Bad Girls Club

I didn't want to read this book. I was compelled to read it. It is a disturbing and meticulously accurate portrait of what goes on behind the closed doors of the ultimate dysfunctional family. Ms. Gregerson brings us into the world of Destiny, a young teenage girl who bears the whole world on her shoulders. While she appears to be the only still-sane member of this family, as the book goes on you can see her slipping slowly away. While this may be a work of fiction, it is all too true for many families. Reading this raw and painful account, I felt both helpless and determined. What is there to do amidst such hopelessness and despair? And yet, we should be ever vigilant for throwaway kids such as Destiny - to step up and be that person who says "you're not disposable", "you do matter", "you are loveable", and "you're not alone." This is a very powerful book, not for the faint of heart.

Judy Gregerson's Bad Girls Club clearly describes the twisted, corrosive web that mental illness weaves, affecting everyone involved. Giving up a possibility to work for the summer like other teens & withdrawing from her friends, Destiny is consumed "trying" to protect herself and her little sister Cassidy from her mother's erratic, vitriolic tirades. Depression follows and Destiny slides into denial regarding the severity of her mother's illness and need for professional help. Too young to understand her mother's erratic psychotic behavior, Destiny's little sister Cassidy becomes withdrawn and creates an imaginary friend as her companion. Overwhelmed with the stress of his struggling business, and faced with dealing with his wife's mercurial persona, Destiny's father too, becomes a victim of the denial trap and pushes on to Destiny the responsibilities of taking care of her little sister and her mentally ill mother. Bad Girls Club takes you deep into the heart and soul of a family sliding from rational thinking to denial, withdrawal, isolation and noxious reasoning in an attempt to deal with the disease of mental illness. Bad Girls Club will hold you captive and allow you to understand how mental illness can cripple and infect those close by. Barbara Stolzenburg Teacher Librarian H.M. Jackson High Schookl

This book is intense, intense, intense. I've never read another book like it. Amazing. Destiny has been holding her family together since her little sister, Cassidy, was born. There's a darkness in her family that no one else can see. No matter how many lights Destiny turns on, the darkness stalks her. The darkness has already claimed her mother, and is now taking control of her little sister, one pulled hair at a time. Her dad can't even help himself, so it falls on Destiny to make everything okay. This was not a book I could read in one sitting. Ms. Gregerson's writing is so real that I felt Destiny's suffocation and had to take the break that Destiny couldn't. But I cared so much for her, I couldn't leave it alone. Destiny would draw me back, again and again. I ached for her. I wanted to help her and Cassidy. I wanted to shake their father. And part of what made it so intense was that deep inside, I knew it was real. Somewhere, there are real children living in this tilted reality. If they are lucky, they will find Bad Girls Club and they'll understand that they can reach for the light and get help. The writing is beautiful and poetic. I cannot imagine the amount of research that must have gone into this book for it to be so real. I cannot think of any another book that I've read where in the middle of reading I realize I have to relax and breathe. Breathe. Wow. I wish Ms. Gregerson great success with Bad Girls Club. It was an incredible read that will stay with me for a long time to come. Cana Rensberger ~ Writer/Teacher

Haunting and heartbreaking, this story will stay with the reader long after the last page. Destiny's pain and conflict will resonate with teens that have either experienced living with a mentally ill parent or know a friend who has. Raw and told with honesty, Judy Gregerson lets us inside the mind of a teen who longs for acceptance and love from her mother, even if it means she must sacrifice herself. Destiny struggles are real and her final act is both powerful and strong. Finally a book comes out that isn't afraid to address this sensitive subject. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a truthful account of what it's like to live with a mentally ill loved one. At the back of the book are links to sites for those who want to know more about dealing with child trauma.

The cycle of abuse is one of society's seemingly incurable ills. One generation passes its violence on to the next. Destiny and her sister, Cassidy, are victims of this tragic cycle. BAD GIRLS CLUB focuses on one such family. Destiny is in high school attempting to entertain thoughts of her future, but her present seems to become more demanding of her time. Destiny's mother has long been suffering from mental illness. Her mood swings and depression result in rough times for five-year-old Cassidy. Destiny has realized, since the birth of her younger sibling, that her mother has never loved the little girl. Neglect and physical abuse have become normal behavior. Most children could rely on the other parent for some sort of protection; however, in Destiny's case her father's focus is always on his wife's well-being and not that of his children. He realizes his wife needs help, but he's unwilling to take the necessary steps to find her the help she desperately needs. Instead he relies on Destiny's help to care for her and to keep the truth of their lives hidden. With the use of flashbacks, Gregerson reveals the history of abuse which has caused Destiny's mother to continue the behavior toward her own children. The arrival of Destiny's grandmother offers a promise of better things to come. But will Grandmother's help even be welcomed -- and will it be too late? BAD GIRLS CLUB by Judy Gregerson tells a heartbreaking story. Unfortunately, it is a story told much too often. Readers will feel the fear and frustration as Destiny tries to do her best to keep loving her mother and at the same time keep her younger sister safe. This book will help those who have suffered a similar situation and open the eyes of those who haven't. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"