Red Rage

by Brigitte Blobel

A teen girl on the edge. A rage turned to violence. Sometimes 15-year-old Mara loses control. She strikes out at people, then runs. Often, she can't recall what she's done. She knows losing control is dangerous, but she also feels that somehow the rage protects her, making her invincible. Then she meets Tibor, a sweet guy who's not put off by her attitude or her messed-up home life. There's also a teacher at school who sees a better future than Mara's ever imagined for herself. The teacher even gets Mara a volunteer job in a preschool. But the anger is never far away. The day Mara spots Tibor on his motorcycle with another girl, the rage takes over. Mara tracks the girl down and beats her senseless. Horrified, Mara finally seeks help for her behavior. But salvation isn't that simple. The injured girl is Tibor's sister. Devastated by the news, but determined to make amends, Mara takes her first steps toward a life free of violence. Filled with raw emotion and unflinching honesty, Red Rage is a vivid portrait of one teen lost in a vortex of her own violence.

Genres: Young Adult, Mental Health, Fiction, Teen

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

As a child, Brigitte Blobel was surrounded by thousands of books, old and new (her father was a great reader and collector). Brigitte never read any children's literature. She loved poems and telling lies to see if anyone believed them. Whenever she found the world unbearable (which was often), she retreated to her cave in the woods, where she hid, even at night.

Brigitte started writing when she was 10 years old. She sent her work to different magazines and newspapers, but got published only once.

She and her husband (who is an editor at the German magazine Der Spiegel) have seven grown children from their blended marriage. Brigitte herself has two children; her daughter is a journalist, and her son, who is a doctor, gives her advice on her books.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Brigitte has also lived in Italy and Africa (her favorite place). Brigitte and her husband have a farm on the island of Mallorca, in Spain, where they make wine, grow orange and olive trees, and keep geese as bodyguards. They also have a home in Hamburg. Most of each winter is spent in South Africa.

Brigitte is inspired by the changes in our civilization. Her advice is to have a positive outlook about people, nature, and life in general.

Her books for younger readers have been translated into 18 different languages. She also writes novels for adults.

Reviews

[Khull144 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody deserves a second chance, but you have to use that to your advantage. Mara was given her second chance. She could have either gone down the path that lead her to no future and failuler, or the path that would take her to success.

Mara was heading down a bad path in life. Her abusive father, and terrified mother did not hep her at all either. Neither did her 19 year old sister who left home the day that she turned 18. All this only made matters worst. So Mara was basically facing life alone. She was not doing it well either. She had no friends, and anyone that tried to be her friend, she made sure they understood to stay away from her. She was not a happy person. Teachers were even affriad of her. Mara felt worthless and stopped trying all together. But Maras princapal saw hope in Mara. One afternoon Mara was called out of math class to go have a talk with the princapal. Mara was told that she was failing french and if she didn't get her grade up soon, she will be repeating the grade. Mara starred at her for awhile and all she had to say was, "I can't do school work. An F in french is fine with me". Now most teachers would have said, "alright then go back to class", but not this one. She believed that Mara was a very smart kid and gave her an offer. She said, "Mara, there is a daycare center down the street from here. They need some extra help around durning week nights. If you go work there I will not fail you. But if you chose not too, im sorry but I have no other choice but to fail you". Mara didnt make her decision right away but eventually agreed to go to the daycare ceneter.

Mara hated working there more then ever. But it had to be done. She would try anything and everything to try and get out of going to work. She hit some bumpy spots and some high spots along the way. But the main lesson in the book is that these childern helped to get Mara back on the right track. Helped her to understand that if she doesnt start caring about her life, no one will and she will be forgotten. She did not want to be forgotten. Mara started to try in school again, and reached out to help make her family better. Not all her efforts worked, but they worked enought to help her get her life back on track. Mara eventually became a very hard working person and helped people around the world to understand never to give up, and always believe you can do it.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Rage is a translation of a German book. It is about a teen girl with a violent temper and an unstable home. It is a very good book but very hard to read. It made me angry when she was angry and feel depressed when she was depressed. Don’t read if you are already depressed, definitely not if you are severly depressed. What is says on back of book is totally true: “Filled with raw emotion and unflinching honesty, Red Rage is a vivid portrait of one teen lost in the vortex of her own aggression.”

The book was well written and/or well translated as I couldn't put it down, even when it did depress me. It's recommended for grade 9 and up and I have to agree with that.

[Shankia Tinsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending nearly put me in tears! This book was realistic, and I like stories like that!

[Ariella Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mara is a fifteen-year-old girl from a broken home. Her father is drunk, abusive, and unemployed, while her mother is mentally unwell ever since a tragic accident. Mara's shield is anger; blind, violent and ruthless anger. She lashes out to anyone who stands in her way to cover up the fear, trauma, and despair she feels. After multiple accounts of physical and verbal abuse to kids at school, Mara is given one more chance to volunteer for a daycare before facing expulsion. She loves the children and meets a kind, patient boy named Tim who knows nothing of her broken past. Everything is finally coming together until in a fit of blind rage, Mara does an unthinkable, horrifying act and loses everything she has worked to build. It is up to Mara to decide if she will run; leaving a wake of destruction behind her as she has her whole life, or finally take responsibility for her actions. This is a book of raw, fierce emotion that delves into the power of adolescent anger and the damage that it can do.

I would recommend this book for high school and above. It has a lot of intense and mature material. However, it still has a good meaning and provides an insightful look into adolescent trauma and anger.

