertebrae play a key role in maintaining these functions in the neck.
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Neck strains affect the the muscles and tendons of the cervical spine, while neck sprains are ligament injuries.See what a cervical herniated disc looks like and understand its symptoms, causes, and treatments in this animated cervical herniated disc video. Neck pain and stiffness may be the result of cervical degenerative disc disease. While more common in the lumbar spine, DDD can occur in the neck as well.Whiplash is an injury to the cervical region of the spine when a great force causes the neck to go beyond its normal range of motion.
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Get the latest news about back pain and other health and wellness topics direct to your inbox. It's Free!施柏恩医生集团主要治疗哪些疾病？_百度知道Ashley Salazar
$15 / 14 +
Release date: January 24, 2012
One of my guilty pleasures is reality television (sad, but true); two of my must-see shows are MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom. When I learned that Ashley Salazar, featured in the second season of 16 & Pregnant, had written a book, I knew I’d be reading it.
Ashley got pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, Justin, after they broke up. Neither felt like they were ready to be parents and decided to choose adoption for their child. Ashley’s aunt and uncle ended up adopting the baby, a girl named Callie.
Bittersweet Blessing chronicles Ashley’s story from beginning (her brief relationship with Justin and their subsequent hook up) to end (attending college in New York City, but ultimately deciding it wasn’t the right fit). Those familiar with Ashley’s story from watching her episode or reading her blog know that she was never 100% with her decision of adoption and even briefly took Callie back from her aunt and uncle to see if she was, in fact, capable of raising a child.
The book really doesn’t cover any new ground in terms of Ashley’s story, but readers will gain insight into her thought process, as well as what it was like filming for MTV. All in all, it’s truly a realistic portrayal of teen pregnancy. A sure bet for fans of the show or readers enamored with books featuring teen pregnancy, such as
Interestingly, Farrah Abraham (fellow 16 & Pregnant alumna and one of the girls featured on Teen Mom) has a book due out in April, also published by MTV Press, called
(let’s hope that’s not the final cover).
Reviewed from copy borrowed from the library
Girl Meets Boy
edited by Kelly Milner Halls
$16.99 / 14+
Release date: December 28, 2011
About four years ago, I went on a first date with a guy I met on the Internet. We had exchanged a few e-mails and decided to meet up for coffee. Our coffee date turned into going to see a movie, and then that led to even more coffee (served by a surly waitress) at a 24-hour diner. It was a pretty epic first date.
While I got in my car after saying goodbye not thinking any one thing in particular, my date got in his truck and said to himself, “Well, I’ll never see her again.” He thought I hadn’t liked him.
In fact, I did like him and he did see me again. Actually, we got married a couple of months ago.
There are two sides to every story, the concept explored in . 12 YA authors teamed up present a love story from both sides, so the reader gets the “whole” story. Short story collections don’t do very well at my library, so I tend to ignore them, but the unique approach and inclusion of popular authors convinced me to give this a go. I was pleasantly surprised.
The diversity packed in to 200 or so pages is kind of amazing– characters identify as Native American, gay/transgendered, and Muslim (living in Iowa, no less). An interracial couple rounds things out. Suffice it to say, there’s something for everyone, and that makes it a good fit for most collections.
The first two stories are a bit steamy, which will either pull readers in or put off a reader looking for something a bit more chaste. Fortunately, the beauty of a short story collection is that one doesn’t need to read the entire thing. This will be an easy sell for fans of the contributing authors or teens who enjoy dual perspectives. [If this is an odd thing to note, I had a teen who came the library regularly a few years ago that was always looking for titles told from both points of view. She usually referenced
by Wendelin Van Draanen.] To that end, it pairs nicely with Pete Hautman’s , which is also a romance told from both character’s point of view. It might also work for female fans of guy-centric contemporary fiction, such as ,
Check out the book trailer for Girl Meets Boy .
Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher.
Francesca Lia Block
$17.99 / 14+
Release date: January 24, 2012
Before she was Weetzie Bat, cruising through the City of Angels with Dirk, she was Louise Bat, confused by the demise of her parents’ marriage and bullied by the mean girls at school.
At the beginning of seventh grade, Weetzie’s father has left his family and in response, her mother has become a full-fledged alcoholic. Weetzie tries to step up and take responsibility, hoping that her father is somehow omnipresent and will return when he sees how good she is. But it doesn’t work.
