Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Love, obsession, and revenge all come together in this dizzying and sensuous tale. In her senior year of high school, Carolina Nine Livingston falls hard for her new English teacher, the beautiful, poetry-loving Mr. Mann, who quotes Emily Dickinson all the time. Mr. Mann makes Nine feel things she didnt even know she could feel, and she believes that the two of them will one day live together, marry, and go on their dream honeymoon.

Then a sudden announcement from Mr. Mann changes everything. Nine is left floundering in a world thats suddenly too big and too small at the same time. Her emotions spiral out of control and she can hardly control them, eventually endangering the lives of Mr. Mann, her best friend, and even herself. When will she learn to stop just doing and to start thinking?

TEACH ME is poetic and scary and reminds me a lot of Laurie Halse Andersons Speak. The characters stayed with me long after I had put down the book. Everything in Nines world feels eerily real; you will feel like screaming at her for her actions while at the same time feeling her hurt. The author has done a beautiful, near-perfect job of portraying a devastating affair between student and teacher. If you are not faint-hearted, then pick this book up.