 | Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same. Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide. Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade. Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills. And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself. In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place. |
Monday, January 19, 2009
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
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Author: Ellen Hopkins
Characters:
1. Conner Aaron Sykes: Method of suicide= shooting himself in the heart with his fathers gun. He failed because he missed and shot the bone and his mother found him too soon.
2. Anthony (Tony) Ceccarelli: Method of suicide= popping half a bottle of valium. He failed because he drank a fifth of Jack Daniels so he threw up the whole thing. His estranged father paid for his stay at Aspen Springs.
3. Vanessa (Nessa): Method of suicide= cutting herself with a knife, almost to the bone. Failed because her brother brian found her in the bathroom half bleeding to death. Has Hershey brown eyes and auburn hair. Size 7.
4. Emily Sanders: The woman/ teacher that Conner has been having an affair with.
5. Phillip: Gay man who told his wife about his cheating, she then went and told her priest then go a divorce. He got to keep his job in San Francisco where he taught at the University. Tony met him by at a park bumming for change. He took Tony in and treated him like a son. He had AIDS. He wanted his ashes to be thrown in his secret Truckee River fishing hole
6. Anthony Ceccarelli III: Husband of Talia. Described by Tony as a “medium everything” dad. Lives in Tahoe
7. Vanessa’s Mother: Currently in a hospital because of her Bipolar and Schizophrenia. Damien is her person ‘angel’.
8. Vanessa’s Father: Works in the army, so Vanessa was always moving a lot as a child.
9. Cara: Conner’s twin sister living in California, accepted to Stanford.
10. Conner’s Mother: Not very loving towards Conner. Gives “glass kisses”, buys him Calvin Klein shirts and Jockey Underwear……..doesn’t shop at Sears.
11. Leona: Conner’s nanny who molested him when he was younger.
12. Trevor: Vanessa’s old boyfriend. Broke up with her because of her mood swings. According to Vanessa “you’re pretty cute, with you clothes off” was the nicest thing he ever said to her.
13. Dahlia: Patient at Aspen Springs, uses sex to get what she wants. Lori is her partner in crime.
14. Justin: Patient at Aspen Springs, resident Jesus-freak
15. Stanley: Patient at Aspen Springs, obnoxious, enjoys detailed descriptions of violence. Almost gets into a fight with Tony. Gets punched by Conner.
16. Todd: Patient at Aspen Springs, got arrested because his brother gave him a hollow-handled toothbrush fill with meth.
17. Dr. Boston: aka Heather. One of the Psychiatrists at Aspen Springs. Her secret that she shares with Conner is that she also had an affair with her teacher.
18. Mr. Hidalgo: the teacher at Aspen Springs
19. Ms. Little: a resident artist who tells the students to excite her by writing a poem of their happiest memory (Conner writes about sex with Emily, Vanessa about what happiness is and then goes on to say that she has yet to create her happiest memory, and Tony writes about getting out of lockup)
20. She failed because her little brother Bryan ran into the bathroom and saw her.
Important Facts:
• Aspen Springs is the psychiatric hospital.
• Conner lives in the Redwood Room.
• Tony lives in the Pacific Room.
• At Aspen Springs, you arrive at Level Zero. You have to be a level one to go to school and eat with everyone else.
• Tony is his mothers’ only son because of a bad abortion.
• Conner refers to Dr. Starr as a bulldog and Dr. Boston the Black Widow.
• Tony shocks everyone in group by calling Vanessa pretty because everyone, even himself, thinks he’s gay.
• Vanessa see’s her world in blues and whites
• Tony was raped by Larry, one of his mother’s boyfriends when he was 8. When he told her, she accused him of making it up.
• Saturday is visitation day. Tony’s father came for him; Vanessa’s grandmother came for her.
• Lithium is the drug Vanessa is put on after Prozac. Its side effects are: lethargy, weight gain, and diarrhea.
• Vanessa’s “secret weapon was a paper clip that she got from Dr. Bellow’s desk. She hides it beneath the leg of her bed.
• SI= self-injury
• Level 2 Perks: playing pool and watching TV
• Level 3 Perks: trips to the mall and movies (supervised), and getting to go home for weekend.
• Level 4 Perks: Wilderness camp, aka Challenge by Choice
• Level 5 Perks: if you complete the Challenge, then you get level 5 and are allowed to go home.
• One day in class, the students wrote essays on The Patriot Act.
• MRE-Meal Ready to Eat, Vanessa’s father gave that to her for Christmas on year along with a Hershey bar and a handful of bullet casings. Also the food eaten during the Challenge my choice.
• On Easter weekend, Nessa goes home and her father shows up, Carmella takes the kids to the movies and Conner meets his old girlfriend/cheerleader-Kendra.
• During the Challenge by choice, Conner decides to stop taking his medicine. Vanessa is paired with Dahlia. Conner paired with Tony. The counselors on the trip are Sean and Raven. Dahlia gets a huge blister. They walk a rope bridge.
• Vanessa and Tony fall in love with each other.
• The group got letters from home. Both Tony and Nessa got letters from their fathers. Conner’s letter from his mother is absolutely cold, and in the end brags about his sister. Conner folds the letter into a perfect paper airplane.
• After finishing a climb, Conner is extremely depressed. He thinks of death and wonders if any one will cry at his funeral, and if death would hurt, then he steps over the edge.
• In the end everyone sits around wondering why Conner would kill himself because in their eyes he had everything to live for. Then, Vanessa thinks she sees trash on the floor, but its really………………a perfect paper airplane.¬