School is difficult, too. Her best friends (twin sisters) have moved away, and Weetzie is left to face the realities of junior high alone. She doesn’t have the right shoes and she hasn’t filled out yet, making her an easy target for Staci Nettles and her posse of mean girls.
Mysterious new neighbors and genuine friends help Weetzie survive, and give her the impetus to seek beauty all around her.
I discovered Block when I was 14 and her words changed my life. I spent most of high school fawning over her passages of lyrical prose (I copied my favorites onto notecards). I so wanted to be Weetzie Bat, but life in a small town in upstate New York wasn’t quite so magical and I didn’t quite have the guts. [I did, however, find my Dirk, and took him to my senior prom. Unfortunately, there was no My Secret Agent Lover Man until much later.]
It’s easy for me to see Pink Smog as Block’s gift to her long-time (and even more recent) fans, answering a very important question: how, exactly, did Weetzie become Weetzie? Certainly, the book provides part of the answer (her father’s leaving as the motivation to seek beauty and not get sucked in to the ugliness of the world), and it makes perfect sense. But although it brings back her most beloved character, Pink Smog is not Block’s finest work. Sure, it includes her signature touches of magical realism, but what’s missing are her lush descriptions and intricate characterizations. These have always been hallmarks of Block’s work for me, so although I enjoyed the tale of young Weetzie, I was left feeling not quite satisfied.
Still, Pink Smog is a slim tome likely to entice reluctant readers, the pink-washed cover will attract just the right girl and Block’s die-hard fans will still love it. Hand new readers Weetzie Bat first and advise them to save Pink Smog for after they’ve fallen in love.
(very well done, in my opinion!)
Source: reviewed from ARC provided by publisher
by Martha Schabas
Trapped between the hormone-driven world of her friends and the discontent of her dysfunctional family, fourteen-year-old Georgia is only completely at ease when she’s dancing. When she is accepted into Canada’s preeminent ballet school, Georgia thinks it is the perfect escape. Artistic Director Roderick Allen singles her out as a star, subjecting her to increasingly intensive training, and Georgia obsesses about becoming the perfect, disciplined student. But as she spends more and more time with Roderick, it’s not so clear exactly what their relationship means. Is he her teacher and mentor, or is there something more? These blurred lines will threaten both Roderick’s future at the academy and Georgia’s ambitions as a ballerina. (description )
by Sophie Flack
As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet. But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah’s universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other “bunheads” in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life? (description )
by Jodi Lundgren
Finally, Natalie’s turned fifteen.
She’s officially a grown-up (just tell her mother that) and ready for anything.
School is out, and she and her best friend Sasha are going to be practicing with their dance team all summer. Dancing is Natalie’s passion — it’s what got her through the break-up of her parents’ marriage, and her father’s move halfway across the country. Now she needs it more than ever as she tries to navigate the unpredictable world of older boys — specifically Kevin, Sasha’s older brother — and learn the difference between love and lust. When her friendship with Sasha goes on the rocks, her relationship with Kevin goes too far, and her mother reveals a shocking truth, Natalie finds strength in her dancing. Will it be enough? And what will happen when a new teacher introduces her to the world of modern dance–will she find the confidence to take it on? (description )
by Stasia Ward Kehoe
When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she’s deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem’s muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she’s chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? (description )
by Richard Bernstein
In 1977, when Zhongmei Lei was eleven years old, she learned that the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy was having open auditions. She’d already taken dance lessons, but everyone said a poor country girl would never get into the academy, especially without any connections in the Communist Party of the 1970s. But Zhongmei, whose name means Faithful Plum, persisted, even going on a hunger strike, until her parents agreed to allow her to go. She traveled for three
days and two nights to get to Beijing and eventually beat out 60,000 other girls for one of 12 coveted spots. But getting in was easy compared to staying in, as Zhongmei soon learned. Without those all-important connections she was just a little girl on her own, far away from family. But her determination, talent, and sheer force of will were not something the teachers or other students expected, and soon it was apparent that Zhongmei was not to be underestimated.
Zhongmei became a famous dancer, and founded her own dance company, which made its New York debut when she was in just her late 20s.
