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Faces Behind the Stones #2
Bad Choices
The choices that you make today are the ones you will live with forever. As I drive through many different cemeteries you will hear the voices of those behind these stones. Some are old and worn while others are just beginning to fade as the memories of those teens whose names are on the stones. Bad Choices are made when teens become despondent, feel all alone, do not fit in or even just want to become popular at any cost to themselves or others. The ground is flat and filled with mold and mildew on some of the plots and stones while others are covered with moss. The newer graves that have just been dug have no bushes or grass as the occupants have just arrived and their graves have yet to settle. Get in the back seat of the limo and join the driver and find out just why each of these teens wound up behind the many different stones in the many different cemeteries you will be visiting. Bad Choices: we all make them but some are more costly than others. Open the door the driver is waiting and maybe you won’t wind up as a face behind the stones.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2012
14 people want to read
About the author
Fran Lewis
57 books148 followersBiography: Fran Lewis
Born in the South Bronx, I grew up with people from many ethnic backgrounds. I learned to play and work with children in my school that came from other countries and different places.
I was always over weight as a child and got picked on a lot by the other children in my class and even my teachers. I found it hard to do many of the sporting activities that my sister and cousins could do. I learned at an early age that kids can be mean and I promised myself that I would never retaliate or do mean things to other kids in return.
When I decided to write my short stories I realized that I had a lot to say about my youth and in both of my books I tell about a ten year old girl named Bertha who learns to deal with real life issues kids face today at home and in school. I write reviews for other sites and I wrote three children’s books and currently writing one on Alzheimer’s Disease.
As an educator I the New York City Public Schools for over 36 years, I realized just how unique and precious our children are. I was the reading and writing staff developer in my school and the dean. I loved the children and had the respect of my fellow teachers and parents.
Teaching children to read was really very rewarding and introducing them to writing and creating their own stories was exciting for the students. I am a member of WhosWho of America’s Executives and Professionals as well as a member of WhosWho of America’s Teachers. I am the author of three children’s books and my fourth entitled Memories Are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s Story will be out next month. I am currently writing my fourth Bertha Book and a second on cognitive ways to keep your brain alert. The tentative title is Sharp as a Tack or Scrambled Eggs: Which Describes Your Brain. This book will deal with how we should help those who are seniors keep their minds and bodies active as well as ways to help delay dementia and Alzheimer’s.
I review books for Manic Readers, I justfinished.com and BookPleasures.com. I review books for authors upon request and would love to get paid for doing my reviews. There are publicists that send me books to review and that get paid for my reviews. I wrote five books that are self-published and I am going to complete one book children’s book and one based on a true story.
I host two radio shows on Red River Radio. The first is a book discussion where I interview or ask authors questions about their writing and books along with a book club panel to ask additional questions. I am going to host a show for children’s and Ya authors starting in August. I have been interviewed many times. I will be interviewed on D’s Roundtable on August 19th at and page Page Readers on Sept. 27th at three. My book discussion show is the third Wed. of every month at one eastern and my children’s author’s show will be four times a year. I am also going to interview Dr. Kenneth Weene on Sept. 21st at four. I had to reschedule the interview due to personal reasons. We will discuss the inside scoop about insane asylums and his career working in one plus his book Memoirs from an Asylum.
I hope this gives you a picture of what I do. Fran
I am a reading and writing staff developer and I worked with children with reading and writing disabilities.
https://profiles.google.com/gabina49
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2013
"Bad Choices" by Fran Lewis is yet another great and important work by this sensitive and caring author. With much empathy and sadness Fran Lewis tells the tragic stories of several deaths that shouldn't have been.
Accidents, suicides and mindless and unnecessary passings, pranks, drugs and truly horrific murder, they all seem to melt down to youth being out of their depth and youngsters being left without help and support.
Whether it be peer pressure or other youthful mistakes, there are things to be learned in these stories for all of us.
As usual Fran Lewis does not stop there, the book contains extensive appendices with information and guidelines for parents and friends to learn how to recognise symptoms of peer rejection and provides ways and suggestions how to tackle these important issues. Key values and attitudes for parents to teach and to display, resources and tools.
Once again I am left with a big impression and hope that this helpful book gets out to the right people.
Accidents, suicides and mindless and unnecessary passings, pranks, drugs and truly horrific murder, they all seem to melt down to youth being out of their depth and youngsters being left without help and support.
Whether it be peer pressure or other youthful mistakes, there are things to be learned in these stories for all of us.
