Et cetera : Library Book Review: By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead

By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead
By Julie Anne Peters

Reviewed by Connie Bennett, Vinton Public Library Clerk

Young Adult, Intense

This book deals with some very hard subjects, and is certainly not for everyone. A girl who, at the tender age of 15, has already tried (and failed) to end her life several times, is ready to try again. Now, unable to speak, wearing a neck brace, and on suicide watch, Daelyn is still determined to die by her own hand. She finds a website for "Completers", which requires her to set her DOD, which is her Date of Determination. Although she is anxious to do it NOW, the site requires her to wait at least 23 days, as there are many tasks to complete and preparations to make.
This site, "Through the Light" is a place for suicidal people to blog; a place to discuss her reasons for the decision and to itemize her day-to -day activities. She is ready to go- then she meets a young man who could have made a difference. After being bullied since kindergarten, Daelyn has been known as the fat girl, the freak, the sick girl, the psycho, and the perv. Now scarred, physically and mentally, she believes she has to end her life on her own terms, in order to find peace.
This book was a tough read. It was extremely moving, and I can't say that I enjoyed it; it did give me a new level of insight into the epidemic of bullying and the results. It's worth the read, but not for the faint of heart.
Published 2010 by Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group