In A Girl Named Faithful Plum, her husband and renowned journalist, Richard Bernstein, has written a fascinating account of one girl’s struggle to go from the remote farmlands of China to the world’s stages, and the lengths she went to in order to follow her dream. (description )
What’s up with all the ballerina books?! These are all on my to read list, though I’m probably most anxious to dive into Bunheads since it is a .
For information on the book club program, click .
Download a .pdf here:
This past weekend I attended KidLitCon in Seattle. I I left feeling more invigorated about blogging (and obviously my blog needs some love!) and I’m excited to put into practice what I learned over the course of the conference.
Aside from enjoying a few days in sub-90-degree temperatures, some things that have stuck with me:
- On the Bloggers and Writers and Pubs! Oh My! panel, it was stressed that a critical review doesn’t affect the relationship between the blogger and relationship. I think this is super important, and it was actually something that came up more than once over the course of the conference. Often, a publisher can learn more from a critical review than one that simply heaps praise on the title.
- One is Silver and the Other’s Gold: A Discussion on Blogging Backlist vs. New Releases, and Why It Doesn’t Have to Be Versus further convinced me that blogging backlist (roughly, titles that are 6 months or so past their publication date) is good and sometimes even better than blogging new releases. There’s the potential to review the series as a whole [I recently plowed through the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart, so I'm contemplating doing just that], the chance to draw attention to titles that weren’t very buzzed about, and the opportunity to be a bit different when everyone else is talking about the same four titles.
- Perhaps my favorite session was The Fantastic New World of Book Apps for Children. Despite being an iPhone/iPad user and an individual generally interested in children’s literature (in any form), I had never even looked at a book app. The panelists gave a great run-down of aspects to consider when evaluating an app and provided some good and bad examples. My (very talented) fiance is , so we had an interesting discussion when I got home. I may even dip
my toes in the pool of book app reviews.
- I also enjoyed the discussion in Managing the Privacy Line: Your Blog, Your Kids, Your Readers, and You. I blog and tweet under my (real, full) name, mostly because I do this as an extension of my professional activities and it would seem pointless to NOT do it as myself. But it did have me considering how much information I would reveal about my future children, or if I do already put too much information out there.
- And, of course,
and I, along with
joining in virtually, presented Going Deep: The Hows and Whys of Blogging Critically. Thanks to everyone who attended our session. I don’t think we covered even half the material we had prepared, which was good because it meant people were discussing and asking questions. It was great to read some of the tweets that resulted from our session, like . For some insight into what we discussed during the session, check out Abby’s post .
Finally, huge props to Jackie and Colleen for organizing such a fabulous conference. Everything was so perfect I can’t imagine the amount of time they spent putting it together. Job well done!
If you ever have the opportunity to attend, KidLitCon is worth every penny.
About a year ago, my co-worker and I had the opportunity to facilitate a parent/child book club. Our library had been awarded a generous grant from Target (yay Target) to fund the program. The book club was designed for children 5- to 7-years-old and their parents. Regis our budget limited us to 10 families per meeting. We worked out a registration system that seemed fair (we announced in advance when we would begin taking names and did allo attendance was confirmed prior to the program to open up spots for those on the waiting list) and generally did not have a problem with people registering but not showing up (which was great, since we generally don’t require registration for our programs).
Each program was centered around one book. We had a list of themes that were listed in the grant that we had to work with, and titles were chosen accordingly. The format for each program was basically the same. The book was read aloud to the group (by either myself or my co-worker), followed by a handful of discussion questions and then each family was given a copy of the book to keep. We usually asked the parents and children to reread the book together while we passed out supplies for a learning activity. After the learning activity, families were free to go. Children were given a snack (such as a granola bar and a juice box) and a reading incentive (such as a “Reading is Cool” rubber bracelet). Each family was also given a list of related library resources and suggested activities to try at home.
The book club was an extremely fun program to run, and parents responded very positively to it (of course, it didn’t hurt that their child got a book, a snack and a nice incentive to take home). It’s possible to implement the program with a much smaller budget (I forget how much we had to work with, but I believe it was close to $5000). I’ll be sharing some of my program outlines for book club on the blog this week. First up: Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni– a cute story about friendship and, as you’ll see, science, too!
Download a .pdf here:
$16.99 / 14 +
Release date: September 20, 2011
Eleanor Crowe is 16, rebellious, and pregnant. Faced with the option of following her missionary parents back to Kenya and allowing her older sister to adopt her child or marrying her underachieving boyfriend, Lam, she chooses the latter. The newlyweds set up house for the summer at Lam’s parents’ summer camp for overweight kids. In exchange for room and board, the two are required to help out. Eleanor approaches the situation with a negative attitude. She’s not thrilled about living in a cabin in the middle of the woods, having to put her bathrobe on to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or working with the campers. She’s also convinced that her in-laws are out to get her, as they are less than thrilled with the recent turn of events in their son’s life.
As expected, Eleanor’s new husband isn’t a shoo-in for father of the year. Between his choosing to go out drinking with friends on their wedding night and cheating on Eleanor with another counselor, Eleanor quickly realizes she married a loser. Fortunately, she develops friendships with some of her fellow counselors and even becomes close to one of her campers, a girl named Banner. The time Eleanor spends leading dance classes and helping out in the crafts cabin helps her to realize that she actually does like kids and is, in fact, pretty good with them. Eleanor vacillates between wanting to keep her child and knowing she doesn’t have all the resources to provide for it, particularly with Lam being the way he is.
A tragic accident on the day of Eleanor’s scheduled c-section is the catalyst for a series of disappointments that force Eleanor to stand up for herself and her baby and make her own (unexpected) way in life.
This book almost has a little bit too much going on (unplanned pregnancy + loser boyfriend + absent parents + accident + special needs baby) for me. I really hated Eleanor’s parents. Who goes back to Kenya (twice!) when your 16-year-old daughter clearly needs you?! Lam’s parents weren’t much better, but seemed to have a better understanding of the situation. I did like that Eleanor had such a strong personality. It was easy to see how that got her into trouble but in the end it was also the thing that saved her. I was glad she could pull through numerous disappointments without completely breaking down. While this is more a middle of the road offering for me (I wish one or two of the dramatic elements at
it would have made the story more believable), I think teens who like their contemporary fiction with a side of drama will eat this up with a spoon. And hopefully stay away from loser boys afterwards.
Source: Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher/ NetGalley
Bristol Palin
$25.99 / adult
Release date: June 21, 2011
The world knows who Bristol Palin is. The daughter of the Republican vice presidential candidate in the 2008 elections, Bristol was thrust into the spotlight and endured intense scrutiny after the media became aware of the 17-year-old’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy. But do we really know the truth? Bristol sets the records straight in Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far. [The title
as an upper-middle-class white girl from a prominent family, I'm not really sure what she has to be afraid of.]
Bristol opens with a serious allegation against baby daddy Levi Johnson: that he took her virginity on a camping trip while she was too drunk to know what was going on. Although this is clearly an incident of rape, if Bristol’s account is wholly true, that word is never mentioned (which is unfortunate). In fact, she doesn’t even break up with him! However, she does tell them they won’t be having sex again until marriage, and he respects her choice.
Bristol recounts her upbringing in Alaska, which is, surprisingly, very interesting. Life in Alaska seems tough, and I can see why Alaskans have a lot of state pride. Bristol’s life is fairly average until her mother is elected governor. [Did you know that the capital of Alaska (Juneau) is not accessible by car? I find that fascinating.] She provides a peek into what life was like at the governor’s mansion (she didn’t care for the decor in her bedroom, they had a live-in chef for a brief time), though she was never very happy there.
Of course, Bristol’s life gets a lot more interesting when she discovers she’s pregnant with Levi’s baby– and her mother is announced as McCain’s running mate. Although Bristol’s statements to the effect of “the world was out to get my mother” sound pathetic [Sure, I'd be upset if people were saying untrue things about my mother, particularly in a public forum, but her mother is in politics, and did she not hear what people were saying about Obama? It goes both ways.], the campaign trail from the perspective of a 17-year-old is worth reading (especially for the dirt she slings at Megan McCain, though to be fair, ).
Bristol also discusses, of course, the birth of her son, Tripp, followed by her 20- seconded engagement to Levi and the humiliation she felt afterwards.
Bristol does deserve some credit– she managed to graduate from high school, on time, with an enviable GPA, despite the campaign, being pregnant, having a drama-rama baby daddy and bouncing around to different high schools due to her mother’s career. Most of the girls on 16 & Pregnant can’t make that happen, even those who also come from similarly well-off families. She’s taken advantage of opportunities presented to her (Dancing with the Stars, advocating for abstinence with the Candie’s foundation, writing a book) to provide for her son.
