Lie That Binds : How Far Would You Go to Protect a Friend?

by Linda Jackson

This book places the pressures of drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, and poverty into the lives of the residents of a government housing community and woven them into a captivating tale. The story takes place in a small town in Mississippi where seven-year-old Joshua Tanner decides to sneak into the woods behind his housing complex for a swim in the forbidden pond. Yet, rather than finding his four teenage idols already enjoying a dip in the water, Joshua finds that the boys have committed a horrible crime which they are desperately trying to conceal. The plot is lined with unimaginable paths and unsurpassed suspense.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Linda Jackson has published two books for young readers as well as written reading assessment passages for several educational publishers. She also writes for Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Reviews

[Tess Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stars are telling me there's a problem saving my score, but I give it a five star review. Linda Jackson captures her characters in an amazing story, written for middle graders but definitely a worthwhile read for adults. The story takes many twists and turns that kept me turning the pages all the way to the end. Excellent book with a touching ending.

[Susan Swiderski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven-year-old Joshua is missing, and he's in trouble. Big trouble. But the truth is, he isn't sure exactly what that trouble is because he can't even remember his name. What he does remember is the dead body.

So, he does what he has to do. He makes it up as he goes along.

Jackson's tale shines a matter-of-fact light on a group of troubled... and in trouble... youths who hide their vulnerabilities behind tough exteriors, and who cross the no-going-back line from swagger... to murder. Where they live in the housing projects, there is plenty of poverty, hunger, and despair to go around, but there is also love. Like the love of one heartbroken grandmother who desperately wants her grandson to come back home. She wants her Joshua.

Will she get him?