BOTH SIDES

by Paul E. Stawski

Overview

Imagine if you were in a tragic accident – unable to move or speak but otherwise cognizant of everything around you. Imagine hearing doctors deciding your fate without you having a voice in the outcome.

Alex is a 16-year-old girl who finds herself in that exact situation in Both Sides, a novel that begins when – while on a class field trip – Alex and another girl, Sandra, end up in a horrible accident.

If the doctors act quickly, they may be able to save one body…and one brain. Amid the confusion and uncertainty, we hear everything that’s going on in Alex’s mind – from her initial disbelief to her wry sarcasm about the absurdity of it all to her realization that life, as she knew it before, will never be the same. If she survives.

The novel poses a myriad of questions: Just what makes up a person? Is it the body, or the mind, or something else entirely? Will Sandra’s body reject Alex who so often rejected her?

Both Sides tackles these issues and more. Within its pages every reader will find her own answers and discover, in the end, a story of courage and a girl who never before existed.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940148757603
Publisher:	Russet & Kensington Press
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	BOTH SIDES , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Paul E. Stawski won the Highlights for Children fiction contest for his short story, Code Red, a science-fiction story about a little girl who has to make a very grown-up decision. As a child, Paul was the subject of Newbery-Award winning author Lois Lenski’s We Live in the North. Then, as an adult, he taught at an all-girls’ high school before becoming a full-time writer. Both Sides is his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

As a mom, I probably read more into this book than may have been intended, but was pleasantly surprised at the intense emotions it stirred in me. I found myself totally immersed in the main characters, relating how I would act if I were Alex, or even more, if I were her mom. I recommend this book to all ages, and will go one step further, to suggest it to my son's high school religion teacher. It would be a breath of fresh air that these teenagers would actually read, reflect, and enjoy.

Amazon - Celia Schmidt

A strong, unsettling novel . . . Stawski explores the depths of human emotions and delivers a tragic story that captures our hearts. Compelling and the cast of characters, irresistible. A fantastic novel: technically and intellectually complex, while emotionally gripping.

Stawski breaks all of the rules in this book. And he does so beautifully. It takes a true master of the craft to manipulate language and story as he has done. I highly recommend this one.

Goodreads - MaryAnn Koopmann

This book had me hooked before I even read it. This girl has to go through the stages of realizes that she is in a coma, adjusting to it, accepting it, and more. A large portion of the book is her mentally commenting on other peoples conversations and/or panicking. But this doesn't decrease the value or, for lack of a better word, awesomeness of the book. In fact, it increases the value. I give this book a 5/5, a special place in my favorite book list (TOP SPOT), and HUGE, HUGE, HUGE recommend!

Amazon - Hunter Unknown

I received a copy of this book in the goodreads giveaway. This book is a great story about inner and outer struggles of this young girls mind. I think it should be a book that all young people should take the time to read and really think about the overall message. It really brought tears to my eyes in a couple of places especially when she starts accepting her situation instead of fighting so hard against herself. Definitely a book I will have my teen daughter read.

Goodreads - Rebecca Hughes

Both Sides hooked me from the first page. Surprisingly, the author Paul Stawski can accurately convey the mind of a snarky, quick-witted teenage girl. I felt immediately engrossed in the traumatic experience of having your mind transplanted in another's body. Through all the in-depth drama, the narrator, Alex, manages to lighten the mood with her angsty teenage perspective...and the ending makes you take a look at your own relationship to mind, body and ethics.

Amazon - Lauren Craig