Damage - A. M. Jenkins [53]
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to Jeff Jenkins for sharing his knowledge of football (any errors or exaggerations regarding that sport lie solely at the feet of the author) and to Rachel Safko for her help in preparing this manuscript. Also, many thanks to the members of the Four Star Coffee Bar critique group and the YAWRITER list, for putting up with my writerly angst; I’m especially grateful to Cathy Atkins, Lisa Firke, Adrianne Fitzpatrick, Judy Gregerson, Shirley Harazin, Denise Johns, Kathy Lay, Ann Manheimer, Melissa Russell, Andrea Schulz, Shelley Sykes, Melissa Wyatt, and Lidia Zenida, and would like to thank them for their insights. I owe a tremendous debt to Martha Moore, Jan Peck, and Laura Wiess, for opening their hearts and helping me to write as honestly and deeply as could. And finally, this book would not be here without Steve Malk, who took an enormous burden from my shoulders and offered to carry it for me, and Alix Reid, who believed in and cared for Austin from the moment she met him.
Praise for DAMAGE
“A brave, truthful, stylistically stunning young adult novel.”
—School Library Journal (starred review)
“It’s rare to find such an unflinching, powerful depiction of depression. Jenkins evokes the lumbering overwhelming emotional burden with vivid accuracy.”
—ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Intense. This is both a nuanced exploration of a complicated relationship and a sensitive treatment of a young man struggling against a strong and frightening tide.”
—BCCB (starred review)
“Engaging. Readers will be riveted.”
—Publishers Weekly
“There is a gritty truth in this book not often found in YA novels. A grippingly realistic novel.”
—KLIATT (starred review)
“Seductive, chilling, and ultimately satisfying.”
—Kirkus Reviews
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice
Books by A. M. Jenkins:
Breaking Boxes
Damage
Out of Order
Copyright
DAMAGE. Copyright © 2001 by A. M. Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition July 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-196456-5
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Chapter