Walking on Glass

by Alma Fullerton

Say your mother is in a coma. Say she got that way trying to kill herself. Would it be such a bad thing to help her die?

In "Walking on Glass" a young man relives the events that have shattered his life and left him wondering: Would it be murder or mercy to turn off the machines keeping his mother alive?

The Terri Schiavo case made everyone painfully aware of the moral dilemmas created by advances in medical technology. The line between life and death is no longer as clear as it once was, and families are often faced with agonizing end-of-life decisions. Alma Fullerton's free-verse novel intimately explores this controversial issue, and the results are riveting.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Death, Teen, Family Drama

130 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2007

About the author

Alma Fullerton was first known for her award-winning free-verse novels for juvenile and young-adult readers, including the Governor General's Award-nominated Libertad. Alma's picture book A Good Trade was a White Ravens Choice, a Bank Street Best Book, and a nominee for a number of awards. In a Cloud of Dust won the Rainforest of Reading Award and was a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. When the Rain Comes was a 2018 USBBY Outstanding International Book, among other honors, and Community Soup was a CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred Selection. Alma lives in Midland, Ontario

Reviews

[Aliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. The subject is an excellent one. I was intrigued by the plot line of a teenage boy who walks in on his mother's suicide and saves her, only to have her hooked up to machines and ventilators and have to choose whether to "pull the plug" or not. Unfortunately, the book didn't evoke an ounce of emotion out of me. It was bland and numbing. I finished it in ten minutes. It's short but I don't think that book length contributes to greatness. However, I was turning pages pretty quickly, bored and ready for it to be all over. I felt like the "poems" had a bit of a cliche to them and none of them resonated within me. I was quite excited to find out the book was written as a series of poems but, alas, it failed me. However, I'd highly recommend Ellen Hopkins books if you want to read something with teenage protagonists and a very real plot about addictions, mental illness, etc. It is possible that I was comparing her books to this book and that may be why it really fell short for me. Anyways. Great underlying subject. Poor execution.

[Hailey Wheaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I thought that this book was very interesting and kind of weird. It is nothing like I have read before because it never said the main characters name. I really did not like that there was never a name mentioned for the main character and all I knew was that he was a boy. I also really did not like the ending because I think that it definitely could have been longer and more could've happened.

Plot Summary:
The book Walking On Glass starts out with the main character explaining the journals and that what we are reading is his journal. Throughout the book, he loses his best friend because of bad choices his best friend makes. He also has to go through the tragic event of his money committing suicide. One afternoon he came home from school and saw his mom jump off of the table to hang herself, and he tried to save her and hold her until the chandelier broke and fell on top of her. His mom did not die, but she is barely hanging on through life support. Throughout the book, he contemplated if he should leave his mother on life support, or if he should take her off and let her go. At the end of the book, he decided that he was going to let her go because he could not handle seeing her like that anymore.

Characterization:
In the beginning of the book, the main character was not very happy and he was always unsure about what he was doing and if it was the correct thing to do. He continued these traits throughout the whole book. He was also very insecure and shy around everyone because he was mad at the world for what happened to his mother.

Recommendations:
I would definitely recommend this book to the high school level readers because it has easy context, but parts of the book can be considered traumatizing. I would also recommend that people who have or have had suicidal thoughts should not read this because it could bring back that thought or make them feel bad. This is a great book for people who feel that everything is wrong and nothing's going right because they are not alone and some people have it a lot worse.

[Jaylyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy whose mother has been dead for six months and he is very angry with her for leaving. He watched a kid get bullied and he felt really bad. He dated a girl named Ashley and left her because things were going on. He and his dad were in the struggle.

What I enjoyed about this book is that it was easy to read. In one part of the book it talked about how another boy got bullied for a pair of sneakers in front of the person who lost his mother and is not very open about anything. So the boy felt bad for the other who was getting bullied by his friend.

What I did not like about the book is when it talks about the boy’s mother committing suicide and it was just him and his father, who both became depressed because of their loss.

I think that the type of person that should read this should be a person who is not going through any depression stage because then reading this book would make them upset or even more depressed. I did expect to like the book because looking at the cover of the book it caught

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a 15-year-old kid that he is going through something terrible. His mother tried to kill herself. But he got there before she had the chance, but then the glass chandelier fell down and hit his mother in the head and now she will never wake up again. His father can't let her go so he won't let the nurses unplug her machine. But the son finally found the courage to set her free. I loved this book because it was a quick read and it had so much meaning. It broke my heart to think this actually happens in the world. I think you should read this book because it makes you have a better understanding.

