To Learn and To Live

Author's Note: By reading a book we learn many things about ourselves that we might've never known. We are able to connect to the main character, and to parts of the book, but in this specific novel things aren't always realistic. It's hard to go through life, when you have a murderer on the loose. So get ready to learn and to live the life of a girl with a unique way to step forward.

The news just got out, a man is on a murderous rampage and heading east, close to your home town. Soon enough you hear that the man is your birth father, someone who you’ve barely remember and heard not much about. All you know is that he has killed his second wife and your 3 half-sisters, people that you have never seen before. People that you never knew existed. He’s coming after you and your mother. There are only three words that keep ringing inside your head: you are next! This is exactly how Willa’s life is in the novel Blood Wounds, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It’s the book that gets more intense, as you keep on turning the pages. A novel that cannot be put down. Blood Wounds teaches about the love and compassion of family, important life lessons, and even the most ridiculous things comes out to be the most unforgettable moments.
            
Willa is the kind of character that nobody can relate to but she’s also the type of character that will get stuck in your heart. The pain she goes through is something that I can’t bear to imagine. Running away from her own father, the debt her family has to pay; it’s so much weight on her shoulders. To get through all of this Willa cuts herself, that’s the worst thing to do! Her family doesn’t even know about this, but because of all of the wounds she has, all of her memories are treasured within her. This is one of the many things Pfeffer talks about in this novel. Even with all of the pain and agony that goes on, she finds a solution. A solution that would not let her to get past it, but to remember it. The way she handles is not the way to go about,  but it gets her through life. Willa isn’t the type of person who you are going to see everyday, but she is a great example for those who don’t have the life they imagined. She’s a great role model, and to me Willa is a real person. She has problems like any other teenage girl, but the conflicts she is going through is not like something that you or me might be facing.

Even if Willa has a tough time getting through her problems, she’s learning so many things in this period of time. Having a murderous father means that you have got to hide so he doesn’t catch you. Everybody would have that fear in their eyes and the expression on their face, and yet this is typical. Willa, on the other hand, is someone who thinks around the problem. From what I read in this book, I believe Willa is inspired by one quote. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” President Roosevelt said this during the Great Depression. A time in history when everybody was scared, and didn’t know what would happen next.The same type of event is going on in Willa’s story.  Even though that everybody was afraid of what was happening, Willa was not as scared. She thought to herself, “Why should we be afraid when there are people that promise to keep us safe.” Soon after Willa learns that there is nothing to be frightened about, she regains her confidence. Willa ends up facing her fears, following her heart, and taking a step in the path she believes is the right one. This is one fact that truly took my breath away after reading Blood Wounds.

This novel does teach you many things, for example the love and compassion of family. Willa was always the one who thought of her family differently. The only real person in her family was her mom, Terri. Her step-dad, Jack and two step-sisters, Brooke and Alyssa aren’t necessarily her family. Towards the end of book Willa accepts the fact they are all people who care about her, and that makes them family. Along the way Willa figures out she has a half-brother, Trace and her birth father’s name is Budge. Both Willa and Trace soon figure at out that they have so many things in common. She does remember a few things from her past, the great memories of her, Trace, Terri, and Budge. She learns that no matter who they are, people who love and care for you are the ones that should be with you every step of the way. Even though Willa had problems with her step sisters, she loves them.

Love, amour, láska, and die Liebe are all the same, but in different languages. These words mean the same thing, but to know the real definition it takes people a long time to figure out. The same thing goes for Willa, she had people around her who loved her so much, but it took her time to realize that. From step sisters, they became sisters and from a step dad he became a father.  Everybody is always there for you, and family is something that you can never give up. When people let go so should you. This is a lesson that really touched me. Whenever I think about Blood Wounds, the first thing that comes to mind is Willa and her family. It taught me so many things, that will help me go on. No matter what happens, I have people who will be there for me and so does Willa.

So many questions about Willa’s family are revealed in this book. Readers will be brought into the book and live Willa’s life with her. You will learn about the love and compassion of family and that some things might be absurd and you might never imagine doing that, but they will always be the most remarkable moments of your life. By reading this book you can think of life in a new point of view. Follow your heart, dream of the impossible, and nothing can stop you on your way to glory. This is what Blood Wounds is all about. Willa may not be real, but in my heart she is. This book might be depressing and filled with sorrow, but it’s a book that can change you as a person. Susan Pfeffer’s Blood Wounds is mesmerizing and makes you speechless.