As usual Fran Lewis does not stop there, the book contains extensive appendices with information and guidelines for parents and friends to learn how to recognise symptoms of peer rejection and provides ways and suggestions how to tackle these important issues. Key values and attitudes for parents to teach and to display, resources and tools.
Once again I am left with a big impression and hope that this helpful book gets out to the right people.
September 21, 2012
Bad Choices – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
Enter the peer – that person who is somehow inexplicably like them; a person who makes them feel comfortable; one who makes them feel like they fit, like they belong; someone – and get this – who when they look at they seem able to see themselves and most importantly what they consider to be their true selves. Therefore, a peer serves as a defining mirror; a living mirror, a person who describes them – defines who they are by being it, living it, in front of them. It must be who they are (they rationalize) because it is they (the Peer Group) with whom they fit best…people with whom they feel most comfortable…a group of people and especially one friend in particular (a BFF) with whom they can relax and act naturally around. They watch these living mirrors and learn all about themselves. If the mirrors change then so do they. If it (the Peer Group) accepts them then they accept themse.ves If, however, it rejects them then they first begin to try harder to please the mirror, mirror on the wall, mimicking its instructive reflection. Or, perhaps, they may come to find that there are other mirrors – other Peer Groups -, which are better suited to help them discover the mystery of “who am I?”
Through Author Fran Lewis’ Bertha books I’ve found that this woman has such a strong care for young people, how they feel about themselves and what becomes of them. In her book Bad Choices she walks us through, of all places, a cemetery as some of the faces behind the stones tell us about the Bad Choices they made that put them where they will be forever. Each case gives the teenager’s point of view about life, what helped develop this view and what they did that brought a true end to your view.
In each case, you the reader can make up your mind as to who is really responsible for the deaths of these young people who never reached the joys of adulthood. Is it the parent’s fault? The pressure applied by their peers? Or could it just be a kid that’s mixed up and really needs medical attention? How as a parent can this be prevented? How do you recognize when there’s a problem? Through Bad Choices you’re given the clues to the puzzle as well as ways to help prevent the puzzle from coming apart. And this all starts from conception! Yes, the very beginning of life! My own kids are grown but I see some of these problems already hitting my own grandchildren. I think this is a book I’ll be sending on to their parents to see if it might help before it’s too late.
Enter the peer – that person who is somehow inexplicably like them; a person who makes them feel comfortable; one who makes them feel like they fit, like they belong; someone – and get this – who when they look at they seem able to see themselves and most importantly what they consider to be their true selves. Therefore, a peer serves as a defining mirror; a living mirror, a person who describes them – defines who they are by being it, living it, in front of them. It must be who they are (they rationalize) because it is they (the Peer Group) with whom they fit best…people with whom they feel most comfortable…a group of people and especially one friend in particular (a BFF) with whom they can relax and act naturally around. They watch these living mirrors and learn all about themselves. If the mirrors change then so do they. If it (the Peer Group) accepts them then they accept themse.ves If, however, it rejects them then they first begin to try harder to please the mirror, mirror on the wall, mimicking its instructive reflection. Or, perhaps, they may come to find that there are other mirrors – other Peer Groups -, which are better suited to help them discover the mystery of “who am I?”
Through Author Fran Lewis’ Bertha books I’ve found that this woman has such a strong care for young people, how they feel about themselves and what becomes of them. In her book Bad Choices she walks us through, of all places, a cemetery as some of the faces behind the stones tell us about the Bad Choices they made that put them where they will be forever. Each case gives the teenager’s point of view about life, what helped develop this view and what they did that brought a true end to your view.
In each case, you the reader can make up your mind as to who is really responsible for the deaths of these young people who never reached the joys of adulthood. Is it the parent’s fault? The pressure applied by their peers? Or could it just be a kid that’s mixed up and really needs medical attention? How as a parent can this be prevented? How do you recognize when there’s a problem? Through Bad Choices you’re given the clues to the puzzle as well as ways to help prevent the puzzle from coming apart. And this all starts from conception! Yes, the very beginning of life! My own kids are grown but I see some of these problems already hitting my own grandchildren. I think this is a book I’ll be sending on to their parents to see if it might help before it’s too late.
August 1, 2012
Bad Choices: A Book of Courage
It takes courage to talk about teen insecurity, anger, depression, and drug use. While many of us have personal experience, either in our own family or that of a friend’s or neighbor’s, the topic all too often remains taboo. And when that struggle ends in an untimely death, writers often shy away from this subject. But not educator/writer/reviewer/radio show host Fran Lewis.
