The Rules of Survival

The Rules of Survival
by Nancy Werlin

The Rules of Survival
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Book Summary Information

Author: Nancy Werlin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-13
ISBN: 0142410713
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Speak
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780142410714
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of The Rules of Survival

Book Review: The Rules Of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Summary: 5 Stars

Child abuse is a serious subject that affects many children and destroys many families, and the book, The Rules Of Survival, by Nancy Werlin, gives an epic extreme of a tale; 2 strongly bonded siblings under the rash of a mentally insane mother working to keep their youngest sister safe. Their life is a whirlwind of conflicts thrown their way, with a light leading them to normal. The Rules Of Survival touched my heart and tugged on my emotional strings in a way that I didn't know was possible.
The Rules Of Survival is based on a small family of 4, including a young, 5 year old girl named Emmie, her 12 year old sister Callie, her neglected, yet protective 14 year old brother Matthew, and their abusive mother Nikki. For example, when Matthew was younger and he ate one of Nikki's oreos, she went into his room and cut his arm with a knife so he would know never to do it again. In your life they say your mother is your support against your problems, and if it's not your mom, then it's your dad; for these 3 children, their mother is what they need protection against. During the course of this story, Emmie, Callie, and Matthew need to learn to trust 3 people, Ben, Aunt Bobbie, and Murdoch to help them out of the life-long abyss of pain they've been experiencing. With heart wrenching, and cliff hanging twists along the way, this book keeps you wanting more; from the unlikely friends Matthew and Callie make in the beginning, 'til the mysterious companionship all 3 of the kids make in the end.
For the audience of The Rules Of Survival I wouldn't necessarily put an age, although I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age of 13 because it includes information made for more mature audiences. Also, I would say that to read his book and enjoy in, you'd have to be interested in stories of kids in need, and you'd have to be willing to look into the mind of an abusive tyrant. I would say this genre is realistic fiction because it's an extremely common scenerio, but it didn't say that it was real.
If you saw the movie, The Secret Life of Bees, you would enjoy the book The Rules of Survival because in my opinion the story lines both relate to children learning to move forward through their past and overcome the present obsticals thrown at them by their abusive parent.
When reading this book I noticed that it was written in the form of a note from Matthew to his younger sister Emmie about their childhood. I found this to be a good technique because it gave Matthew's opinion and showed his attempts to protect her from all the pain. Another good aspect of this aspect of this book is that it took place in a real-life scene; this made the book more interesting to me because it captured my attention to the point that these things are happening around me, therefor it makes me thankful for what I do have. My last compliment for this story is that gave great conflicts to be solved, like a way for Matthew, Callie, and Emmie to escape the strong grip of the insane Nikki, but on the other hand, the only weakness was that the resolution to those problems were predictable to me, but they may not be to you.
All in all I found this story, The Rules of Survival, to be a tear-jerker and extremely entertaining, as well as a book you just can't put down, so if you read this review and seem interested, then I recommend this book to you.

Summary of The Rules of Survival

For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, vicious mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. But then Matt witnesses Murdoch coming to a child?s rescue in a convenience store, and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope. When, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt?s mother, life is suddenly almost good. But the relief lasts only a short time. When Murdoch inevitably breaks up with their mother, Matt knows he needs to take action. But can he call upon his hero? Or will he have to take measures into his own hands? A heart-wrenching portrait of a family in crisis, this is Nancy Werlin?s most compulsively readable novel yet.

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