Personal Effects Audiobook

" Matt goes on an adventure of self- and familial-discovery after his older, and much revered, brother TJ becomes another casualty of the recent Iraqi War. Matt must learn to address his anger and confusion stemming from his family's dysfunction, teen drama at school, and TJ's hidden life. Pros: appealing and relevant to the male teenage audience; emotion-driven; Cons: the ending is resolved a bit too quickly. "

" One of those books that grabs your attention from the beginning! Lots of twists and always has you thinking. A rough and gritty novel about a teenage boy who has lost his brother, but exactly how well did he know his brother (perhaps not as well as you might think.) A book I would highly recommend. Unfortunately it's not going to be in our JR/SR High School because of the harsh language. Which is the only controversial thing about it, but for the most part, I thought the curse words were a necessity to get the correct view of the character. Go read!! "

" Kari's choice for May 2013 This is an extremely well-written and suspenseful book about a boy struggling with the grief of his brother's death. When the army sends T.J.'s personal effects home, Matt finds letters that take him on a trip to find out that he never really knew his brother like he thought he did. I will say the language is rough, but it is totally within the characterization of a 17 year old with an extremely difficult father and who is in serious pain. This book looks at many issues about what it means to be a man, but I can't say that it was an enjoyable read because the protagonist is just in such agonizing pain throughout the story. "

" This book was very very good. I felt like Matt was my bestfriend and i kept wanting to him right from wrong i wanted to fix everything for him i ultimatly just wanted him to be happy. At first the book was very slow and almost unintresting about 150 pages in i got why it was excellent. The charachters started changing and so many unsuspected events happened. It got to the point where i couldnt wait to read the book i couldnt wait to finish it. "

" 3 of 25 on YALSA's The Hub Reading Challenge. "

" I loved this book. A surprising twist which was handled brilliantly. Happy ending. Everything a book should be. No boring parts. "

" A beautifully moving story of a broken family, an angry young man, and a journey that holds unexpected consequences. I cannot wait to share this book with the Readers in Room 6. "

" Still thinking of exactly what I want to say, but moving is probably where I'll start. Very moving. And real. "

" This book was amazing. I am surprised I didn't read it faster. Personal Effects will probably go down as one of my favorite books of all time. "

" This is a powerful novel that slowly unveils the truths behind a family who is struggling. Everything - from the setting, seemingly small events - lends itself to building a solid (not sappy) emotional story for every character. Good writing. "

" The book was interesting I thought the guy would find out his brother hade a bunch of kids with a family he didn't know about "

" Make sure when you pick up this book that you have the time to read it all in one sitting. It's definitely an emotional page turner. Matt's reaction to the truth was not what I expected, but I think was very realistic for someone in his situation. "