Vitamins and Death

by Medeia Sharif

Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother’s briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High.

Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, Deidra thinks no one will figure out they’re the Battles from recent news and that they’re safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed her life.

Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out of character and hurt others in the process. Freedom comes at a price.

Genres: Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Contemporary

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2014

About the author

I was born in New York City and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I'm a writer for all age levels published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I'm a public school teacher. My memberships include Mensa and SCBWI.

Reviews

[T.B. Markinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deidra’s mother is a nightmare. She’s selfish, demeaning, extremely insecure, and makes horrible decisions. And poor Deidre has to take care of her. When her mom has a relationship with one of her high school students, Deidra’s life is sent into a tailspin. They lose their nice home and have to live in a run-down apartment. Her mother can only get a teaching job at a dangerous high school. Deidra enrolls in the same school to finish her senior year. When everyone discovers what happened, Deidra is hounded by students.

This is not an easy book to read. It’s emotionally charged and there were many times I was so disgusted by the mother I had to set the book aside. However I was cheering on Deidra to realize that she is not her mom nor does she have to take on her mother’s mistakes.

Vitamins and Death is a well-written gritty coming of age novel that will make you think. It’s not an easy book to read, but it’s a worthwhile read.

[Lela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. The story was different and interesting. I did keep wondering why the 18- year old girl was so immature in social, dating skills & thoughts plus being a milquetoast!
There's also an interweaving of a subject often in the news in recent times. The use of language was fairly standard but the editing was good. I received this book to review from librarything.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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What we do reflects on those around us, right or wrong. When Deirdra’s mother, once again, puts her own pleasures ahead of propriety and her child, Deirdra is the one to pay the dearest price. The teenage years are filled with enough angst and insecurity in the school setting, being accepted or just not standing out as an object of taunts, bullying and laughter would be a dream come true for Deirdra. Having moved to another school, with her mother getting another teaching job, perhaps the nightmare of the past will finally be forgotten and Deirda can just be a normal student, head down, out of the limelight of shame and ridicule. A narcissistic woman, hung up on youth, health and her own desires, her mother denies real guilt in being a sexual predator. When her reputation surpasses her nomadic life and jobs are getting fewer and farther between, homes are becoming moldy, leaking boxes of squalor, she and Deirdra have hit rock bottom.

Deirdra is threatened, attacked, molested by fellow students until one boy, sees through to this girl’s heart and likes what he sees. Finally, Deirdra begins to feel worthy of love, worthy of dreaming of a future, worthy of following her own dreams and makes a decision to leave what passes for home as soon as she graduates. But will her mother’s spiraling addictions and her current underage lover ruin her plans? Who will be the adult, the caregiver if Deirdra leaves?

Vitamins and Death by Medeia Sharif is a touching and dark look at one girl’s high school years, the brutality of teens and adults alike. Ms. Sharif is unafraid to bare the ugliest sides of life and the effects it has on its victims. That this is a completely realistic and painful is a horror that begs for attention, needs someone to just spell it out, raise awareness and show the strength of a young girl against a world she is ill-prepared to handle. Medeia Sharif has done just that in a manner that flows smoothly, and avoids the pitfalls of becoming preachy. An eye-opening read for all ages, this tale is geared to YA readers on up who may see either themselves or someone they know within these pages. Raw, beautiful and timely, this should be required reading for all.

I received this copy from Medeia Sharif in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: YA Fiction
Print Length: 149 pages
Available from: Amazon
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Bish Denham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this was going to be a tough read. It is raw, graphic and, at times, extremely painful to read. That said, I know from experience after working for 23 years with abused, neglected and emotional disturbed kids that Deidre's story is, sadly, all too real.

I liked her right from the start. She reacts just like I saw real abused kids react. Despite her mother's neglect and abuse, Deidre loves her, and even wants to protect her. And she hates her mother, for making her feel small and without value. Yet Deidre takes one of two basic paths (I know there are others) that many abused kids seem to take. Deidre chooses school, chooses to be better than her circumstances. It is one of the only ways in which abused kids can have some kind of control over their personal lives when their home life is a pile of crap. They can, for a part of the day, immerse themselves in an environment where they feel somewhat normal. Other kids in her situation often choose to fight school. They act out, get in trouble, etc. It's their way of yelling to be heard, of doing to others what's being done to them. That Deidre chooses the former path speaks loudly to her inner strength and resiliency, traits I saw in many, many abused kids. She fights against her anger and depression because in her heart of hearts she knows what she wants. Her story is about all the trauma and the drama that she has to go through in her fight to feel like a human being.

My only issue with the story is Deidre's father. He is supposed to be irresponsible and not in the picture, and yet he has remarried and has a good job. That he isn't in her life, and that neither set grandparents were in her life, didn't quite ring true for me. It seems to me these extended family members would have to have been aware of what was going on in her life, particularly after her mother's name is headline news. It seems to me SOMEbody, an aunt, uncle or grandparent, would have/should have stepped forward and been a help in her life.

That said, I think Ms. Sharif did a most excellent job portraying, one life spiraling out of control as another life struggles to get off the roller coaster. Very well done!

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book directly from the author Medeia Sharif, the blurb intrigued me. I was eager to get into this book.

I started this last night, early evening, I had to stick with it until the end, so I read this in one sitting. I'm tired today! But I just had to finish it.

Here we have a Mother who is also a teacher. She got involved with a student and was suspended from her job.
Whilst the devastation is on the Mother with her not having work now to earn, and the shame of it all, she really hasn't given much thought to her daughter Deidra Battle. How will this affect her?

Her Mother gets a temp teaching job at another school in another part of town, renting a right dump of a place to live. Her Mom changes her name back to her maiden name hoping that this will protect her. Again, not giving a thought to her daughter who now still is known as Deidra Battle, has to move school and live in fear of her peers, infact, anyone finding out about her Mothers past. And living in a run down flat with water leaks from the ceiling and, well, just a dump really, when she was used to a good lifestyle and home.

Her Father has a new life, new woman, new everything, even a new job, a change of career and doesn't figure in their lives much any more.

Deidra Battle decided to live quietly in school and keep her head down. The less she interacts with her peers the more invisible she would become, right?
Wrong!

The author did a good job of keeping my interest from page one to THE END. I can tell you what! The ending was,........

Nope, I'm not going to tell you, but it does make me wonder if there is going to be a book 2??? author????


I must thank Medeia Sharif for allowing me to read and review this book of hers, she certainly has grabbed my interest.
I hope she keeps me on record to read any further books she writes, this would be awesome.

[Kelly Hashway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It's been a long time since I've sat down and read a book cover to cover. Life always seems to get in the way. But I could not pull myself away from this story. Deidra has a very tough life. Her mother is…well, she's a mess. A complete mess, and Deidra is suffering because of it. Deidra is forced to leave her old life and friends because her mother, a public school teacher, had an affair with a student. Now they are on the run from her mother's past and Deidra is just trying to survive in a tough new school where the students are just as corrupted as her mother. But Deidra quickly learns you can't run from the past, at least not for long.

The emotions in this book were so real I felt like I was there with Deidra. I haven't been so fully engrossed in a story like this in a while, and even though the situations were very raw and dark, I loved how invested I became in the characters. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author, but this was definitely my favorite. Sharif writes dark and edgy so well. I hope she comes out with another one along these lines.

[Michelle Oubre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a Goodreads giveaway I received on July 5.
Deidra's mom has committed an unfathomable offense. Away from their past and family, Deidra struggles to trudge through her senior year while her Mom's past lingers and spreads like black mold.
An excellent YA read with an intense story.

[S.A. Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicate situation, true to life and relatable in similar ways even if circumstances differ.

The opening of this story is shrouded in Deidra's need to remain invisible. If no one sees her, no one will ask questions. Existing is all the living she wants to do until she graduates in a few months. That's freedom. That's her escape. But as most would probably guess, life never makes it that easy. The harder Deidra tries to hide, the more visible she becomes.

