Review Detail

Reader reviewed by LJK

Bad is the story of Dallas, a teenage girl locked up in the Girls Rehabilitation Center after her first offense when her father refuses to take her home with him. Although Dallas resents being "inside", and longs for her old life, she soon comes to appreciate the structure of her life at GRC. As the months go by, and her release date nears, Dallas wonders if she can have a different life this time.

Bad is realistic without being exaggerated; Dallas and the other girls talk easily about drugs, alcohol, and "skating" (crazy things done for the rush, like stealing cars and shoplifting), but they also cherish the stories that are read over the loudspeaker before bed, and jumping rope becomes their favorite activity. Ferris nicely differentiates between the truly criminal, girls who will fight at the slightest provocation, and the weak, girls who have turned to drugs and crime because of circumstance or weakness. Under the influence of her roommate, a young mother named Shatasia, Dallas longs to go straight, but she and Shatasia both realize the sliding back would be the much easier choice.

Bad is written without judgement, and the adults are just as developed (and sometimes lost) as the girls. The "coaches" who work at GRC are a mixed bunch, and although Dallas doesn't understand her father, the reader sympathizes with his failures. Bad offers no easy answers, but mature readers, even the good girls, will appreciate this well-written novel.