She’s essentially just another teen mom who made some questionable decisions and tried (and failed) to make a family with her baby daddy, all in the public eye.
That said, I wish Bristol had kept her insults towards Levi to herself. I want to give her a pass because she’s 20, but there’s a good chance Tripp will read her book someday, and your mom slamming your dad (in print!) is not cool.
Although Not Afraid of Life is marketed as an adult book, Bristol seemed to have a teen audience in mind while writing. Written in an extremely readable, conversational tone, teens will be attracted to the tabloid-aspect of Bristol’s story, but might come away with a lesson on the realities of teen pregnancy.
Disclosure: Reviewed from library copy
Catherine Greenman
$16.99 / 14 +
Release date: August 9, 2011
17-year-old Thea Galehouse is eking out an average existence in New York City. She lives with her mother, a former nightclub owner turned real estate agent, and tolerates weekends with her father, a recovering alcoholic and investment banker. She doesn’t have much interest in school work (or attending college), but does persuade her best friend, Vanessa, to teach her how to crochet.
Thea meets Will Weston (a senior with one good eye) during a fire drill in February of her junior year. Will has, apparently, harbored a desire to meet Thea ever since he saw a picture of her sleeping during homeroom in the yearbook. Their first date quickly turns into a relationship, which leads to the pair becoming sexually active. When Thea’s mom catches the two in bed together after she arrives home early from a real estate conference, she offers Thea the chance to get birth control pills. But Thea isn’t terribly religious about taking her pills, and discovers she’s pregnant as Will is settling into his freshman year of college at Columbia.
Thea decides to have an abortion, but ultimately can’t go through with it. After the initial drama of telling their parents, the families combine resources to ensure Thea and Will can both continue school and raise their baby in a comfortable environment. And although everything initially seems like it will work out, an accident when Ian is still a newborn threatens to destroy everything. Thea finds comfort and support in the most unlikely of places (her father), and pursues her own off-beat path to success.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the drama of MTV’s hit shows 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom (and Teen Mom 2). Hooked was a title I looked for specifically at Midwinter in San Diego and I was pretty thrilled to get a copy. I resisted the urge to read it until closer to the publication date. While it didn’t really live up to my (probably high) expectations, there were a couple of elements that I did really enjoy.
After Vanessa teaches Thea how to crochet, Thea visits a yarn store and an employee helps her draft a pattern for a crochet bikini based off of one Thea’s grandmother made for her as a child. Her new hobby brings her comfort in the uncomfortable last days of her pregnancy and the frustrating first days of motherhood. When Thea returns to the yarn store, the employee is wowed with the results and suggests Thea sells the finished product. Thea is inspired by her success, but her father still pressures her to pursue the more traditional 4-year-college path, until numbers convince him otherwise. I loved this aspect of the plot because not everyone needs to go to college. This ideology has led to the devaluation of the 4-year degree, even though there are certainly many ways to be successful (and fulfilled) without one. Thea stumbles upon a non-traditional career (one she’s good at!) and knows she’ll be successful because she has to be, for Ian.
While the drama between Will and Thea was quite unfortunate, it was, at least, realistic (watch an episode of 16 & Pregnant and you’ll see). While young couples often think they have everything figured out and it will be okay, that is rarely the case. Will and Thea had the support of their parents and their own apartment (which is more than most teen parents probably have), and they still didn’t get a fairy tale ending.
As much as I think Hooked is a fairly realistic portrayal of teen pregnancy, I didn’t find Thea or Will to be all that believable. Both come from well-to-do families (Will’s dad is a financial analyst who consults for big banks but only works two days a year while eating dinner out every Thea’s father has a beach house with a caretaker, as well as a housekeeper in the city that he shares with Thea’s mom) and yet both come across and immature and unpolished. Maybe their immaturity is what made the rest of the plot realistic, but they didn’t come across as completely believable for me as two teenagers who most likely have a lot of resources at their disposal. [Do I think teens will pick up on this? Probably not.]
Overall, Hooked is a good story about evolving familial relationships and coming out ahead even when everything is stacked against you. Recommend to teens with an affinity for drama.
Disclosure: Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher.
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