Description

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I have always been broken. I could have died. And maybe it would have been better if i had.

It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and--best of all--a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry's family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go.

Told in episodic verse, Family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they'll go to to make themselves "whole" again.

About the Author

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The only thing MICOL OSTOW enjoys more than reading and writing is being scared out of her ever-lovin wits.When she was 12, her father gifted her with a copy of "Helter Skelter." Needless to say, it made an impact.

Micol is the author of "So" "Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother)," " "which was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens, and which "Booklist" called a rollicking, witty, and ultra-contemporary book that drums on the funny bone and reverberates through the heart. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and currently runs a popular young adult writing workshop through MediaBistro.com.

Micol lives and works in New York City with her filmmaker husband and a finicky French bulldog.Visit Micol at: www.micolostow.com."