The Way He Lived

The Way He Lived
By Emily Wing Smith
Flux, 2008. 232 pgs. Young Adult

When Joel's Scout troop went on a camping trip and didn't bring enough water, Joel gave his water away and died before they reached a water source. Six of the people he left behind, including his two sisters, crush, and best friends, each get a chance to describe how life is for him or her after Joel's death and the emotions swirling inside them--frustration, anger, doubt, and more.

This is a thoroughly though-provoking book about life and death, grief and moving on. At the same time, it's the time of book that I think will make a lot of readers uncomfortable, particularly LDS readers. The characters are LDS but with varying degrees of adherence to LDS beliefs; there are those who hate seminary but like the scriptures, those who curse and those who are willing to ignore LDS teachings on chastity, and there's the issue of whether Joel's death was an accident or suicide, all things which I think will be upsetting to LDS readers. It's a discussion-worthy book, but at the same time, there are probably more readers in the Provo community that would be disturbed by it than would enjoy it.

AE