When Dad Killed Mom

This well written young adult novel is one that should be read by all jr.high or high school language arts teachers. It potrays the life of two adolscents that are left behind after their father kills their mother, Rachel. As the mystery unfolds as to why each of the children has loyalty to one of their parents (Jenna to her dad and Jeremy to his mom), it is evident how manipulation can exist in a nuclear family in today's hetic world. Charaterization of Jenna and Jeremy evolve in this book, with each of the children so different in their personalitites, and how each of them change throughout the book. Along with this is, dramatic theme issues of death, trust, and isolation. From page one the reader will be entralled as to how and why situations happen like When Dad Killed Mom. The title is horrific, but Julius Lester knows how to grab his audience from the beginning in this real life drama. Grab ahold of your seat, you will not be able to put this book down until the last page. Stong language potrayed by Jenna and strong theme content. Recommended for readers 13 yrs old and above

I didn't mean to read this book. I saw it at the library and idly opened it to read a few paragraphs. After standing there and reading 20 pages from the middle, I checked it out, went to a cafe, started back at the beginning, and read it straight through until I was done. I was drinking decaf coffee, but at times I was so on edge from this suspenseful novel, my heart racing, that I thought I must have been slipped espresso instead! Be wary of reading the reviews of his book, because in many ways it is a psychological mystery -- WHY do people do what they do, and what were they protecting and hiding? -- and hearing too much about it will lessen the impact of the novel itself. You will probably appreciate these reviews more AFTER you've read the book, in any case. Jenna, the 14-going-on-25-year-old girl, cusses a lot; that and the intense plot make this a book for older teens who can handle an edgy book with adult themes. I suggest that parents read this along with their teen so they can discuss the myriad of social problems this book addresses so skillfully. OK, so now you've read the book and want to hear some discussion ... Jenna and her sensitive 12-year-old brother Jeremy are wonderfully drawn characters, as are the supporting characters. The most puzzling character to me was the boyfriend Gregory, who seems too insightful at first to become such a loser later. However, he has a lot in common with another of the characters, in that he uses his charm to get his own needs met without being able to really connect emotionally with others. People are realistic, in that they aren't "predictable" stereotypes, but fully realized individuals. Jenna and Jeremy take turns narrating, but the reader doesn't think they're each "writing" their story; you're just getting into their heads. Their disbelief, horror, numbness, and heightened sensitivity compete with confusing, conflicting thoughts and emotions. Despite each of their flaws, brother and sister are quite close to each other, which is refreshing. In reconstructing the events leading up to the murder, the kids get to know their parents as full yet equally flawed human beings -- knowledge that comes at a high price. Mainly this is about the slow unraveling of family secrets, and how sometimes an irreversible tragedy forces a family to admit its problems. Altogether this is a very compelling book for more mature teens and adults who like a very well written, timely, and believable young adult novel.

hi, i'm 13, and i started this book last night. i finished it at 5am. i couldn't put it down. it was so amazing. what i really liked about it was that it was written in the childrens' point of view, and it's very realistic. for example, the girl, jenna curses all the time and stuff, but that's the way it is in real life. i hate when books make it seem like all kids are all 'goodie too shoes' the feelings and emotions are very real and i recommend this to anyone. it was terrific.

At the end of When Dad Killed Mom Julius Lester describes his experience of writing this novel. He describes the need to write and give Jeremy and Jenna voice..."as if I were in a state of possession (p.182)." Professor Lester has written an accurate depiction of the experiences of children who have lost a parent by intimate partner violence. Having researched this topic for more than three years, I was amazed at the accuracy and empathy contained in this story. Jenna's language is typical of a angry teenager confused by her father's inappropriate attention. Jeremy's need for attachment is well illustrated in his relationship with his mother and later with his friend, Sara's family. The children's split loyalties and struggles with their own future reflect the reality of children who experience this loss.The important lesson that the author integrates into each chapter is the importance of social supports for these children. They need to be surrounded by people that they can trust and who will give them a chance to process the incredible loss that they have suffered. For all those children who have never had a chance to tell their story, thank you Professor Lester.

A well written book about the aftermath of a murder. Jenna and Jeremy's father Eric has just killed their mother Rachel and they are left with to pick up the pieces of his heinous crime. Narrated alternately from both Jenna and Jeremy's point of view, the story follows the two children as they struggle to come to terms with the heart-breaking legacy their father has left behind. Not the closest of siblings, with Jenna having been a Daddy's girl, and Jeremy getting on better with their mother, the two siblings are forced to reconcile their differences in order to survive the future. Not easy when you both have the weight of the world on your young shoulders. There is their father's trial to deal with, a traumatic experience for both youngsters, plus secrets that need to be told as well as old family conflicts that have to be dealt with. This is a sharply written book with good dialogue, some of it very grown-up in places. Jenna is a precocious 8th grader, whilst Jeremy is almost bird-like, fluttering uncertainly at first as he tries to sort out in his head what made his father kill his mother. Both children bounce off the adult characters, such as Karen their father's first wife, their grandparents and an assortment of friends and curious hangers-on. A thought provoking book that reminds me of Judy's Blume's "Tiger Eyes", dealing with the concept of violent death in sensitive and none-condescending manner.