[Pluma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich lese dieses Buch immer wieder gerne.
Es stellt die Probleme der Protagonistin ehrlich und ohne Beschönigung dar.

I like to read this book again and again.
It presents the problems of the protagonist honestly and without extenuation.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. The author has done a good job of making it intriguing to viewers, I really never knew what waa to happen next. However character building went on for too long and the plot didn't start until the end of the book.

[Jess Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I struggle greatly with reading comprehension, so it's difficult for me to enjoy novels, however this was the first book I ever read all the way to the end.

[Linda Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice!!

[Alycia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One if my favorite books. It shows the complexity in the feelings that can develop due to trauma, neglect and isolation. It is a sad and tragic book but still a great read.

[Gabija_Vysnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pamačiusi šį viršelį, maniau, kad tai detektyvas, trileris, siaubo ar dar kokio tamsesnio žanro knyga, tačiau labai nepataikiau - tai YA knyga apie paauglę, kuri pilna įniršio ir bando su juo kovoti.

Tai visiškai ne maloniai nuteikianti, šviesiai nupasakota istorija, tačiau atvirkščiai – čia daug liūdnų išgyvenimų, tragiškų įvykių ir depresyvių minčių pilnas pasakojimas. Mara – jauna mergina, gyvenanti su daug psichologinių bėdų turinčia mama ir alkoholiku tėvu. Šeima skendi skolose, mokykloje reikalai labai prasti, o pati Mara pikta ir įtūžusi ant viso pasaulio. Tokioje aplinkoje augusi ji nesupranta, kad galima gyventi, bendrauti ir elgtis kitaip. Tik susipažinusi su nauju vaikinu jos pasaulis nušvinta ryškesnėmis spalvomis, bet ir tai neilgai – iki kito jos įniršio priepuolio.

Nors ir skirta jaunesniam skaitytojui, ši knyga visiškai nėra linksma ar labai lengvai skaitoma. Daug patyčių, smurto ir nemeilės joje apstu. Galbūt pabaiga ir buvo nuspėjama, tačiau pati istorija man patiko. Ji privertė susimąstyti kokia visgi svarbi ir įtakojanti yra šeima ir aplinka kiekvienam žmogui, o ypač augančiam.

[Sarai Segura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has shows a part of girls that isn't normally seen, their anger and bad attitudes. Often most protagonists that are female don't have anger issues and it makes people forget that girls also experience these emotions and problems.

I think that Mara is an interesting character. Normally with someone of her personality and behavior they would be a guy to be blunt as stated by her previous actions "Mara had already started a fight with Iris… it was good to know that others respected her" (pg 10). However there are still parts in the story that are similar to what some girls go through in cases of infatuation "Tim watched her more closely… It made her pulse race" (pg 81). Its a very good read if one wishes to see the inside of someone who frequently experiences anger and when someone is given a second chance. However, its not recommended for people who usually tend to want a happy ending. Eventually Mara's raging habits catch up to her from when she left them and in return her world takes a turn for the worst. Still highly recommend.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book told the story of Mara Dolan, a delinquent German high school student. The title, "Red Rage" tells the reader right off the bat that she has problems controlling her rage. Despite this, she is strong and determined and works through all of her home and school problems. However, they soon become too much for her. This story was harsh, but enlightening into the workings of people like Mara and their circumstances. I really enjoyed reading it.
This book helped me to better understand those who are less fortunate than me. I have a great family and support system, but Mara did not. She was incredibly strong to do what she did to fix her life. I don't know that many people would do the same thing she did.

Violence: yes
Language: yes
Sex: no
Drugs/Alcohol: just a few adults in the book

[Mariandre · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was written by Brigitte Blobel and it Red Rage is a translation of a German book. It is about a teen girl with a violent temper and an unstable home. It is a very good book but very hard to read. It made me angry when she was angry and feel depressed when she was depressed. Don’t read if you are already depressed, definitely not if you are severly depressed. What is says on back of book is totally true: “Filled with raw emotion and unflinching honesty, Red Rage is a vivid portrait of one teen lost in the vortex of her own aggression.”

I think this book was very interesting and very unusual book.a book that keep you from putting down the book(trust me i was in that situation).This book has really touched my heart in many ways.And i hope this book touches your heart as it touched mine.And hope you like it.

[Krista Denvit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red Rage by Brigitte Blobel was an okay book. The story was mostly about how the dynamic character Mara had many struggles with life. The main struggle she went through was not having a stable home and having a violent temper. The theme of this novel was that you can get through struggles with the help of good friends. With the help of Mara's friend Tibor, she overcame a lot of her struggles; this shows what the help of friends can do. I would suggest anyone who enjoys reading about depression and anger to read this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it well enough because it reminded me vaguely of myself (minus the sending people to the hospital part.) Human beings DO lash out at other people and hurt other people so that they can disguise the hurt they feel themselves. At times I felt the author could have elaborated a bit more on the relationships between Mara and her family members. It just goes to show you that it is better to let go of your anger and hate than keep it close to your heart.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very well written - but it doesn't have what you'd call a 'happy' ending. Intense and detailed, I never wanted to put it down.

Hopefully more of Blobel's teen fiction books will be transated into English.

[Krista]

I stopped reading a little over half way through. It felt like it was trying too hard and couldn't quite get us into the head of the main character. I wanted to like her, but couldn't get a strong enough feel for her.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

De-pressin'

[Sherry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good read

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very depressing book, but it made you feel sorry for the girl.