Soon the story's covering adds the tension of dread and impending reality, as Deidra realizes her mom's secret will not remain hidden forever. Inescapably, her mother's irrational past behavior has tainted her and that stain is deepening, blurring her own identity. Being forced into a new school - one most definitely with lower standards than her previous safe high school - is much harder than she thought it would be.

The longing for her old life of popularity, security, belief in people, and Dad living home gradually intensifies. She begins to drown in her mother's egregious error in judgment. Because of events out of Dee's control, choices someone else made (happens to be Mom), her life has quickly shifted from a bright future to one so uncertain she can't see farther than one foot in front of the other. To show this, the author chooses to alternate from Dee's current world and the one she left behind. As first I wasn't sure if this method would work, but it was done so seamlessly that it did work. I liked hearing today's Dee talk and react to those memories in her here-and-now.

This dynamic between parent and child is one so often overlooked. Deidra is the more sensible of the two characters. She's the mature one, looking to do what's right and keeping Mom in check. The author's method of using Mom's fanatical obsession with staying healthy aka vitamins was very effective, basically showing Mom's weakness and selfishness.

This tale shows the possible true-to-life events of a teen, as though she's on the outside looking in - a reality that many of today's youth can surely relate to. Only just like Deidra, many of today's teens are not on the outside, but smack dab in the middle of the chaos.

I'd recommend this story to older teens and adult readers, who enjoy YA contemporary tales with true to life emotions.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deidra's mother screwed up, yet it is Deidra who almost pays the ultimate price in Medeia Sharif's Vitamins and Death. The stigma of being the daughter of a teacher who slept with a student haunts Deidra and follows her mother and her to their new high school. This novel is emotionally hard to read. Many times I wanted to shake or slap Deidra's mom. She needed to woman-up and become an adult for her daughter. Deidra has the potential for a promising future, and I craved that for her. Her growth and how she comes out of her depression is the shining light in this story. I loved her growing relationship with Malcolm too. Children don't have to be their parents, and this book displays that so well. Medeia Sharif has written a heartbreaking, gut-punching, and edgy book. Vitamins and Death is not light, fun reading, but I recommend it.

[C. McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deidra had my heart from chapter one on. Struggling to make it through one of the biggest periods of change in any young life--high school--she must also cope with a seriously warped mother. While she craves invisibility at her new school, she gets notoriety, and all due to her mother's severely bad choices. When she's attacked and threatened by members of the under belly of the school population, it's a relief to discover one stand up guy in her corner. At the core of this story is the encouraging message: a teen can overcome immense challenges and break free from following in the footsteps of a poor parent.

This is another great addition to the contemporary, realistic books for young adults.

[Elizabeth Seckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd love to say this book is unrealistic, but sadly I know it's probably a very common story. Young Deirdra is being raised by a selfish child. Her mother is more concerned with her own life and her own happiness to worry about her child. Fortunately for Deirdra, she understands her mother is the one with the problem and keeps moving herself toward a stable life as she looks forward to turning 18 and getting out on her own. There are challenges and heart breaks along the way, but she stays motivated to have a different life and the reader can't help but keep turning pages to see who survives to the end.

[Beverly McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a school where the teachers have little to no control. Imagine a school where boys take turns with girls in the restroom, while another boy stands guard outside the door. To me, it’s difficult to think that schools like this exist, but Author Medeia Sharif opened my eyes to the fact that such schools may indeed be like the one in her novel VITAMINS AND DEATH.

Deidra Battle attends such a school after her mother lost her previous teaching job for having an affair with a student. Deidra lives in fear that others will discover she is the daughter of the woman that made the scandal everyone read about. She also has to deal with a mother who lives on pills. Deidra just wants to get through the next few months, graduate, and attend the local college. Is that asking too much?

My heart broke for Deidra. No child or teen should have to live in fear of the students at school and especially not of their mother. The author has created a family that unfortunately may be too real. All through the novel I kept hoping good things would happen for Deidra.

The language is rough and some scenes are graphic. Ms. Sharif tells it like it is. This story is not for young teens, but older teens might find a lesson in it. Another good novel about life from Medeia Sharif.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all.

