Lisa's Lifeline
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Rain pelted the car roof and formed a sheet of water rushing down the windshield. The gray, windy November day was more than chilly; it was cold and uninviting, hinting at the
“Oh, come on! You can skip for the afternoon; I had that ancient history class two years ago, and you will pass it easy. It isn’t every afternoon we can be together.”
“I shouldn’t. I’ve missed too many times already.” She hesitated and studied the pleading look on his face. She didn’t want to leave the car. She was torn between what she should do and what she wanted to do. It didn’t help having her boyfriend convincing her to skip school. His look was between pleading and an ultimatum: go to class or be with him. “Okay, but I can’t keep doing this.” She told herself, just this time; she wouldn’t skip again, but wondered if it was true. She knew that when he asked again she would probably go with him, since that was what usually happened.
This conversation took place in my dad’s car between my mother, when she was in high school, and my dad, who had graduated two years earlier. It gives you insight into my past, to the world I was to enter.
My name is Lisa Schmit. Telling you my name doesn’t help you to understand me; it only adds a fact that sets me apart slightly from everyone else. I’m still not a person to you. I am, however, unique in many ways. Each of us is the sum total of all that has happened to us and to those around us. Since everyone’s experiences are unique, we all become unique individuals. At least this is what I believe to be true.
Now, we do make choices, but only when we have the option to do so. Some things leave us without the luxury of choice, such as who will be our parents. That is where I must start, to bring you to where I am now, sitting in this police station, worrying about what is going to happen to me. I have led kind of a rough life, even if there has only been fifteen years of it. My choices have not always been wise ones, still, I believe life has dealt me some sharp curves to deal with and most times I did the best I could.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
With her parents suffering in a failing marriage and Lisa’s unhappy father becoming more abusive, Lisa must learn to cope. She withdraws and avoids contact with people by being shy and remaining on the sidelines, even as she enters school. A new stepfather and a family move to Lisa’s struggles and decision-making bring the importance of family and friends to light. Readers will pull for Lisa to use self-control and overcome the peer pressure leading her into trouble. Readers will identify with Lisa, remembering their own experiences of balancing peer pressure with meeting their need to be accepted. Lisa finds friends and family who want to help, if only she would grab onto the lifeline thrown to her. Set in Minnesota, Chicago, and Texas, each move brings a new phase and challenges for Lisa. Lisa finds that no matter where she is, she is always the key to finding the right path for herself on her journey to adulthood.
About the Author
The author’s experiences with young people while teaching in the classroom bring a reality to the characters in Mr. Mostoller’s books. As a thirty-four-year-veteran teacher, holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, he has had the pleasure of working with literally thousands of young people. Making his home in north-central While enjoying his years of teaching, an interest has been watching young people choose books to read. He has been fascinated with the structure of a good book, especially in developing realistic characters to be identified with, in experiences as real as life. From the characters’ stories, good things can be drawn, like the importance of family, honesty, and overcoming life’s problems, all in a story that holds the reader from start to finish.