Cut by Patricia McCormick Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Cut
Book Review: A
Summary: 5 Stars
Cut, by Patricia McCormick, is an amazing book that really opens your eyes.
Callie, an average girl with an average life, was put into a rehabilitiation center for self mutilation. Though the book is centered on her, the other girls in the home also have important problems that are many times overlooked. There are girls who are getting over anorexia, bulemia, and even suicidal behavior. All of the characters in the book are trying to get out of the rehab center, and they all help eachother. The book really gets you thinking about everything that people go through. You can read facts about anything, but Cut really helps you to understand why they are doing this. I have a whole new perspective on these issues now, and I know a lot more about how a person feels when they go through something, rather than the physical symptoms.
In the beginning of this book, Callie wants to have nothing to do with the other girls in the center. She stops talking completely to try to rebel against everyone. This didn't help her situation. She, very sneakily, found surfaces to cut herself on. In time, she learns that to get out of the center, she needs to start talking, and she needs to get help. She ends the "Silent Treatment" game that she had been playing since she arrived. She does get better, but not before trying to run away from the center and and getting caught. It's really an amazing book that I definately give 5 stars to.
Some other books that I would recommend are The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Girl Inturrupted, Twilight, and Define "Normal." (...)I do think that this book is very accurate and amazing.
Book Review: A Cut Above the Rest
Summary: 4 Stars
At first Cut, by Patricia McCormick, appears to be a story of self-destruction. The graphic scenes were almost too much for me to handle as an adult. I would be hesitant to give this book to a younger reader. A child reading the book without much knowledge and understanding of psychological disorders could prove to be difficult. This is true not only in comprehension, but in dealing with the emotions the story provokes as well. The explicit details of Callie's cutting set the tone for this story. There is a fear and hesitation that emerges before turning every page. However, on further exploration of this book, it is more than just a story of habitual cutting, it is one of tragedy, torment and triumph!Although a younger reader may not have the capacity to handle a book with such content, a more mature reader could grasp and explore the complexity of Callie's story with greater insight. Reading this book with a parent would enhance the potential of this story's knowledge and understanding. It would be highly beneficial for a parent to read Cut first, and discern if their child is ready before handing it to them to discover on their own.
At the appropriate audience level, this novel has the ability to teach adults, as well as adolescents, the value and power of their own capabilities. Callie's strength and endurance are displayed over and over during her time at Sea Pines. Not only through her own activities, but also through her interactions with the girls, audiences come to understand the world Callie is living in.
For an adult, the events including Callie's parents also have a teaching capacity. By coming to grips with the immensity of such a situation, Callie's parents have the potential to show others the difference they can make, for better or worse. Through the silent, emotional scene with Callie's father, audiences learn that there is a strength within many children and adolescents that is often pushed to the wayside in today's society.
For any reader identifying with Callie, emotionally, physically or in reality, her story can bring strength to the distressed. By inviting audiences into Callie's thoughts, McCormick has a clever way of evoking emotion and understanding. Callie's personal struggles and triumphs, known only by the readers, structures and changes emotions normally associated with psychological disorders. Through her difficulties with life, emotions and events at Sea Pines, Callie encourages those identifying with her that life does go on and it is a personal strength and decision to make that commitment. Callie shows audiences through her touching and emotional story there is a way to overcome psychological difficulties.
Book Review: A Glimpse, Not an Expose on Self Mutilation
Summary: 5 Stars
Patricia McCormick's novel, "Cut" gives you a glimpse of the psychological horror faced by 15 year old Callie. She has recently started to attend Sea Pines mental health institution, which its "guests" refer to as Sick Minds. Callie is a cutter and at the onset of the novel, you're not certain what led her down the path of self mutilation.
Callie keeps to herself all the thoughts she would like to reveal. Her real thoughts and feelings are buried, and while she may refuse to address her psychologist, she keeps any insight of value, to herself. Interestingly, you may notice that the reader and psychologist become one at times, as she refers to all the things, "you" want to hear. When Callie is in avoidance mode she stays silent during her one on one counseling sessions. She goes into detail as to the cars she is counting or the designs on the wall paper blocking both her psychologist and the reader with nonessential details.
Her avoidance issues, becomes beneficial to the reader, when she tells you about the various other patients there that suffer from various eating disorders and the one girl who suffers from the same affliction she does. Viewing the destructive eating habits of an anorexic patient, through the eyes of someone who is facing her own battle is jarring. Callie sees these girls as simply committing meaningless actions that may or may not be suitable.
With time Callie begins to open up after an episode where she cut herself and caused herself more harm than she had been accustomed. The family dynamics that contributed to Callie's downfall are slowly unearthed and the reader witnesses just how dysfunctional the family truly is. The only saving grace is her younger brother who happens to be afflicted with serious medical ailments.
McCormick is quick with her sentences, with a keen eye for details, and teen angst. The ending is fitting, though from experience with a book club at the high school I work at, many of my students were disgruntled that the book was not gorier or that the ending was not more explicit. You're forced to come to your own conclusions, but its fitting with the tone and slow unraveling of Callie's secrets.
I also want to warn readers that this is not meant to be a tell all of all the trials and tribulations that someone who cuts themselves goes through. We get a glimpse of the recovery process and nothing more. However, McCormick's writing is poetic with a certain quick rhythm, which takes into account its brevity and length.
It's a daring experiment in writing with such a sensitive subject. I was satisfied, though it's only fair to admit that not everyone will be happy with her writing style. Otherwise, I recommend it to teens and adults alike.
Book Review: A Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want to read a wonderful book, you should read the book called CUT. The book is about a girl who cuts herself. She thinks that her parens don't love her but she is wrong.I like the book alot. The girl goes to a place called the Red Sea. The place is for girls who have problems. Some of the girls have some problems. For example, they would throw up their food every time they eat.
-Liza P (12_
Book Review: A Great Read
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is about a teenage girl who blames herself for her brothers illness and resorts to cutting herself. She goes to Sea Pines, an institution for anorexics, cutters, and drug-users. At first Callie refuses to talk to anyone, and shuts herself off from everyone else. Soon she learns that if she doesn't at least try to accept the help therapists are trying to give her, she's not going to get any better, and that she'll be kicked out to make room for those who want to be helped. Eventually she starts opening up and showing improvement. She gets more and more outgoing and actually makes a few friends. This is an awesome book, I read it in one night! This book takes you through the eyes of a cutter, why she thinks the way she does, and how her actions have an effect on others!