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    Brutal
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    Brutal
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    Brutal
    Audiobook6 hours

    Brutal

    Written by Michael Harmon

    Narrated by Kim Mai Guest

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    With her martyr-doctor mother gone to save lives in some South American country, Poe Holly suddenly finds herself on the suburban doorstep of the father she never knew, who also happens to be a counselor at her new high school. She misses Los Angeles. She misses the guys in her punk band. Weirdly, she even misses the shouting matches she used to have with her mom.

    But Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy in the anarchy Tshirt, and Velveeta, her oddly likeable neighbor-and a born victim who's the butt of every prank at Benders High. But when the pranks turn deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe knows she's got to fix the system and take down the hero.

    With insightfulness, spot-on dialogue, and a swiftly paced plot, Michael Harmon tells the story of a displaced girl grappling with a truly dangerous bully.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 10, 2009
    ISBN9780739379868
    Unavailable
    Brutal
    Author

    Michael Harmon

    This book is written from the authors personal experiences dealing with the topics of money, false hopes of social security for Generation X,Y and Z, traditional education, and the old belief of that only working a job all your life will bring you financial success. This book will give people a different perspective on the topic of money, and will challenge conventional wisdom when dealing with the ways we have been taught to make money. This writing is a tool for everyone but it is especially for the youth of the world today, to better equip them through financial literacy for the coming financial burden that's about to be placed on their shoulder's, through the possible collapse of Social Security. These are the times that people need some new information on dealing with their finances and this book contains some of that information. The author is from East St Louis, Il. His hobbies are basketball, writing, and spending time with family. He has a B.S. in Business Administration,worked as a paraprofessional in a high school for 4 years and is currently pursuing his passion of financially educating individuals and equipping them with knowledge to help them make wiser financial decisions during these challenging economic times.

