Oates, Joyce Carol. After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away. New York: HarperTempest. 2006.
When I first learned of this book I didn’t know anything about it. Yet, when it was in my hands and I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Labeled “young adult fiction” I feared it would be dumbed down and too young (despite my love for Oates’ work). While it does have a somewhat optimistic, to be expected somewhat happy ending I was pleasantly surprised by its grit. After the Wreck tells the story of one girl’s struggle to get over the tragic death of her mother (car accident). Jenna’s downward spiral begins soon after she moves from New York to New Hampshire to live with relatives. Jenna is not the goody-goody kid and her rebellious nature is as realistic as it is refreshing. Things can can only get worse before they get better. My favorite part: Jenna learning how to run again after the accident. I can relate.
~*LunaSea*~ 
my only experience with this author was “We were the Mulvaneys”
it was oddly similar to my life at the time.
That’s one I haven’t read. I’ll have to put it on my list!