[Henneyghs2020 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was ok and interesting at the same time. I thought it was ok because at some points in the story they had plot holes. And was it was interesting because i’m nosey and it had me curious about the mom and what was wrong with the mom and why she was in the hospital.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Walking on Glass is about a seventeen year old high school boy who has gone through a terrible tragedy. He witnessed his mother's suicide attempt and tried to save her. He did, and she ended up in a coma in the hospital. Because of that event, he closed up and had to go to counseling/therapy. There, his shrink makes him write in a journal about how he feels, and basically everything that happens in his life. This book, Walking on Glass, becomes his journal, and throughout it, the boy discovers many things about himself or his life. He discovers that he loves his mother too much to let her go. After that realization, he has a thought about what would be best for his mom. Clearly, she is not getting better, but there might be a very slim chance that she could get better. He then debates whether he should pull the plug on his mother or not. He is scared of the consequences if he does take her off life support; he thinks of the action as murder.

The main character is not like any other high school boy, but since something terrible happened, I can see the why he is the way he is. He is a very emotional, and you can tell he really does care about his mom through his actions and his thoughts. The boy also wants everything to work out, like his mom would get better and everything would go back to normal. That tells us that he still has a childish mind; he isn't mature enough in the beginning of the book to see the reality of the situation. But, by the end of the book, he does mature, and becomes more of an adult.

I would recommend this book to my friends (ages 15) and to younger students (down to middle school level) because I think it would be a good read for them. I think that they are mature enough to understand what is happening in the book as well as relating to some events that take place in the book. I would not recommend it to anyone who isn't mature and doesn't have a heart for these types of books. I think the audience is primarily girls, but some boys might enjoy this book, too.

I would rate this book a 2 out of 5 stars. I didn't really enjoy reading it and it didn't make me want to read more. I easily could have stopped reading it and would never want to pick it back up to see what happens. Even though I didn't like it, the book had a good storyline.

[Erynne Dehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking on Glass is about a seventeen year old teenage boy, who's name does not get mentioned, is debating on pulling the plug on his mother who he loves dearly. His mother committed a suicide attempt and is not getting any better. Although this book is about 130 pages and it was very interesting.It hooked my attention right away. This boy loves his mom and the boys father loves his wife. They have had the mother on her machine for three months now and yet she has no sign in getting any better. The doctor comes in every day and is telling the boy and his father that she is worsening every day and that the best thing to do is to pull the plug. Neither of them want to pull the plug. The 17 year old boy believes that if he pulls the plug, he is murdering his own mother. He knows that the best thing for her is to pull the plug, but he does not want to “murder” his mother.

The seventeen year old boy is very sweet and kind and always wants things to go his way. He is very emotional, especially when it comes to his mother being in the hospital. You can tell he has a huge heart and does not want to pull the plug on his mother.


I would recommend this book to any high school student who has a heart and can relate to the book. I do not relate to this but I do have a heart and I can say that it is very sad. I would rate the book a five out of five stars because I kept wanting to read it. It was a semi-short book and I finished in about two class periods during SSR. That is how good I thought it was.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story (novel in verse) but needed to be longer in order to deliver the emotional impact it should have had.

[Jeliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style of this book makes it one that you must finish in one sitting. You want to know what happens next, you want to know what happens to this teenager's mom. The book was odd in the sense that the subject matter is heavy - walking in on a suicide and stopping it - but I like how the style of the book was able to convey the mental war that was going on. I really felt the anguish and pain from the narrator and the impact of the event on the dad. All in all, the content is heavy, but the book is well written. If you are able to digest content that's a little uncomfortable and disturbing, check this one out.

[eveltrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alma Fullerton stirs emotions and raises questions in a mere 131 pages that other authors couldn’t achieve in 800 pages.

This sparse novel-in-verse made me sad and angry and it shocked me with its ending.

Walking on Glass deals with suicide, violence, gangs, family, relationships, and pain. And, it rips your heart out without an extra word or an expletive.

If you want to be haunted by the thought of shoes, read this wonderful book.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought novel in verse was a good form for this book. Nothing was too complicated, though I was frustrated by the description of the book--the very last thing you learn (his mother's suicide attempt) is what you already knew if you read the description! I think the book could have been longer and emotionally deeper, especially between him and his father, but it was still pretty good.

