Broken People

From time to time, a book comes along, and makes you stop. It makes you stop and second guess who you are, what you’re doing in life, with life, and for the ones you love. This is that book. Through colorfully painted characters, “Broken People” forces the reader to reflect on self. There will be a broken part of you in one (or all) of these characters, guaranteed. The Fat Kid is a self-proclaimed therapist who devotes his life to help people that have difficulties helping themselves, people he considers to be ‘broken’. When he encounters a bulimic teenage girl through his internet blog who threatens to commit suicide, he begins to reflect on parts of his life that he has spent years repressing. He continues to assist her, and many other ‘Broken People’ through his blog. When he meets an extremely independent teenage girl who challenges him, his way of living, and his way of viewing life, he reluctantly listens. In doing so he challenges his past mistakes, his future, and ultimately he finds himself.Intentionally becoming obese in an effort to shield himself from the approach of outsiders wanting to better understand him, The Fat Kid hides behind his thick outer self. With an overbearing obnoxious attitude, he allows few people to enter his otherwise private life. Most of the people that he encounters come from his internet blog, and pose no real threat to him or to his odd lifestyle. Through his reflections on past experiences and his online assistance to others, we are exposed to alcoholism, addiction, drugs, racism, relationships, homosexuality, love, romance, teen relationships, parenting, teen sex, codependency, divorce, obesity, overworked parents, teen pregnancy, bulimia, bathroom selfies, tattoos, parenting, education, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and photo sharing are all discussed at length. The result is a book that will have you laughing, crying, contemplating your own life, and the lives of your parents and/or children. A must read for parents and children alike, regardless of age. It gives teens and young adults an honest look at what parents consider, and provides parents with a realistic view of what teens are exposed to in today’s competitive social networking world.