Polarity in Motion

I went through a whole range of emotions while reading this book. This was a wonderful book, but I remained angry through about 90% of it. Polarity, a girl with an unusual name becomes the target for a horrible prank where a nude picture of her pops up through her school's computer and spreads around like wildfire. Called into the principal's office where she's endlessly questioned by her principal and officers of the law, no one believes her protests that she never posed for the picture nor does she know who did it. Convinced that her parents are the culprits, they (principal and officers) call in Child Protection Services and haul her off into foster care before she's thrust into her grandmother's care for the next three months.

Without divulging too much information, this book was a rollercoaster of feelings. I was baffled and angry by her parents' reaction to what happened to her, believing that she's completely capable of posing nude for someone and allowing them to leak it out to the public. They didn't even bother trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and it made me irrationally angry to know that they would treat their own daughter that way. Her mother suffers from BPD (Bi-Polar Disorder, I think it was called) so her erratic mood swings were sort of understandable, but I hated having to see her say so many horrible things to her Polarity.

One bright spot throughout all the huffing and puffing that I was doing while reading was Ethan. This beautiful African-American guy in her school whom she has the most adorable thing for. And he likes her as well. I adored how hard he worked to try and prove that Polarity is innocent. How, when people at her school continually went around posting her picture on her locker, he went on a little rampage to find out who did it and refused to stop until he found his answers. Their budding relationship was so nice to see; I loved seeing how he was there for her all the time and she was for him. All in all, this book was an excellent read and I breezed through it in no time at all. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Polarity in Motion by Brenda Vicars is one of those books that will stay with you even after you're done reading it. It's a beautifully written tale about one fifteen-year-old girl and the unexpected journey of discovery that she finds herself on after a nude photo of hers makes its rounds online. No one ever said being a teenager was easy and I'm pretty sure bullying isn't something that only started a decade or two ago. Sadly, bullying is something that's been around for far longer, but with social media being as popular as it is, bullying has surpassed a level I never thought possible. People can be cruel, especially the anonymous haters and bullies on the internet that make it their life's purpose to spew viciousness. I mean, how do you fight back, right? That's what was so inspiring about this book--this young girl made herself fight back by asking questions, demanding answers, and not allowing what happened to her beat her down, because then, that would simply be handing over the power to the bullies and allowing them to win.

Polarity is only fifteen but she has a maturity about her that may have stemmed from having to manage her mother's borderline bipolar disorder. She cried over the whole nude photo scandal but she bounced back and the support she received from Ethan and her grandmother buoyed her spirits. Even as her own parents seemed to believe that she did pose for the photo, they refused to have school authorities treat her as if she were a criminal. The way her parents handled everything showcased how different they were and I loved her father's quiet but strong presence because he didn't need to announce to the world what he was doing to help his daughter--he simply did. It reminded of my own father. ^.^ And of course, Polarity and Ethan's love story was sweet and their mutual need to protect one another is something that you wish you would see in more people their age. These two were young but they knew the difference between what was right and wrong and they decided that taking a stand was something that simply needed to be done.

There's a point in the story where Polarity suddenly notices that the black students have their own table, away from the white students, and that there are indeed more black kids placed in safe houses and in the alternative school known as Beauty compared to white kids. Then, she realizes that she's heard racist comments before but simply went on her way and did nothing about them. Maybe it was her developing friendship with Ethan that makes her finally see that it's time she says something about it and to put others on notice that it isn't okay to say disparaging things about other people, even if it's supposedly done without malice or hate. Let's face it, racist comments are racist because there is malice and hate and the excuse that it's already part of one's vocabulary underlines how sad it is that we allow these things to seep into our everyday utterances. If there's a book a need to highly recommend to teen readers out there, it would have to be Polarity in Motion by Brenda Vicars. It's a gem of a book and gets five-plus stars. ♥

As many of my blog friends know, I am a big proponent of involved parents. I can not stand to see books where the parents are not even mentioned. That drives me crazy! But here is a book where the parents are constantly involved and advocating for their kiddo. Hooray!!! I think that is why I gave this a little higher than I normally would have given it. I enjoyed the relationship between Polarity and Ethan. It was not a rushed into crazy affair. It was slow and well thought out. And it was a true connection.

Wow, what a roller coaster! I was spent by the end, but in a good way. It's been a long time since I've met a character that grows and changes so much, turning lemons into the sweetest lemonade. Polarity's journey was painful but so plausible that I couldn't stop until her journey was complete. There are so many issues wrapped into one story, yet the author made it work. I loved Ethan and Shanique, Tilly and Grandma. What excellent individual to accompany Polarity and her parents on this journey. Thanks.

I don't even know where to begin when reviewing this book. This is so different to any other book I have ever read. It discussed some really difficult issues and left me with so many questions about the world we live in. Some of the issues this novel deals with are bullying, racism, the impact of the internet, mental illness and the care system, I know, it sounds like a lot to cram into one book, but Brenda Vicars does it so beautifully, I can't fault her. These are some really tough issues that are really difficult to handle, especially in a YA novel. Somehow Brenda manages it, along with an element of intriguing mystery, a cast of unique, fully fleshed out characters and a cute, but slow burning romance.
Polarity, our protagonist goes through some tough times I can't even begin to imagine and still manages to stay strong and keep going. No, she isn't fighting zombies or battling an evil dystopian government, like the traditional heroine, but she is just as strong. She has a nude picture of herself posted online and everything spirals downwards from there. Polarity is relatable to anyone who has ever experienced bullying or difficulty online and her strength and determination inspire me.
The rest of the cast is equally awesome - there was no one character I didn't understand, which is an incredible feat for an author to achieve. Even the 'bad guy' had legitimate motives and was a good person inside, just unfortunately a victim of circumstance.
This is one of the most realistic, yet thought provoking novels I had ever read. I would recommend to all.