[Michelle Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I can’t say I loved it and I can’t say I hated it. What I can say is that it is a sad read. Probably because I can relate to the storyline more than I would like to admit. I also think it is meant for a more “teen” audience. Super quick read. Written in the style of a journal. I would recommend to a young audience.

[Logan Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good but it was just kinda of bland and just simple, I do like the fact of the feeling of guilt the boy felt when his mother attempted suicide, but at least name the Main Character, I did like the end on Pulling the Plug and finally realizing that the shoes fit at the end. Great Concept, I saw where they were going with it, but it was to short to let it really develop.

[Makayla Pike · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good quick book.

[Chase donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's sad that the mother killed herself

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick novel in verse, but one that lacks the depth of other books.

[Sarah McCraley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the way this book was organized.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Walking on Glass
By Alma Fullerton

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response:
This book was really easy and fast to read. I thought it was pretty good, though, even with it being a really short story. I still got a lot out of the book. I was able to understand the entire situation of the story, even with minimal detail. I enjoyed the perspective which the book was written, too. It was from the viewpoint of a teenage boy talking directly to the reader, through a journal, about what was happening in his life.

Plot:
A teenage boy's mother attempted suicide, leaving her in a coma. His father and he had to make the decision whether or not to turn off the machines which kept her alive. While his mother was in the hospital, he lost touch with his friend, Jack, because Jack lived a destructive life. The main character experienced some outlashes at moments, but came to a calmly thought and decision in the end. He decided his mother was gone and it was best to let her go. It was he who turned off the machines and let her go as she wished.

Characterization:
The main character was not specified with a name, but he was a teenager in high school. He was very angry at his mother at times, but also felt sorry for feeling that way. His best friend, Jack, was a dangerous guy. Jack was abusive and destructive to people around him. Luckily, the main character recognized that and left Jack before he fell down the same path. The main character seemed to be one who thought out things very well, because in the end of the book he recognized the right thing to do was to turn off the machines for his mother. He chose that rather than being angry and destructive for her actions.

Setting:
The setting of the book took place inside of the main character's mind. It took place during the time of a stressful situation in the character's life. That affected the story, because the entire book was about his internal conflict. It was during his high school years, too, which made for even more complicated feelings of the character. The hospital was the most important place which he went, because that was where he made the most important decision of turning off his mother's machines.

Theme:
In my opinion, the theme of the book was selflessness. Throughout the book, the main character seemed to think about himself a lot in how his mother's actions affected his life. He was angry at her for what she did; however, at the end of the book, he realized it wasn't about him. He thought deeply thought about what would make his mother happy and comfortable. Though it was hard for him to tell his mother goodbye, he let her go so she could be at peace.

Recommendation:
I'd recommend this book to anyone in middle school and up. It was a very quick book to read, so it was not challenging for the reader. The reader should be prepared for the emotional effect the story may give from dealing with the problem which is presented in it.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response:
Primarily this was not my type of book it was recommended to me by a friend because it was a quick read. I did not mind the book but it was too sad and depressing to me. I understand why some people like these type of books, and by no means am I degrading the book or the people who liked it. In my personal overview of the book I was not much of a fan.

Plot:
The plot to this book about a boy who had struggled with depression about his mother attempted suicide. The primary source of the conflict in the book comes for the protagonist himself. In his internal conflicts he blamed himself for his mother's depression. He turned to the wrong crowd for acceptance. After many talks with his counselor and finding a girlfriend that supported him, he started to find out for himself that he needed to do. After the lost of the girlfriend and watching his dad go through hell for his mother he makes the choice of what needs to be done. After knowing that there was no chance for his mother to come back he took matters into his own hands and freed his mother by turning off the machines himself.

Characterization
In the book the reader is taken on a journey in the mind of the protagonist. The main character starts off in deep depression. Throw the book we learn as to why his had gotten to that point. The protagonist than fought tooth and nail to climb out of his depression just enough to had made the decision to give his mother mercy. It is easy to see how much the character struggled throw out the book. The main character showed outstanding resilience in his refusal to had gave in to depression.

Setting
The primary setting to the book took place in the main character mind. This is prevalent because in the first page he talks about he he is going to let the reader into his mind. Do to the setting there is a whirlwind of events that are not completely in chronological order which let the reader get little bits of insight as to what was going on until the end where the reader was given the whole picture. With the setting had being the inside of the mind of the protagonist the reader always knew how the protagonist felt about things.

