a private face

A Private Face is a heartfelt story about a rebellious teenager and a loving mother who never gives up hope that she can get her son to change his pushy attitude and stop making bad decisions that get him into trouble both at school and at home.

Kate’s life has been turned upside down. She recently separated from her husband, Simon, and her sixteen-year-old son, James, is testing the limits of her patience with her rebellious behavior. When Kate and Simon attend a parent-teacher conference at James’s high school, they discover that James has been cutting class and not turning in his homework. James dismisses it as no big deal much to the dismay of his parents. Kate isn’t sure how to get James to change her behavior, especially since her eighteen-year-old daughter, Isabel, never gave him any trouble growing up. Will James straighten out if she and Simon get back together? Does she even want?

As the days go by, James’ unacceptable behavior continues to escalate in the face of every technical discipline Kate attempts. Foul language, nasty talk back, drinking, marijuana use, and naughty jokes are commonplace in James’ life. Kate is desperate to get him out of her sick downward spiral. Will she be able to make James change his rude behavior before it’s too late and his bizarre behavior affects him for the rest of his life?

Kate’s memories of her grandmother’s advice and the nuns at the Catholic school she attended along with friendships, her part-time nursing job, and psychic readings are valuable tools to help her face all of life’s challenges. . Although Kate no longer diligently follows the Catholic faith, she feels guilty about going to psychics for readings. At the same time, however, she gains valuable insight into James’ rebellious nature and is offered encouragement so that the caring and respectful boy she once knew is not lost forever.

Annie Henry has written an inspiring story that will appeal to moms in today’s society who sometimes don’t know how to counter the negative effects that social media can have on young teens and their perception of acceptable behaviors. An underlying theme in the book is how people have distinctly different private and public personalities and how it affects the decisions people make in their lives and how people can sometimes unexpectedly merge in times of great stress. Although most of the story is told from Kate’s point of view, Isabel gives readers a teenager’s perspective on how James’ insolence affects the family.

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