Bad by jean ferris

Bad by jean ferris

BAD. Jean Ferris. Douglas and McIntyre Ltd. 1998. [182 pp.]
BAD is a novel created by Jean Ferris about a teen and the struggles and obstacles she faces while growing up. There are several aspects that make the book interesting to read. BAD has a well-written, easy-to-read plot, realistic situations, and a couple themes that everyone should know.
First, the novel is easy to read. Dallas, the main character, has been sentenced to 6 months in girls’ rehabilitation center, for robbing a store at gunpoint. It is written in first person, which makes easier to relate to the reader. While reading, it all is well explained and straightforward sentence structure makes it more entertaining to read. Most of the vocabulary is also modern and can be easily understood. “None of us, the freaked-out clerk, the ferocious Mr. Washington, or me noticed when Ray, Pam, and Sonny slipped away, but by the time an unnecessary number of cops showed up, they were gone and I knew I was taking this fall by myself (10)”.

Burgess (2)
Another great aspect of this novel is that there are several real life situations that occur. As mentioned previously, Dallas gets caught robbing a store at gun point. Unfortunately, Robberies occur everyday in the United States.   Another example would be Dallas’s roommate, Shatasia, who had a child at 15. Teenage pregnancy is also becoming more common. Damaris, another girl at the faculty, is a victim of abuse. Sadly enough, abuse also occurs very often. “Your roommate is Shatasia. All those pictures on the bureau are of her little girl.” “How old is she?” I asked. “About a year and a half, I think. Cute, isn’t she?”
No, I meant Shatasia.” “Oh. She was just seventeen. We had her birthday party in the common room last week.” Seventeen. That meant her baby was born when she was fifteen and a half.   That meant she’d gotten pregnant when she was fourteen. I couldn’t imagine would that would be like (23)”....