Really, the title does say it all. The mother takes a bowl of vitamins and assorted pharmaceutical's every morning. The daughter character was resilient thank God! Some of the legal/professional ramifications were muddy and confusing, but maybe that's realistic given the circumstances. 3 stars. I liked the ending.

[Marcus Damanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, we read books to go on adventures to mythical places and have magical experiences. Other times, we read books to find romance, or even just friendship. Still other times, some of us read to scare ourselves out of the doldrums of our daily lives. In short, sometimes we read books to escape.
And then there are the times we read a book that delivers reality in a dark, desolate, and undeniably compelling damnation of the human condition. VITAMINS AND DEATH, by Medeia Sharif, is one of these books—and it’s a good thing that her protagonist, Deidra Battle, is someone worth rooting for. Otherwise, this might be a hard book to begin, much less finish. But because Deidra is such a character, the reader finds him(or her)self completely unable to set the book aside, even as our hero’s world spirals ever more chaotically out of control. The reader hopes—with a personal, emotional investment—that things will work out for Deidra, even as it seems progressively less and less possible that they will.
Deidra had something of a normal life, once, when she was a junior at Lincoln High—back when she had friends, when she enjoyed the flirtatious back-and-forth with boys, when school was a place to connect with people and build a future. Before her mom, a math teacher at the same school, was caught in an inappropriate (putting it in the mildest terms) relationship with another student.
Now, Deidra finds herself a senior at Hodge High—which, compared to Lincoln, is hell on Earth—trying to affect social invisibility, dreading the possibility that her mother’s past may follow her here. And well it may, because Mom has been acquitted of all wrongdoing, and she’s come to Hodge as well. Worse, Deidra’s mother seems bent on her own self-destruction, living on a constant diet of prescription medications—and blaming Deidra for everything that ever goes wrong at school or at home, even when she herself is clearly the cause. She’s physically and emotionally abusive, absolutely selfish, and heartlessly manipulative. Really, she’s the single most horrifying mother figure I’ve read about since the one in Stephen King’s CARRIE, and that is saying a great deal.
And yet Deidra finds, even when pitted against the worst kind of harassment and bullying at school (I’d be specific, but I don’t want to blow the whole plot here), that within herself is a blossoming potential for a future outside of this madness, one in which she can define herself on her own terms, and even help others in the profession she aspires to. She finds strength and compassion in her classmate, Malcolm, too—and the promise of ultimate independence after graduation because of all the hard work she’s put in.
The only question is, can she survive until after graduation? Or are the forces converging against her on all sides simply too great for even Deidra—who has spent her whole life at the whim and questionable mercies of negligent and hurtful adults—to overcome? The answer may surprise you.
But, in the end, it is definitely worth hanging around to find out.

[Tracey Digilormo · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading 52 kikes I could not wait to read this book. I can say I was not disappointe. This is a very intense read, however as sad as it is this is real life for some people. I am not saying the circumstances are the same. I am saying there will be a lot of people that are able to relate to Deidra.

The characters are well developed in this story.Ddeidra has had to leave her school, her friends, and her home, Her mother has her right in the middle of a horrible situation. Her mother turns to prescription meds to get her through the day. She acts like everyone else is at fault and Deidra is to blame for the way her life has become. Deidra just wants to become invisible and finish her senior year. She is faced with some terrible situations when the kids at her new school find out what her mother has done. Deidra is able to find a ray of light when she meets Malcolm. She is able to see what her mother has done is not a reflection of her, she does not have to pay for her mothers mistakes.

I really enjoyed this book. (Disclosure: I recieved a copy of this book for a honest review)

[Kai Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deidra’s life stinks. It only has one saving grace and that’s the developing relationship with Malcolm. Her life is messed up when the story opens and it only gets worse. But despite a horrible upbringing, living in filth, and going to an awful school, Deidra stays focused on the goals of finishing high school and getting out on her own. Those goals aren’t far-fetched at all. I’m sure there are plenty of teens doing exactly the same thing each school year, who can understand why Deidra hoped to stay under the radar and just get through the end of the year.

