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Desperate Pursuit
When someone begins intentionally frightening her, following her, and spying on her, Nicole begins to suspect that that someone is her former boyfriend, Michael, a guy who, everyone insists, is incapable of such things.
- GenresHorrorYoung Adult
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
About the author
Gloria D. Miklowitz
62 books17 followersWith a relentless concern about contemporary issues and problems that affect teenagers, Gloria D. Miklowitz (USA, b. 1927) examined such topics as rape, suicide, teen marriage, divorce, AIDS, sexual abuse, and racial prejudice in her novels. She helped teen readers look at underground militias, vigilantism, religious cults, steroid use among high school athletes, and the effects of nuclear war. She enabled readers to view the famous battle of Masada from both sides. She also wrote nonfiction on a variety of subjects, from earthquakes and raccoons to President Harry Truman, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and tennis star Tracy Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 8, 2017
I sped through this book and found it to be quite intense. I can't stand people like Michael. When your presence is no longer appealing to someone romantically, just go away. I get that it is hard to move on emotionally because that takes time, but stalking, threatening, and begging isn't going to make someone love you.
I don't like to blame the victim, and I don't blame Nicole, but there were a number of occasions when I was bothered by the fact that she kept trying to be nice to someone who obviously did not deserve it. It also didn't make sense that she would allow herself to be talked into taking a ride from him when she knew how he was.
People like Michael need to be dropped completely. You can't control what they will do in the end, and you have to know that trying to play nice with someone is not going to stop them from going psycho when they never get what they want.
I don't like to blame the victim, and I don't blame Nicole, but there were a number of occasions when I was bothered by the fact that she kept trying to be nice to someone who obviously did not deserve it. It also didn't make sense that she would allow herself to be talked into taking a ride from him when she knew how he was.
People like Michael need to be dropped completely. You can't control what they will do in the end, and you have to know that trying to play nice with someone is not going to stop them from going psycho when they never get what they want.
June 30, 2022
Since nobody else is likely to read this I'm just gonna tell the whole story. lol
When I was in the 6th grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Jordan who had a spinning black rack of books we were allowed to "check out" from her, since our middle school didn't have a library. (I know, a travesty.) I read every book on that rack, some of them (the Lois Duncan ones) multiple times. And I borrowed this book. And it's been stuck in my mind since 1993. Not the story so much as the cover, cause look at that! It was terrifying. All I could remember was something about a prom and the protagonist (featured on the cover) getting arrested after stalking her. I have searched for this book for literal decades and have never been able to find it because millions of teen books are about prom and the cover was super hard to find. Thanks to an angel named Angela here on Goodreads, I was finally able to track down a copy of the book and refresh my memories!
This is a book about a high school boy named Michael. He's popular and rich and seems to have it all. He's the school's star tennis player and is expected to get a scholarship after graduation. But what people don't know is that his dad is abusive. Michael is never good enough to measure up to his dad's expectations. And Michael is so stressed and depressed he is contemplating suicide. The one thing he claims is keeping him from completely giving up is his girlfriend, high school freshman Nicole.
Nicole enjoys Michael's attention. She enjoys the way he spoils her with expensive gifts and she likes that everyone envies her for catching his eye. But she doesn't love Michael, not the way he loves her. And sometimes he does things that bother her. He mocks her dream of becoming an astronomer. He sways her opinion to match his on every topic. He has to be with her every second of every day, smothering her. If she asks to just stay home and read a book instead of going to parties with him, he demeans her. She's getting pretty sick of him, actually, so when a new boy transfers to their school, a boy she has honest feelings for, she decides to break up with Michael.
Then the stalking begins.
Michael love bombs Nicole nonstop. He calls her incessantly, has an obscene number of flowers delivered to her house, charms her friends and family so that they think Nicole is crazy when she tells them he is verbally abusive, physically aggressive, and following her on her dates with her new boyfriend, Shane. Not even her best friend, Evie, or her mother believes her! They tell her she's overreacting and insist Michael is a great guy. But when Nicole makes plans to go to prom with Shane, Michael loses his mind completely and no one can deny anymore that he's got issues and Nicole needs to stay away from him.
Michael insists he give Nicole and Evie a ride home. But when Evie gets out of the car, Michael starts running red lights and stop signs and driving 80 miles an hour to terrify Nicole. When she finally escapes the car, he tries to mow her down. She runs home and her mom finally believes her. But calling Michael's father is futile; he blames Nicole rather than believe his own son has problems and needs help.
Michael tells the entire school that Nicole is going to prom with him. When she takes steps to correct the rumors, he tells everyone that she's been cheating on him, going so far as to jump onto a table at lunch to make a public announcement about it. Everyone starts to realize he's truly losing it.
Nicole's family talks to the school about Michael. His parents are called in and the school guarantees he will leave Nicole alone from now on, and if he makes one more threat against her, he'll be expelled - something his perfectionist father will never stand for.
Shane picks Nicole up to take her to prom, but winds up getting trapped in her house while her dad insists on taking tons of photos of them. By the time they are getting into the car to leave, Michael has punctured the tires. They're not going anywhere.
Then Michael opens fire...
