North Andover High School Student Athlete Recommends ‘Gripped Part 2: Blindsided’ to Teen Readers

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Julia is a senior at North Andover High School in Massachusetts. She is captain of the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field program, along with the Cross Country team. She is a part of the National Honor Society and plans to major in finance. Julia enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her two cats.

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Q&A with Julia

1. The drug use and sexual content in this book will surely get it banned from schools, but the topics are too relevant in teenage culture to be ignored. Why do you think this book should be read by kids in middle school and high school? I think that it is important for kids in middle school and high school to read this book to understand the consequences of using drugs and engaging in sexual activities. It is important for kids to understand that even something that can seem harmless can spiral into something much larger.
2. What can kids learn from reading this book? Kids can learn about how peer pressure can affect people’s lives and push them into doing things that are bad for them and turn them into different people just to try and fit in. It can also teach kids that the decisions they make can not only impact themselves but also the people around them. 
3. How has your opinion of Taylor changed from the beginning of the series until the end of book 2? In the first book, my opinion of Taylor was mainly that of a drug addict who wasn’t really doing much to change his life. Instead, he was falling back on old habits and ruining other people’s lives by dealing drugs. However, the second book made me believe that he was doing much more to try to change how he lives his life than I originally thought. 
4. How has your opinion of Chris changed since the beginning of the series? Chris started off by seeming like a fun guy who made a few bad decisions, like drinking or using drugs at parties, but wasn’t using them enough to the point where it would be hard to get clean and back on the right path. However, by the end of the second book, Chris has gone down the slippery slope, and these bad habits have caught up to him. He pushed his luck too far and now is facing the consequences. 
5. After reading books 1 & 2, are you rooting for Cathy to end up with Jason or Marc? I am rooting for Cathy to end up with Marc. I think that Marc is a better choice because he is much more stable and is less at risk of encouraging Cathy to fall into bad habits. He has seen the damage that drugs have caused to the people he loves and, in my opinion, makes Cathy a better person.  
6. What are your honest thoughts on Chris and Lisa’s relationship? I think that Chris and Lisa are truly in love; however, I know that together they are just not healthy. Chris’s addiction ultimately impacts their relationship in a negative way, which goes to show just how bad drugs are and that they can ruin even a great bond.
7. Who are your two favorite characters so far in the series and why? I really love Marc and Chantal. Marc is just a pillar of support for both his friends and his family, and I love the way he believes in his morals and sticks to them. I appreciate the way he wants to help his family the best that he can. Chantal is also one of my favorites because of the way that she recognizes her mistakes and still tries to stick to her ideals and morals. Even while her life is falling apart, Chantal still tries to help take care of her friends.

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5-Star Review

Gripped Part Two is an amazing read, especially for those in middle school and high school. The book really goes to show the effects that drugs can have not only on the addict’s life, but also their friends and family. Blindsided really highlights just how much of a slippery slope using drugs can be. The book doesn’t shy away from covering important topics like peer pressure and how that can change a person, force them into participating in bad habits, and put them in risky situations.

The characters in Gripped Part Two: Blindsided give the reader a much better understanding of what is happening behind the scenes. Characters like Taylor are given time to be explained more, and the reader can learn more about the struggles that they face. The book discusses the struggle of relationships that, while love might be present, are not healthy and can leave people worse than they started.