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Borderline
Borderline is a skewed coming-of-age story of a normal boy in a crazy world -- a fast-paced world of high-tech gismos, global air travel and antibiotics, a world in which high schools have replaced cafeterias with fast food counters and the scourges of autism, asthma, allergies, diabetes and obesity are the norm.
- GenresYoung Adult
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
26 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie Rozanski
10 books6 followersBonnie is an author and prize-winning playwright currently living in New Jersey. Born in Queens, New York, she has lived in Hong Kong, Canada, and all over the US. With degrees in Psychology and Artificial Intelligence, always fascinated by the human mind, Bonnie writes on matters touching on consciousness and the human condition.
BANANA KISS, Bonnie's debut novel, told from the point of view of a young schizophrenic girl, came out to excellent reviews in 2005. To the many who ask whether the author is writing from experience, Bonnie says, "Not at all. BANANA KISS is based entirely on the application of imagination to months of research on schizophrenia and quantum theory." "On the other hand," she adds after a pause, "I did hear Robin's voice."
Her second novel, BORDERLINE, was a YA finalist at the 2007 Foreword Book of the Year, as well as a silver medalist at that year's Independent Publisher Books awards. Bonnie has several other equally wonderful manuscripts in the wings, awaiting the perspicacious publisher who recognizes their brilliance.
BANANA KISS, Bonnie's debut novel, told from the point of view of a young schizophrenic girl, came out to excellent reviews in 2005. To the many who ask whether the author is writing from experience, Bonnie says, "Not at all. BANANA KISS is based entirely on the application of imagination to months of research on schizophrenia and quantum theory." "On the other hand," she adds after a pause, "I did hear Robin's voice."
Her second novel, BORDERLINE, was a YA finalist at the 2007 Foreword Book of the Year, as well as a silver medalist at that year's Independent Publisher Books awards. Bonnie has several other equally wonderful manuscripts in the wings, awaiting the perspicacious publisher who recognizes their brilliance.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2007
In Bonnie Rozanski's “Borderline” we see several children's powerlessness to control what occurs in their life, oft-times leaving them stunned and dismayed by changes around them. At one point Guy laments “Parents keep trying to force their kids to do what's good for them, but all that's about is what the parents want, not what the kids want, and that's not fair...” If you have a teen, or are one, you can surely imagine heads nodding in agreement and recognition.
Bonnie displays a pure grasp of the way kids talk, the veering from cutting remarks to astounded joy, the relentless pursuit of stimulation and impatience with anything they find “stupid.” Which are most things, and people. The way they share secrets, make unspoken treaties, and how when things get really tough, they find out, for better or worse, who can be depended on, and learn to forgive, and to let go. There is, familiar to all, an adolescent's near-constant state of embarrassment at having to breathe the same air as their parents. And conversely, there's the competition for affection and attention within a family, and not just with the kids, as individual's needs push and pull them toward and away from each other, of course in the case of Guy's family, exacerbated by his little brother's autism. Much of the emotional punch of this book comes from experiencing along with Guy and his mom and dad the ebb and flow of their relating to Austin, their autistic son.
With stunning detail and through the patient, gradual developing and deepening of character, Bonnie shows her readers autism in its full overwhelming measure, both in the constant maintenance of the illness on a day-to-day, even moment-by-moment basis, and in the toll it takes on those who are around it.
But she leavens the emotional impact of the illness and the other dramas in “Borderline” with her keen sense of the ridiculous and the absurd, for instance an extended section regarding a camping trip gone awry. Her humor, and there is much of it throughout the book, is born from interactions that further our feeling for and understanding of each character, and through her wonderful ear for dialogue; how people misinterpret, misunderstand, fumble toward knowledge, trying desperately to come to terms with what life has presented them.
In “Borderline” the Ritters and others make the connections they need, whether inside the family or not, to get them through the most trying times. And...there are wolves.
Bonnie displays a pure grasp of the way kids talk, the veering from cutting remarks to astounded joy, the relentless pursuit of stimulation and impatience with anything they find “stupid.” Which are most things, and people. The way they share secrets, make unspoken treaties, and how when things get really tough, they find out, for better or worse, who can be depended on, and learn to forgive, and to let go. There is, familiar to all, an adolescent's near-constant state of embarrassment at having to breathe the same air as their parents. And conversely, there's the competition for affection and attention within a family, and not just with the kids, as individual's needs push and pull them toward and away from each other, of course in the case of Guy's family, exacerbated by his little brother's autism. Much of the emotional punch of this book comes from experiencing along with Guy and his mom and dad the ebb and flow of their relating to Austin, their autistic son.
With stunning detail and through the patient, gradual developing and deepening of character, Bonnie shows her readers autism in its full overwhelming measure, both in the constant maintenance of the illness on a day-to-day, even moment-by-moment basis, and in the toll it takes on those who are around it.
But she leavens the emotional impact of the illness and the other dramas in “Borderline” with her keen sense of the ridiculous and the absurd, for instance an extended section regarding a camping trip gone awry. Her humor, and there is much of it throughout the book, is born from interactions that further our feeling for and understanding of each character, and through her wonderful ear for dialogue; how people misinterpret, misunderstand, fumble toward knowledge, trying desperately to come to terms with what life has presented them.
In “Borderline” the Ritters and others make the connections they need, whether inside the family or not, to get them through the most trying times. And...there are wolves.
February 13, 2022
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book was the very first author request I ever received for my blog. I probably knew then and there that it wasn't for me. I'm not much on realistic fiction—not enough escape for me. But it claimed to feature a wolf, and it had one on the cover, so despite my reservations, I said I would give it a try.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, again, this book wasn't really in my wheelhouse. I also am having a hard time recommending it based on the content vs writing style conundrum. I guess if you're looking for a Realistic-Fiction book from the POV of a pre-teen that deals with current issues and don't mind some science, psychology, and saucy language, you might give Borderline a try.
This book was the very first author request I ever received for my blog. I probably knew then and there that it wasn't for me. I'm not much on realistic fiction—not enough escape for me. But it claimed to feature a wolf, and it had one on the cover, so despite my reservations, I said I would give it a try.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, again, this book wasn't really in my wheelhouse. I also am having a hard time recommending it based on the content vs writing style conundrum. I guess if you're looking for a Realistic-Fiction book from the POV of a pre-teen that deals with current issues and don't mind some science, psychology, and saucy language, you might give Borderline a try.
Approximate Reading Time: 5 hours
July 1, 2012
Terrific read, with plenty to offer young readers and even more, I think, for older ones. The book is a persuasive blend of great voice, high stakes, and solid scientific underpinning. Rozanski uses autism as a focus to explore family issues as well as environmental ones, and does it in the most entertaining way, with a thirteen-year-old protagonist who is smart and funny and painfully human. BORDERLINE reminds me yet again why I love reading young adult and middle-grade fiction.
October 5, 2013
I picked this up in a bookstore in Canada because it was published by a Canadian publisher and looked kind of old school. Then I brought it home and read the preface and thought "oh boy, this is going to be a vaccine/autism conspiracy book, I better read it quick before I never read it". It ended up not buying into the vaccine/autism conspiracy but it did buy into infodumping like nobody's business. so, yeah. not my best bookstore choice.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews