Before We Were Blue

E.J. Schwartz

$14.99

Paperback

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English

Flux
01 November 2021

Children's & young adult fiction & true stories; Young Adult

"In a treatment centre for eating disorders, teenagers Shoshana and Rowan develop an intense, sometimes destructive connection. Ultimately, the girls will have to make a choice: get healthy on their own - or stay sick together.

Get healthy on their own - or stay sick together?

At Recovery and Relief, a treatment center for girls with eating disorders, the first thing Shoshana Winnick does is attach herself to vibrant but troubled Rowan Parish. Shoshana - a cheerleader on a hit reality TV show - was admitted for starving herself to ensure her growth spurt didn't ruin her infamous tumbling skills. Rowan, on the other hand, has known anorexia her entire life, thanks to her mother's ""chew and spit"" guidance. Through the drudgery and drama of treatment life, Shoshana and Rowan develop a fierce intimacy - and for Rowan, a budding infatuation, that neither girl expects.

As ""Gray Girls,"" patients in the centre's Gray plan, Shoshana and Rowan are constantly under the nurses' watchful eyes. They dream of being Blue, when they will enjoy more freedom and the knowledge that their days at the center are numbered. But going home means separating and returning to all the challenges they left behind. The closer Shoshana and Rowan become, the more they cling to each other - and their destructive patterns. Ultimately, the girls will have to choose: their recovery or their relationship.

AGES: 14 to 18

AUTHOR: E.J. Schwartz is a recent graduate from the MFA program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Barrelhouse, and Necessary Fiction, among others. She was born and raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Before We Were Blue is her first novel."

By: E.J. Schwartz
Imprint: Flux
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 135mm,
ISBN: 9781635830699
ISBN 10: 1635830699
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 01 November 2021
Recommended Age: From 14 to 18 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , English as a second language
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

E.J. Schwartz is a recent graduate from the MFA program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Barrelhouse, and Necessary Fiction, among others. She was born and raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Before We Were Blue is her first novel.

Reviews for Before We Were Blue

Will be popular with readers who like to read about teens having to combat great personal challenges. --School Library Journal The book balances tensions of class, antisemitism, and sexuality in complex and compassionate ways. A gut-wrenching and cathartic page-turner about identity, desire, and the strength it takes to heal. --Kirkus Reviews

Winner of 2022 Moonbeam Awards Silver Medalist (Young Adult Fiction – Mature Issues) 2022 (United States)
Winner of A 2021 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist 2021 (United States)
Winner of A 2022 IPPY Award Gold Medalist, Young Adult Fiction - General 2022 (United States)
Winner of A 2022 IPPY Awards Gold Medalist, Young Adult Fiction – General 2022 (United States)
Winner of A 2023 ALA Rainbow Book List Selection 2023