Official Review: The Final Act: Frozen Voices

[CataclysmicKnight]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Final Act: Frozen Voices" by Chelsea Brodin.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Suicide, depression and self-harm are some of the absolute worst things teenagers (and even adults) face on a daily basis. Even when I was in school (which sometimes feels like 500 years ago and sometimes feels like the genuine 15 years it's actually been), these were major issues - I myself was so depressed and sick from nerves that I dropped out in 11th grade, and one of my sister's friends killed his grandparents before committing suicide, and all of that was before school shootings became so frequent!

The Final Act: Frozen Voices by Chelsea Brodin seeks to change that by showing, with numerous images and accompanying text, many of the things people do in reaction to their depression and anxiety. Drinking and self-medicating to dull the pain, anorexia, cutting and even suicide are among the sensitive topics that Chelsea points out in touching ways, and the book ends with numerous hotline numbers that cover the wide spectrum of issues people face so that anyone and everyone can find the help and support they need.

The majority of the book is laid out with white text on the left page and an accompanying image on the right page, all on a black background. It's clear that Chelsea really feels the weight and importance of what she's doing: she's captured some raw emotion in the photos enclosed and followed them up with some heartfelt text! Things like "we might die from the medication, but we sure killed all the pain" alongside a woman holding dozens of pills and "the cuts don't hurt as much as the reason why they are there" with a girl holding a razor blade to her wrist are things far too many people can relate to, and they should see they're not the only ones who think so.

The images and text against the black background is really sharp, making the book very crisp. I reviewed a copy digitally, but the book is available in paperback, and I feel the physical copy would be much more artistic to look through and own - flipping through it on a regular basis may replace these awful self-medication methods and help inspire confidence, and it's so short it would only take a few minutes to do. This is something I think every child should be given at some point in their youth, and kept stocked in the counselor's office or a front desk. Heck, even going over these things in class would be extremely beneficial! As Chelsea says, if more people had access to help and weren't made fun of for doing so, there would be far less of this going on!

I feel the book deserves 4 out of 4 stars for its intended audience, and as such it deserves the rating overall. Despite the high rating, however, I can only really recommend it to a very specific group of people - kids especially, but also adults who suffer from depression or anxiety and parents of teens and pre-teens.

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The Final Act: Frozen Voices
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[Shelle]

Great review! This sounds like a very important book that could be really helpful. I hope it gets picked up by high school and college counselors and others who work with potentially depressed young people.

[Vermont Reviews]

Thanks for the great review. Well done. Sound like a great book.

Vermont Reviews