Before We Go Extinct By Karen Rivers

Have you ever suffered from such loss that could have possibly ruined you emotionally, physically and mentally? Well, you’re not the only one. JC also suffers from a mental sadness that has to be cured by finding himself and being able to grip the feelings in his heart to tell the story of his best friend “The King” who had died tragically falling off his father's under-constructed skyscraper, unknown if his death was an accident or a suicide he learns that the bond they had may have been more than friendship. Which makes his summer so much harder. He’s confused. He doesn't talk. This novel “Before We Go Extinct” by Karen Rivers a new book published in June of 2016 with deep emotional pages of 250 which tells the most deepened side of reality. And is possibly so much better in dialogue and philosophy than “The Fault In Our Stars” By John Greene. Could sending text messages to your dead friend make you feel better? Till JC smashes his phone and can’t send anything; literally, is cut off from everything. He learns to bond with his divorced dad and the remote island they live on. Discovering beauty in everything, and the new girl he meets, Kelby. He prepares himself to move on and realizes that life just goes on. While the plot feels familiar, the story's strength lies in JC's thoughtful, honesty of his own sadness characters impacted
on JC’s feelings also add emotional depth to his story, if not their own stories within this novel.
Interesting as it may seem the climax is not until the end. Which will leave you in tears! Books dealing with issues this complicated and, maybe unexplainable, are rare, and characters such as JC himself are as very valuable and worth kind and giving the care of because they care so deeply. And are so emotional, not like others who may not be so open to these feelings. One of these moments come from his past love Daff who was a part of his unique triangle he understands his love for her and him “I hate that I still want her, I hate that I still loved her”. JC who actually cares about saving the world and yet find themselves powerless to save themselves before saving anyone else, much less than our world itself. Like anyone dealing with sadness about death, JC’s progress is slow, and much of the story is taken up with his wandering thoughts about what he should or shouldn't do. At the end of the book, readers feel JC has come to some understanding and acceptance, but none is to be taken as magic. Karen Rivers and JC understand that life can be very hard and that there are blocking or stopping things which often seem impossible to overcome, especially when you're a teenager trying to become your adult self.
You may not be pulled into this book at first, but take the time to actually read through some pages before quitting, you’ll be surprised how fast it escalates from something depressing to something beautiful.
And if you do put it down, you don’t know what you're missing. Books like this may not be for everyone, but it would definitely be worth your time. From the beginning sentence “My foot is stuck in the toilet bowl in the closet sized bathroom in the two-bedroom walk-up I live in with mom on the corner above Alf’s Bodega”. You already can tell the character of JC. And you thought you were weird. A good look at “reality”. For
real!
This story also gives a sensible view of what is and is not important especially the health of the Earth and it’s surrounding conditions as well and how we should appreciate it. From this, you will understand the title of the story. The shark facts that is included in the book, and the way on how she wrote about the need to save our dying animals, close to extinction without it sounding as if she is giving speeches that tell people what they should and shouldn't do. JC seemed very honest in his beliefs and that helped the message come across well.
If your topic of interests includes ‘Suicide’, ‘Grief’, ‘Friendship’ and interesting philosophies, plus a fantastic selection of metaphors and personifications then this book is for you. You can find this book in the Watertown High School Library and many other libraries. Before We Go Extinct explores the serious physical or emotional harm of suicide from both sides with a different emotional attachment. This is a book about the importance of experiencing and in the end overcoming sadness about death by connecting to others who have been extremely sad themselves. A definite ⅘ star rating! Take a chance. Read this!