In “Bad Choices,” the second installment of “Faces Behind the Stones” series, the author takes us on a frightening trip through a cemetery. Although we get to ride in a luxury limousine, it is our fate to have to listen to the sad voices behind the stones. In all of the stories, the characters find themselves in situations with which they are unable to cope. By the time we have finished our rollercoaster ride of self-destruction and even murder, we will have heard from fourteen voices that are no longer with us. They’re mostly teens from all walks of life. Some suffer from poor self image because they’re not rich enough or not popular enough while others are too rich and too popular. All of them lacked parents or teachers who had the wisdom and the strength to interfere before these young people’s lives derailed. And all of them had peers who caused or added to their troubles. What might have saved these kids?
In the Appendix to “Bad Choices,” the author presents experts who write about the pressures on today’s young people to help parents understand the important role of socialization, and how early it begins in a child’s life. Negative self-image, sexuality, and depression are all factors in teen suicide.
While Fran Lewis’s book is entertaining fiction, at the same time it’s a cautionary tale. I recommend this book to parents and especially their teenage children. Even if you have not battled rage, depression, and alcohol- or drug addiction as the characters in these stories have, knowing the bad choices these faces behind the stones made could cause you to be more mindful of how fragile life is, and how hurtful even one unkind word can be.
It takes courage to talk about teen insecurity, anger, depression, and drug use. While many of us have personal experience, either in our own family or that of a friend’s or neighbor’s, the topic all too often remains taboo. And when that struggle ends in an untimely death, writers often shy away from this subject. But not educator/writer/reviewer/radio show host Fran Lewis.
In “Bad Choices,” the second installment of “Faces Behind the Stones” series, the author takes us on a frightening trip through a cemetery. Although we get to ride in a luxury limousine, it is our fate to have to listen to the sad voices behind the stones. In all of the stories, the characters find themselves in situations with which they are unable to cope. By the time we have finished our rollercoaster ride of self-destruction and even murder, we will have heard from fourteen voices that are no longer with us. They’re mostly teens from all walks of life. Some suffer from poor self image because they’re not rich enough or not popular enough while others are too rich and too popular. All of them lacked parents or teachers who had the wisdom and the strength to interfere before these young people’s lives derailed. And all of them had peers who caused or added to their troubles. What might have saved these kids?
In the Appendix to “Bad Choices,” the author presents experts who write about the pressures on today’s young people to help parents understand the important role of socialization, and how early it begins in a child’s life. Negative self-image, sexuality, and depression are all factors in teen suicide.
While Fran Lewis’s book is entertaining fiction, at the same time it’s a cautionary tale. I recommend this book to parents and especially their teenage children. Even if you have not battled rage, depression, and alcohol- or drug addiction as the characters in these stories have, knowing the bad choices these faces behind the stones made could cause you to be more mindful of how fragile life is, and how hurtful even one unkind word can be.
June 15, 2013
The story begins with Benita the first of several narrators who share their story as to why they are one of the faces behind the stone. As the reader is escorted around the cemetery, we listen to stories of alcohol, abuse, and suicide accompanied with a warning to readers about the consequences of apathy. It was the warning herald by Sam, "Hear my voice before you too wind up a face behind stone!" that sent chills down my spine. As I read on, I encounter more and more faces and was amazed at the author's ability to give life to these tragic figures. People, this is a ghost story like no other!
If I had to compare this book to anything already out there, I would have to compare it to the play, Our Town. However, unlike OT the story doesn't go in depth into the mundane parts of the characters. Faces Behind Stones gets straight to the point and starts where most stories end. From beyond the grave teens share their stories with the living, stories that went unspoken until now.
I wasn't expecting something like this from Fran Lewis her stories are usually uplifting and witty, this however, was much more dark and tragic. Using fiction, I was pleasantly surprised at how she was able to tackle the issues that plague today's youth. With a sympathetic ear, Fran listens to her characters and gives them a stage to tell their stories. Also in the end of the book, there is an appendix that helps educators and parents understand what's going on in the teen world. This is a must buy for those working with or living with teens.
If I had to compare this book to anything already out there, I would have to compare it to the play, Our Town. However, unlike OT the story doesn't go in depth into the mundane parts of the characters. Faces Behind Stones gets straight to the point and starts where most stories end. From beyond the grave teens share their stories with the living, stories that went unspoken until now.
