Lush

Natasha Friend

Feb 2010 · Scholastic Inc.

About this ebook

Natasha Friend is a Judy Blume for today -- clearly evident in this remarkable new novel about a girl whose father is an alcoholic and how she and her family learn to deal with his condition.It's hard to be a 13-year-old girl. But it's even harder when your father's a drunk. It adds an extra layer to everything -- your family's reactions to things, the people you're willing to bring home, the way you see yourself and the world. For Samantha, it's something that's been going on for so long that she's almost used to it. Only, you never get used to it. Especially when it starts to get worse...

Ratings and reviews

By: Natasha Friend Published By: Scholastic Press © 2006 Review by: Molly 1-6-`12 What do you think a normal family looks like? Are they loving? Do they look out for each other? In the book Lush, by Natasha Friend, Samantha believes her family is not considered normal. Her dad is an alcoholic. There are over 18 million alcoholics in the world. The leading cause of death is alcohol, more than any other illegal drug. Samantha is thirteen. In the book, she starts by explaining her nightly routine with her father. She says that she cannot invite friends over to spend the night because if they are at her house after her dad has come back from the bar, she’s afraid they might hide in the closet out of fear her dad will start throwing steak knives. I don’t blame her friends, I haven’t been around someone who is drunk, or at least that I can remember. Samantha feels that she can’t talk to anyone face-to-face about her father’s problem, so she picks the book The History of Modern Whaling which hasn’t been checked out for thirteen years, and leaves a note in it and hopes that someone will find it. What doesn’t help with her situation is that her father gives out his word like birdseed to birds. He always says “you have my word” but everyone knows that he never keeps it. He’ll just go right back to drinking. Her mother is also a yoga freak. She thinks breathing is the answer to everything, when really it’s driving Sam just a little bit crazy. “Then there’s my mother, who is turning into a yoga freak right before our eyes.” I agree with Sam, I don’t understand how breathing helps, some things are just too problematical to breathe through. Her little brother Luke is only four. He is innocent and does not fully understand his father’s drinking problem. Samantha tries to protect Luke from being harmed by her father. Through protecting Luke she realizes that her father’s drinking has spiraled out of control. Friend has also written the book Perfect. In this book the main character Isabelle Lee is caught forcing herself to throw up. So her mother puts her in a group called “Eating Disorder and Body Image Group” to keep her from forcing herself to throw up. While in group the most popular girl in the eighth grade shows up. Her name is Ashley Barnum, she is perfect. When she shows up to group, it causes Isabelle to ponder why she would even be there. In my perspective, the girls seem somewhat similar because both of the girls are somewhat saddened by their fathers. In the book Perfect, Isabelle’s father is dead. This causes her family to be depressed. Her mother cries herself to sleep at night and Isabelle forces herself to throw up. But in the Book Lush, Samantha’s father is an alcoholic. Nobody really tries to stop his drinking which made me really wonder why not? He’s an alcoholic! This book is one of the preeminent books I have read; I would give it five stars! It was emotionally saddening at some points, and exciting at others. It shows a girl’s struggle to rise higher than her father’s drinking. I would recommend this book to teens and pre-teens who love a story that is realistic but is not boring. This book was never too sketchy and did not leave you hanging, only to not pick up the topic again.

This is amazing book it book u don't want to put down it only took only a 2days to read it I love this book nd author I am going to read perfect next can't wait

The best book for high schoolers and even mile schoolers ... I was so into his book I finished it in a day

About the author

Award-winning author of Perfect, Natasha Friend was born in Norwich, New York. Upon receiving her B.A. in Psychology in 1994 from Bates College, Natasha went on to Clemson University to earn her M.A. in English in 1997. As a former camp director and English teacher, Natasha enjoys singing and song-lyric writing and plans to write more books in the future. Her first book, Perfect, poignantly probes the hushed struggles of body image, eating disorders, and grief. Perfect has won the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and Book Sense's Pick. When commenting on Perfect, Booklist wrote, "Friend elevates what could have been just another problem novel to a truly worthwhile read of great interest to many girls." Natasha's newest title, Lush, boldly delves into the tumultuous life and mind of a thirteen-year-old girl whose father is an alcoholic. Samantha must cope with sadness, secrecy, and shame in addition to her own teenage trials. Just when Samantha's skin toughens and emotions numb, it gets worse for her. Natasha wrote this book in an effort to spotlight the proverbial "elephant in the room," so that its presence is acknowledged and removed. Natasha currently resides in Connecticut with her husband, Erik, and sons, Jack and Ben.