Theme
I felt that the theme of the story was to not be afraid. It gave the message that even in the hardest of times that you have do what you have to do. In the book this is relevant because of how the main character struggled with the reality that he has to let his mother go.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to primarily teenagers. Because of the nature of the book and language that is used it seem to be driven more to teenagers. Both male and female audiences will enjoy this book equally.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teens looking for a quick, superficial read should NOT pick up this book.

Although it is short, only 131 sparse pages of free verse, the depth and range of emotion expressed by the main character is heartrending and poignant. The theme of the book is about being caged -- by dreams, by choices, and by circumstance.

I actually read through this book several times -- it doesn't take long as there is really not much on the pages. It's only when I stopped to think about it that I started having questions.

Our unnamed narrator tells the story of the day he came home to find his mother swinging from the chandelier, broken glass all around. Nearly dead, she is rushed to the hospital where she lies day after day on life support. Meanwhile, the young man tries to go to school and continue on with his life though he feels trapped by his mother's suicide attempt and his father's inability to deal with the situation. He starts to question whether turning off the machines that keep her heart pumping is really murder, and he analyzes how he missed the important clues and ignored the needs she had even as he mourns her loss. For a moment I wondered if there was the best friend Jack mentioned in the novel -- or was Jack really our narrator -- used to convey behaviors and thoughts that our narrator was too frightened or embarrassed or ashamed to admit to.

The tale left a lot more questions than it answered. Resolution was not simple. The reader is left wondering, "what would I do?"

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

A mother on life-support. A father who keeps pretending that his wife will get better. A young man, torn between doing what is right and taking the easier path of least resistance.

Alma Fullerton paints the story of one family's turmoil in WALKING ON GLASS, a short tale told in free verse. When one teen arrives home one day in June, he finds his mother near death after an attempted suicide. Although he saves her life, the only thing keeping her tethered to this world are the wires and equipment forcing her to take each breath as she lies in a hospital bed.

"Mom's mood swings always coincided with whatever Dad and I did.
Up and down.
Up and down.
Pulling our strings, like big yo-yos.
And even now, when she can't move or talk, she's still pulling those strings."

As the teen's father lives in a world of denial, as the teen himself realizes that his best friend's life of crime and anger is beginning to rub off on him, he realizes that if there is ever to be an end to the torment he suffers, the decision will have to be his alone. As he struggles to learn why his mother wanted to die, as he rages with anger over his father's lack of acceptance, and as he faces the knowledge that life will never be the same, we fight the fight right along with him.

Ms. Fullerton has written a heartrending, emotional story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought "Walking on Glass" by Alma Fullerton was an awesome book. It was short, but had a lot of details in it making it seem forever lasting. I was not very excited about the ending because I wish I could of known what happened in the ending, but I don't want to spoil the ending. This book had one of those endings where it ends sad, but you want to know how the characters live on with it.
The story was about a boy whose mother had a problem, but not being said because that is what the whole story revolves around. The boy has a friend that he used to call his best friend Jack, but he turned out to be a terrible kid growing up as a rich and stubborn kid. Jack was abusive and wanted everything he wanted even when his best friend would tell him to stop. The boy was fed up with it and never spoke to Jack again. The boy also had a girlfriend through out the book, but as his life grew harder he decided he couldn't see her anymore. This made the boy sad not seeing her face anymore and knowing she is not his, but he knew it was for the best. The boy had a lot of guilt on him because of his mom and just his family in general.
This book had sad, tough, and just ripping in the heart parts that kept me reading. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy sad, but cliff hanging books that make you want to create a happy ending. Books similar to "Walking on Glass" are "Rubber Houses" and "Hold Up."

[Tim P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking on Glass, by Fullerton Alma. This book was a grate read not just a good read. When I read this book I just couldn't put it down, every time I needed to stop I just couldn't. I also love the setup, each chapter was only 1 or 2 pages, it made you feel really smart. It also was set up like a diary. Threw out this hole book you don’t know the character’s name, but despite him not saying his name you still feel like you know and understand him. This book is about him and what’s going on in his life right now. His mom is in the hospital because of a meager car accident. His mom got hurt really bad and she was living off of machines, If she wasn't hooked up to them she would die. The character is a moma’s boy so he couldn't bring himself to pull the plug, literally. Every day she gets worse and every day he gets different emotions on the whole thing, he gets stronger and stronger every day. He really wants everything to just go back to normal, but he knows it never will. His dad said she will get better, but they both know she will die. In all, I loved this book and I encourage everyone to read this book.