Many of the people in this story were hideous, mean, and selfish. Sharif didn’t shy away from portraying the ugly side of human nature. But she also gave us a breadcrumb trail of hope to follow through to the end. And the end. Holy cow. My emotions were charged, my feelings were raw and I didn’t know how to feel. Or maybe I was afraid to feel, because there was too much to work through.

I recommend Vitamins and Death for readers who like issues books. It will leave you slack jawed and considering it for days.

[Sherry Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deidre Battle is a high school senior whose life is a mess. It's all because of her mother, a teacher who had sexual relations with a student and got kicked out of her school. To make matters worse, the mom has become a pill popping addict. Vitamins and sedatives are part of her daily diet. Deidre is forced to leave a school she liked, and go to a rotten place of nasty kids who want to do her harm and make her life even more miserable than it already is.

Vitamins and Death is packed with raw emotion. The scenes are edgy, and do not portray good, decent people. Just about everyone in this story is messed up. One bright spot, however, is Malcolm, Deidre's love interest. He is the ray of hope that shows that not everyone is bad, and that you don't have to follow in the footsteps of your parents, especially if they are not a good examples.

There's nothing light about Vitamins and Death. It's intense from start to finish. It's not for conservative readers, but for those who like coming of age stories that are a little on the gritty side, this will be a compelling read.

[T.F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book from Medeia Sharif that I’ve read, and I was completely moved. I knew the story topic would be difficult, but it was also a book I couldn’t put down once I started. It was filled with raw, heartbreaking emotions, but from that we started to see Deirdra trying to find a way out of the horrible mess her mother dragged her into. I adored her growing relationship with Malcom and how much of an impact that had on her.

At times, I wanted to scream at Deirdra’s mother to wake up to herself and see what she was going to her daughter. But life is never that easy, and Sharif portrayed a realistic situation that could easily be real. Though I wished her father would have played a bigger role in Deirdra’s life.

Vitamins and Death is an edgy coming of age story dealing with difficult topics and didn’t hold back the punches. Sharif did an amazing job, and she’s just gained herself a new fan. Highly recommend Vitamins and Death.

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deidra Battle feels trapped at home with an abusive mother and at school with vicious bullies. There's nothing she wants more than to have the world forget about her. Having to move to a new high school because her mom had an affair with a student at her previous school was difficult enough. But the students at the new and rougher school find out about her mother. Life is even worse than before. Will Deidra make it through to graduation and escape the hostile life she lives?

A dark, gritty, and immensely realistic story of a teenage girl struggling just to make it day by day. The author spared no details when it came to the horrors of the abuse by the hands of Deidra's mother and the bullies, as well as the ugliness at the school. It deals with all these issues and depression in a manner many readers can relate to.

It is intense and edgy. A different sort of YA read, and one that I believe some young readers would find solace in knowing they're not alone.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is certainly different to my usual read and it did take me a little while to get into the story. I very rarely write what a story is about as I always fear of spoiling for others. Very true to life and there were parts that I could relate to, even though quite different in circumstances. For instance, I had a teacher when I was in senior school who had an affair with a pupil, but the teacher was sacked. I would recommend this book whether you are YA or at the other end of the age scale.

I was fortunate to win an electronic copy of this book in a Giveaway and this is my honest review.

[Brandi Nyborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of those books that breaks your heart. You really feel for the main character. It really shows you what it is like to grow up with an addict for a parent. So many bad things happen to Deidra that are 100% her mother's fault. I really liked Deidra and how strong she is despite her circumstances. A quick read that will stay with you!

[Bernadette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this story a lot. It is a story about a girl who suffers consequences based on her mothers actions. The story is so convincing that it is easy to forget it is not real. It was well written and worth reading if you are looking for something interesting.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is NOT for the faint of heart. it deals with real issues and many of the adult kind. I wasn't expecting the book to be as dark as it was but I still really loved it.
See my full review on bookish in a few weeks! !