How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
Published by Delacorte Press on April 9th 2019
ISBN: 1101934751
Pages: 421
Goodreads

Darkness can mean a multitude of things and this title seems to incorporate everything attached to the lack of light.  What appears to be a controlling yet loving bond between mother and daughter is suddenly lost when Tiger’s mother passes away. Complicated by the lack of relatives and a recent fight Tiger is left in a horrible reality and psychological situation.

This book pulls on the heart strings and requires that a box of tissues be on hand. Tiger is a teenager who is living marginally in economic terms yet she knows love.   What society does to her is probably more real than readers will want to believe.   We all need to be aware that mental illness exist all around us and that we need to hold out a hand. Thanks to Glasgow for a revealing look at the child welfare system and the effect it has on our children. Add to high school and public library shelves.  Offer to social workers and physicians who work with depressed teens.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME