Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein

Cursed

by Karol Ruth Silverstein

"Silverstein sheds a powerful light on disease and how managing it can bring out one’s inner warrior. A blistering coming-of-age tale that will propel readers into Ricky’s corner." -Booklist

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, this debut novel, for fans of The Fault in Our Stars, thoughtfully and humorously depicts teen Ricky Bloom's struggles with a recent chronic illness diagnosis.


As if her parents' divorce and sister's departure for college weren't bad enough, fourteen-year-old Ricky Bloom has just been diagnosed with a life-changing chronic illness. Her days consist of cursing everyone out, skipping school--which has become a nightmare--daydreaming about her crush, Julio, and trying to keep her parents from realizing just how bad things are. But she can't keep her ruse up forever.

Ricky's afraid, angry, alone, and one suspension away from repeating ninth grade when she realizes: she can't be held back. She'll do whatever it takes to move forward--even if it means changing the person she's become. Lured out of her funk by a quirky classmate, Oliver, who's been there too, Ricky's porcupine exterior begins to shed some spines. Maybe asking for help isn't the worst thing in the world. Maybe accepting circumstances doesn't mean giving up.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Ricky was mad at the world. After being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, she was dealing with a LOT of pain, and some stigma too. Her old friends abandoned her, when they learned of her illness, and other's teased her. I honestly understood her frustration, but I was really happy, when she learned to accept her illness, and especially pleased, when she began to advocate for herself. Fate brought her and Oliver together, and as a cancer survivor, Oliver easily understood what Ricky was dealing with, and also knew her rights. By the end of the book, Ricky had gained a whole new perspective not only with respect to herself, but with respect to others.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 June, 2020: Finished reading
  • 22 June, 2020: Reviewed