[Sarah Kinert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking on Glass was a good book. Once I started reading I didn't put it down because I wanted to finish it and know what happened. It has a great story line although it is a little scary and sad. This book is a free verse poem book that tells a story about a boy and his journey.

At the beginning of the book the boy is introducing himself and he starts to tell his story. So early on a chandelier had fallen on his mother and put her into a coma . The chandelier had also broken his arm. Having his mom in a deep sleep had turned him into someone else. He was depressed and didn't want to see his mom suffer any more and he lost his friend because his friend was making dumb decisions. The story goes through his adventures determining if he should shut of the machine that keeps his mom alive or not to.

I recommend this book to boys and girls ages twelve through 18. That it because the book gets a little intense and scary for younger kids but it is an easy read because it is a poem book. You should also read this if you like crazy and unexpected plots. The book is a great one so you should read it.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This teen novel in verse is just simply amazing. It reaches into the core of emotion as a 17-year-old teeage boy confronts the fact that his mother is in a coma. There has been some serious debate as to whether or not they should pull the plug because there is no evidence that she is going to get better. The unnamed protagonists has to sort through whether or not this is murder as well as the fact that his father is not yet ready to give up hope.

Readers are also brought into his "new" everyday life, where he tries to carry on with school, his relationship with his best friend Jack, and sort through how to balance all of this with the trauma surrounding his mother's health.

As someone who came home to find that my own mother had passed away, I really felt myself enthralled by the strong, realistic voice presented by the author to be just perfect. The poetry format seems perfect to present this moving tale, and Fullerton makes the most of it with her strong and incredibly moving writing.

[Fleur Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Walking on Glass because I thought the cover looked pretty—yes, I am that shallow sometimes. And my shallowness got me a really deep, moving read.

Walking on Glass is a skinny book, 131 pages of free verse told from the perspective of a teenager whose mother tried to commit suicide. She’s now in a coma, and he struggles with his feelings of anger, guilt, and longing to be free of his mother’s illness. We follow him while he tries to find his way through hospital visits, bullying (he’s the bully), and his father’s grief and inability to let go.

I’m not much of an expert on poetry, don’t know how to write any myself. But I do know short fiction, and this book reminded me of a good short story: the way every word matters, and certain sentences can send a chill up your spine.

This was an excellent book, one that I’ll read again. No crime, but somewhat a mystery, and that's always a good thing.

[Karli M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biggest thing I liked about this book is how open it was. It showed how her feelings were and you could tell how she felt at any time of the book. It also makes the story really eerie and you won't be able to tell what happened until the very end. I also liked the whole story that the author portrayed.

This book is about a young girl (they don't say the name of most of the characters). Her mother has tried to commit suicide. Her father's and her lives are ruined and weighed down by the thought that they could loose their mother and or wife. They have to make the decision if it was their fault and most of all have to decide whether or not to set her free.

I would recommend this book to people who want a really quick read. Its a poetry book so its pretty short. Also I would recommend this book to people who want a sad and sort of freeing book. This book is one of those books that I've never read before but sure am glad that I did.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would you do if your mother was on life support and it was up to you to decide on her future? Would you pull the plug? Walking on Glass is the journal of a teenage boy dealing with the aftermath of his mothers botched suicide attempt. Written in free verse, the story moves quickly, yet gives a thorough picture of his life. As his mother lays in a vegetative state, he has to deal with his fathers withdrawal from life, his best friends downward spiral into the gang scene, and his own problems brought forth from his mothers attempt on her own life. How should he feel about his mother now? Will a new friend help him see the potential of his life?

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read with heavy drama when a narrator's mother decides to kill herself. he struggles to pull himself out of his negative thoughts while seeing a counselor and keeping a journal, which is the free-verse novel the reader is reading. the tragedy is enough to pull you in, but his final conclusions are just as thoughtful and powerful.

When the teacher asks me "If you could change anything in history, what would it be?" I say, "Four months ago, I would have come home five minutes earlier."

God, forgive me. The thought of my own mother dying shouldn't leave the taste of freedom in my mouth.