I wasn't expecting something like this from Fran Lewis her stories are usually uplifting and witty, this however, was much more dark and tragic. Using fiction, I was pleasantly surprised at how she was able to tackle the issues that plague today's youth. With a sympathetic ear, Fran listens to her characters and gives them a stage to tell their stories. Also in the end of the book, there is an appendix that helps educators and parents understand what's going on in the teen world. This is a must buy for those working with or living with teens.
October 6, 2013
Fran Orenstein's Review of Bad Choices, Faces Behind the Stones Book 2 by Fran Lewis
Author and educator, Fran Lewis moves into the realm of the teen years and parenting, with this sequel to Faces Behind the Stones. Twelve stories, narrated in first person by the teens who now lie under the stones, speaks to the Bad Choices each made with such things as alcohol, drugs, bullying, driving, wrong friendships, and crime. In their own words they describe the hideous manner of their deaths, but not the terrible aftermath and legacy for the parents, siblings and friends they left behind, for this is not in their realm to experience anymore. It speaks of the futility of young lives lost that might have been saved with the intervention of someone who cared enough. Bad Choices includes an appendix that offers parents, teachers and other in children’s lives a way to save the lost ones whose futures will not end behind a stone in a lonely graveyard. Included is a frightening story of a centuries old vampire-like creature in the guise of a florist who teaches a lesson to those who live by the seven deadly sins, by using the most beautiful gift in the world, a bouquet of flowers and a very special scent. Readers will shiver at the ultimate lesson, much like The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde sent chills down my spine.
For teens and their caregivers, Bad Choices, Faces Behind the Stones, Book 2, is an eye-opening journey into the tumultuous life of young people trying to navigate the toughest years they may ever face. Five Golden Stars to Fran Lewis.
Author and educator, Fran Lewis moves into the realm of the teen years and parenting, with this sequel to Faces Behind the Stones. Twelve stories, narrated in first person by the teens who now lie under the stones, speaks to the Bad Choices each made with such things as alcohol, drugs, bullying, driving, wrong friendships, and crime. In their own words they describe the hideous manner of their deaths, but not the terrible aftermath and legacy for the parents, siblings and friends they left behind, for this is not in their realm to experience anymore. It speaks of the futility of young lives lost that might have been saved with the intervention of someone who cared enough. Bad Choices includes an appendix that offers parents, teachers and other in children’s lives a way to save the lost ones whose futures will not end behind a stone in a lonely graveyard. Included is a frightening story of a centuries old vampire-like creature in the guise of a florist who teaches a lesson to those who live by the seven deadly sins, by using the most beautiful gift in the world, a bouquet of flowers and a very special scent. Readers will shiver at the ultimate lesson, much like The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde sent chills down my spine.
For teens and their caregivers, Bad Choices, Faces Behind the Stones, Book 2, is an eye-opening journey into the tumultuous life of young people trying to navigate the toughest years they may ever face. Five Golden Stars to Fran Lewis.
September 9, 2012
BAD CHOICES --FACES BEHIND THE STONES FRAN LEWIS
Review by Karen Vaughan
Teenagers make bad choices some of these will teach a lesson and others will be fatal. Between the pages of this book are tales that will chill the reader to the core. Peer pressure and revenge or simply a way out from cause the youths to act rashly with deadly results. I was amazed at the depth of sadness and youthful depravity in these stories, meshed with tragic desperation were harrowing tales and even though they took very wrong turns I felt for them.
Bad Choices is an excellently written novel that adolescents and parents should read and discuss. At the end of each chapter Ms. Lewis adds a caveat to youth and adults alike to be wary of the choice that are made.
The novel is finished off with two essays about peer pressure and suicide that are also important and informative reads. This would be a good book for students to read in a health class and I recommend it to adolescents, parents, health care professionals and educators. 5 stars for a brilliant work.
Review by Karen Vaughan
Teenagers make bad choices some of these will teach a lesson and others will be fatal. Between the pages of this book are tales that will chill the reader to the core. Peer pressure and revenge or simply a way out from cause the youths to act rashly with deadly results. I was amazed at the depth of sadness and youthful depravity in these stories, meshed with tragic desperation were harrowing tales and even though they took very wrong turns I felt for them.
Bad Choices is an excellently written novel that adolescents and parents should read and discuss. At the end of each chapter Ms. Lewis adds a caveat to youth and adults alike to be wary of the choice that are made.
The novel is finished off with two essays about peer pressure and suicide that are also important and informative reads. This would be a good book for students to read in a health class and I recommend it to adolescents, parents, health care professionals and educators. 5 stars for a brilliant work.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews