Books tend to enter minds and alter world views. When she was in seventh grade, freshman Azlinn Bartlett was recommended by a teacher to read the novel “Bruiser,” by Neal Shusterman. “Bruiser” can be bought in a store like Barnes & Noble, or can even be borrowed from the school library. This book explores strong themes of emotion and dependency on loved ones. Bartlett believes that this story leaves a lasting impact due to how strong the story is.
“It’s about this boy who has this extreme fear of loving or caring for anybody because whenever he loves or cares for someone, he takes their pain,” Bartlett said.
“Bruiser” tells the story of a high school student named Brewster Rawlins who has the ability to take away the pain of his loved ones, and he in turn receives the pain.
“My favorite character is unmistakably Brewster,” Bartlett said. “Throughout the book, he grows as a person and experiences things that most people never think about. It was amazing seeing the world from his perspective because he viewed basic human interactions completely different than most.”
To this day, this book has a lasting impact on Bartlett. She claims that “Bruiser” was a book that had a strong, positive effect on her. It affected the way she understood the pain that comes with love.
“I would say ‘Bruiser’ impacted my life a lot,” Bartlett said. “It made me realize not only how beautiful scars are because scars are what we live through, but it also helps me see that sometimes love hurts. At the end of the day, sometimes that pain is worth the love. It was just one of those books that you can’t set down.”
