Response on Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets is about a high school student named James Whitman who has all sorts of problems. James is depressed and his parents don't really care, let alone do something about it. His suicidal sister Jorie, who was kicked out of their home is living in a complete dump and can barely afford bus-fare. When James tries to get his sister back in school and back home, things get even more difficult. The reason Jorie got expelled is unknown and James goes too far to try and find it.

Jorie had problems of her own, although James hardly knew about them. When James finds out Jorie cuts herself, it surprises him. I thought it was weird that James was surprised to find out about Jorie's self-harming because she was depressed, anxious and abused so was self-harm really that far-fetched? Also Jorie's scars were very noticeable so I'm surprised James never saw them.

James' problems only grew when he asked his stubborn, abusive father if Jorie could come back home. His father refuses and the argument ends up tearing their family even further apart. Completely lost, James has hot rock bottom. There is nothing he has left. His best friend, his dream girl and his parents are against him. He is all alone. But then he changes and decides to do something for himself. James figures out that he can't just sit around and wait for things to get better, he has to make things better on his own.

The wonderful thing about this book is the fact that there are aspects of it that everyone can relate to. From romance, to heartbreak, to anger, to utter confusion, Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets is a story full of self-discovery, learning to love life and best of all, poetry.

I highly recommend this book.