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    Reviews for Brutal

    4/5

    47 ratings11 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book was good, but forgettable. It's about Poe, a girl who thinks her mother has abandoned her to help needy people in South America. She hasn't abandoned her, but has sent her to live with her Dad, whom she has never met, and who happens to be the high school counselor. Her new high school prides itself on equality and treating everybody the same, when really the popular kids have all of the power, which means they can say and do anything without consequence. Although I didn't think it was very memorable for me, I thought it had a good message about bullying, and schools that tolerate it.
    • 4/5
      This was a very interesting look at school bullying, highlighting the fact that the adults in a school community can often, unbeknown to them, be the instigators of the bullying and harassment that occurs. Poe is a strong protagonist. Although a bit preachy and over-the-top at times, she is passionate, street-smart, rebellious and feisty, and determined to protect her friend. Harmon has done a great job drawing attention to some serious issues that our students face at school and showing the importance of speaking out against injustices.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the spunky narrator in this novel and her war to right all wrongs-both at home and at school. My only complaint: Velveeta's disappearance at the end of the novel seemed a tad too convenient.
    • 4/5
      In this day and age when things are fast and new becomes old quickly, we tend to forget about books that aren’t on the best seller list. It’s nice, on occasion, to remind ourselves of some of the good books out there and Brutal by Michael Harmon is one that we should remember. An audio excerpt was on a CD about bullying, which is what first brought it to my attention.Harmon’s dedication says it all. “This novel was written for all teenagers out there who have the courage to stand up for something they believe to be true, and the willingness to overcome mistakes made in trying to make a difference in this world. It’s also for the parents, teachers, and administrators who listen to them.”Poe (named after Edgar Allan) Holly is new at Benders High School in Benders Hollow, CA, having moved in with a father she hasn’t seen in sixteen years when her surgeon mother decides to spend a year in South America helping to the people there. What Poe sees as she navigates her first few days at Benders High is the inequality among students: the sports team members are high on the totem pole, followed by cheerleaders and the championship choir. Lowest of the low are the geeks and dorks, some of whom literally get beaten to a pulp. She tries to convince her guidance counselor father that school rules, to some extent, foster this inequality, but he’s not on board yet. It can be something simple like football team members can wear their jerseys to gym instead of the authorized ‘gym uniform’ to something more severe such as the football star beating up a kid and getting away with it. Poe is out to make things right.Having an affinity for non-conformists, I really like Poe, who dresses Goth or whatever fashion suits her, and I’m sure most readers will. She teams up with Theo, the mayor’s son and another outcast, making an interesting couple. She’s certainly got her own demons to conquer as she grows up and tries to exert herself, but as a sixteen year old, she’s making a great start.In this era when it seems to me kids are apathetic and when bullying, especially bullying via social media is dominating the news, it’s refreshing to know that someone cares and one person can make a difference. Brutal is a quick, enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Poe Holly is not an average high school student. She has quite a mouth on her and thinks nothing of using profanity when talking to a teacher or principal. She also speaks up whenever she sees things that in her opinion are not right. When Por witnesses Velvetta being beat up as a result of something she did, she knows she must stop the ensuing consequences
    • 4/5
      When her surgeon-mother leaves LA and goes to South America on a charity project, 16 yr. old Poe Holly goes to live with her father in the small town of Bender. Poe has never met her father who also happens to be the school counselor at her new high school. Poe doesn't know why her parents divorced. She is a rebellious teen who doesnt' get along with her mother and blames her father for never being there for her. Poe meets two new friends...Theo, the son of the mayor and "Velveeta", a troubled teen who is the perpetual target of school bullies. Poe soon realizes that a major bully at the high school is Colby Morris, star football player. Colby is brutal and untouchable...his father is well-connected. Poe sets out to prove that Colby and his friends are responsible for a near-fatal attack on Velveeta, thereby putting her own life in danger. Harmon does a good job of keeping the action moving. Brutal was hard to out down once started. The characters aren't fully drawn; it's very hard to understand the motivations and actions of Poe's parents. Poe's constant rants about the hypocrisy of the school and adults is a little over-the-top and not always believable...she gets pretty obnoxious sometimes. However, the issues are timely, the characters are likable and there is lots for teens to relate to.
    • 4/5
      Great book about a girl who goes to live with her father when her mother travels overseas. She doesn't feel that she fits in, but it's as much because he won't allow herself to as it is because she actually doesn't. She befriends the misfit next door and the "counter-culture" loving son of the town's mayor. Moving-very much a modern book in the way that it deals realistically with the issue of bullying.
    • 5/5
      Great job of depicting how the institution of schools often unknowinly creates cliques, which lead to bullying. Climax and resolution seemed to be tidied up to quick and neat.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a troubled teenage girl who is left with the father she doesn't know by a mother who would rather be anywhere else practicing medicine. Focusing on teen cliques and bullying, the book is effective in getting its point across. At times it seems a little preachy, but overall is a very good read. This book will appeal to young adults who feel out of place in their high schools.
    • 4/5
      Poe's mother is always off saving the world and this year is no exception. Rebellious Poe is used to being on her own, but this time her mother has arranged for her to live with her Dad in a sleeply little California town. Poe misses her punk band and the big city and finds life with her neat, orderly father boring.Poe does make a few friends at her new school. Theo, the mayor's son is whip smart and falls for Poe. And, Velveeta is her odd neighbor. He is likeable, but is too easy a target for the bullies that abound in the town.Poe takes Velveeta's side after he receives a vicious beating. She works on exposing the hypocrisies that exist in her high school that create a caste system. This book will appeal to independent thinkers and those who would like to stir up the existing order at their high school or middle school.
    • 5/5
      Brutal came at a great time in my reading life - Poe was like the literary Veronica Mars minus the mystery, but with that same sort of sass. I always had a soft spot for the rebels with a cause, and high school is always full of surprises and drama that somehow never gets too old. Occasionally Poe goes a little overboard in her rampage, pushing away her well-meaning but spineless father, the cute rebel boy, the spoiled but nice-on-the-inside cheerleader, and everyone else on the planet. No one told her that a little sugary compromise can go a long way in trying to win people over to her cause.I was pleasantly surprised with Brutal. The humor was spot-on, and I laughed at some of the causes Poe chose to highlight such as the gym uniform policy. Everyone in the book - at least, those close to Poe - had great page time, and they had several likable qualities that softened the hard shell known as Poe.Last but not least, I cannot fail to mention the quirky nod to the cheese-lovers with names such as Velveeta and Colby. Is there any symbolism if Colby was the bully and Velveeta the victim? Or how about Velveeta winning in the end? Definitely some things to think about...And, when I start talking about cheese, that is a sure sign that this review is at a close.