In the beginning I thought this story sounded a bit juvenile. Like, it reads like middle grade. But when it gets intense, I'm telling you it made my adult heart pound and I felt really anxious! I can see why middle school-me loved this book and why it stuck in my mind for so long. I'm going to keep my copy and read it again when I'm in the mood for a thriller. I believe the author's intent was to show young adults the signs of abuse in a relationship, discern what is and isn't normal behavior from a romantic partner, and how to find help in these situations. I'm so glad that after all these years I have my own copy of this book.
Note: Yeah, it's kinda dated. lol No cell phones. No cordless phones, even. Video tapes. Cassette tapes. Today's youth might be confused by some elements. lol
When I was in the 6th grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Jordan who had a spinning black rack of books we were allowed to "check out" from her, since our middle school didn't have a library. (I know, a travesty.) I read every book on that rack, some of them (the Lois Duncan ones) multiple times. And I borrowed this book. And it's been stuck in my mind since 1993. Not the story so much as the cover, cause look at that! It was terrifying. All I could remember was something about a prom and the protagonist (featured on the cover) getting arrested after stalking her. I have searched for this book for literal decades and have never been able to find it because millions of teen books are about prom and the cover was super hard to find. Thanks to an angel named Angela here on Goodreads, I was finally able to track down a copy of the book and refresh my memories!
This is a book about a high school boy named Michael. He's popular and rich and seems to have it all. He's the school's star tennis player and is expected to get a scholarship after graduation. But what people don't know is that his dad is abusive. Michael is never good enough to measure up to his dad's expectations. And Michael is so stressed and depressed he is contemplating suicide. The one thing he claims is keeping him from completely giving up is his girlfriend, high school freshman Nicole.
Nicole enjoys Michael's attention. She enjoys the way he spoils her with expensive gifts and she likes that everyone envies her for catching his eye. But she doesn't love Michael, not the way he loves her. And sometimes he does things that bother her. He mocks her dream of becoming an astronomer. He sways her opinion to match his on every topic. He has to be with her every second of every day, smothering her. If she asks to just stay home and read a book instead of going to parties with him, he demeans her. She's getting pretty sick of him, actually, so when a new boy transfers to their school, a boy she has honest feelings for, she decides to break up with Michael.
Then the stalking begins.
Michael love bombs Nicole nonstop. He calls her incessantly, has an obscene number of flowers delivered to her house, charms her friends and family so that they think Nicole is crazy when she tells them he is verbally abusive, physically aggressive, and following her on her dates with her new boyfriend, Shane. Not even her best friend, Evie, or her mother believes her! They tell her she's overreacting and insist Michael is a great guy. But when Nicole makes plans to go to prom with Shane, Michael loses his mind completely and no one can deny anymore that he's got issues and Nicole needs to stay away from him.
Michael insists he give Nicole and Evie a ride home. But when Evie gets out of the car, Michael starts running red lights and stop signs and driving 80 miles an hour to terrify Nicole. When she finally escapes the car, he tries to mow her down. She runs home and her mom finally believes her. But calling Michael's father is futile; he blames Nicole rather than believe his own son has problems and needs help.
Michael tells the entire school that Nicole is going to prom with him. When she takes steps to correct the rumors, he tells everyone that she's been cheating on him, going so far as to jump onto a table at lunch to make a public announcement about it. Everyone starts to realize he's truly losing it.
Nicole's family talks to the school about Michael. His parents are called in and the school guarantees he will leave Nicole alone from now on, and if he makes one more threat against her, he'll be expelled - something his perfectionist father will never stand for.
Shane picks Nicole up to take her to prom, but winds up getting trapped in her house while her dad insists on taking tons of photos of them. By the time they are getting into the car to leave, Michael has punctured the tires. They're not going anywhere.
Then Michael opens fire...
In the beginning I thought this story sounded a bit juvenile. Like, it reads like middle grade. But when it gets intense, I'm telling you it made my adult heart pound and I felt really anxious! I can see why middle school-me loved this book and why it stuck in my mind for so long. I'm going to keep my copy and read it again when I'm in the mood for a thriller. I believe the author's intent was to show young adults the signs of abuse in a relationship, discern what is and isn't normal behavior from a romantic partner, and how to find help in these situations. I'm so glad that after all these years I have my own copy of this book.
Note: Yeah, it's kinda dated. lol No cell phones. No cordless phones, even. Video tapes. Cassette tapes. Today's youth might be confused by some elements. lol
October 15, 2020
Onvan : Desperate Pursuit - Nevisande : Gloria D. Miklowitz - ISBN : 0553297465 - ISBN13 : 9780553297461 - Dar 160 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1992
May 31, 2013
drama on every other page! liked it a lot!
June 3, 2024
We follow Nicole a sophomore who is dating senior Michael. They are a typical couple who do everything together and seem like the all American high school couple. Michael loves Nicole and knows she’s the one for him. But while Nicole really likes Michael she isn’t in love with him. And when she meet new student Shane it’s like love at first sight. When she tells Michael she wants to date other people at first he’s okay with it because he knows Nicole loves him and they are meant for each other. But when Nicole wants to be with Shane exclusively and tells Michael it’s over he can’t handle it. This book takes stalking and delusion to another level. I will say there is trigger warning for suicide. I may have rated it higher except the use of threatening suicide if someone doesn’t want to be with you is very very gross. And personally I have no respect for that behavior. But unfortunately it is a very realistic scenario. In the end I felt bad for Nicole and in a way Michael. Quick read but uncomfortable in many ways.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews