Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Cut

Cut
ISBN-13: 9780613493949
ISBN-10: 061349394X
Publication Date: 3/2002
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2

4 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush
Book Type: School Library Binding
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

46 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

obsidianfire avatar reviewed Cut on + 133 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
Interesting book. Very fast read. Of course it is written for a younger audience but I think young and not as young can both enjoy and learn from this book.
Spuddie avatar reviewed Cut on + 412 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
A slim little volume told from the POV of Callie, a teenage girl who's been sent to Sea Pines, a mental health treatment facility because she cuts herself. At first, Callie doesn't speak at all, to anyone, and the narrative describes flashbacks from her life outside and descriptions of the facility and other guests there. It then moves into the part where she begins to ask for help and works things through with her psychiatrist and the staff. Having worked in an inpatient mental health unit, I have to say her observations are so spot-on that it's easy to see that the author spent three years researching the book. Of course, I've never seen the inside of such a facility as a patient, so it would be interesting to know how it passes muster from THAT perspective. Still, this is an excellent book, although to say I 'enjoyed' it would be not exactly accurate--it's not a book meant for enjoying, really.
reviewed Cut on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Quick but good read about a teenager who cuts herself. We follow Callie's struggles as she reluctantly enters treatment and comes to terms with her illness.
skywriter319 avatar reviewed Cut on + 784 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
At Sick Minds a.k.a. Sea Pines, Callie lives with a bunch of other girls like herself with problems they need to overcome. Some girls are anorexic; others are cutters. Callie is a cutter. What's more, she refuses to speak: during her individual therapy sessions, around the other girls, whenever. Something is obviously eating away at Callie inside. But maybe, with the help of her odd mates, most of who have problems of their own too, maybe Callie will finally break out of her silence and get better.

CUT is perhaps one of the best young adult debut novels of the past five years. Patricia McCormick certainly has done her research well, and is able to, through her characters, empathize with teenagers.
reviewed Cut on
Helpful Score: 5
It's been a long time since I've read a book cover to cover. This ones the one I decided to try again with. I purchased this one yesterday and couldn't put it down. With minor stops for food and sleep . . . I was able to finish in less than 24 hours. It's a wonderful read, so real, I could really put myself in Callie's position.
reviewed Cut on + 224 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enought to feel the scream inside.
Now she's at Sea Pines, a 'residential treatment facility' filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak.
But Callie can only stay silent for so long...

A vivid and inspiring first novel...part psychological mystery story (what's eating Callie) and part adolescent drama (will her friends help her get better).
lilsisofwwf avatar reviewed Cut on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This book is a must read, I think, to help understand the problem the book deals with. As a fictional story it's superb, and as a book put together through research it's very informative.
dastephan6 avatar reviewed Cut on + 132 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
while this story is fiction, there is alot of this happening in the real world. the story makes you think about what is really going on in people head's. the book was short but powerful.
reviewed Cut on
Helpful Score: 1
Burdened with the pressure of believing she is responsible for her brother's illness, 15-year-old Callie begins a course of self-destruction that leads to her being admitted to Sea Pines, a psychiatric hospital the "guests" refer to as Sick Minds. Although initially she refuses to speak, her individual and group therapy sessions trigger memories and insights. Slowly, she begins emerging from her miserable silence, ultimately understanding the role her dysfunctional family played in her brother's health crisis.
reviewed Cut on + 330 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I love Young Adult books, but this one is heavier than most and doesn't fully explore the Self-Mutilation issue. Speaking in a first person account, teen Callie is in a mental care facility for treatment for cutting herself. She has stopped talking and refuses to participate with either her counselor or groups. With the threat of being turned out, Callie comes to the realization that to be healed, she must come to terms with her chaotic family life and heal some old wounds. Over Simplified http://tinyurl.com/23b5yr
reviewed Cut on + 347 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Clea Lewis (Audrey from the "Ellen" sitcom) does a great job narrating here. Switching from first person (I did this, etc.) to the second (You sit in your chair, saying nothing ...) whenever she has shrink sessions takers getting used to, but that's the only tough part of the story.
ohsonaughty avatar reviewed Cut on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was on the low-key side of cutting, or self mutilation. It wasn't graphic or too disturbing to read.
reviewed Cut on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Quick read, kept me interested each time I read it.
reviewed Cut on + 6 more book reviews
Great, insightful story... kept my attention the whole way through. :)
ThatFamousGirl avatar reviewed Cut on + 2 more book reviews
I loved this book, it made me cry a little but it was still very good. I loaned it to my friend who finished it in a day, but she wont give it back, and when she does Im going to read it again and post it for all the people who have this on their wishlist.
reviewed Cut on
My two teenagers read it and pronounced it grand
4fabfelines avatar reviewed Cut on + 112 more book reviews
Callie is a young teen tht has alot of presure at home. When she was watching her smaller brother one night, Sam had a asthma attack and Callie has to find her parents. She tracts her dad at a bar, and they go home and take Sam to the hospital. Sam almost dies and the guilt causes Callie to start cutting herself to deal with her guilt and feelings.
She is sent to sea Pines a ward for troubled girls.
She make some friends and starts healing at the centre. This story was a quick easy read, it was kind of shallow the characters were not well formed as i thought they could be. A better book on cutting is Willow.
reviewed Cut on + 31 more book reviews
This book is a great choice for those who enjoy psychological themes. The main character's experience is very real and pretty well researched. The main character narrates the book while she refers to the reader("you") as the therapist. While most of the story is well researched, there is a bit of a fairy-tale ending that doesn't happen so easily for most people. It is a positive ending as she wants to stop hurting herself, but the ending also makes it sound like that because she's decided to get better, she will get better easily. In real-life, she would still struggle greatly even with her desire to "get better." The residential facility wasn't as realistic as it could have been as most residential facilities don't allow patients to ever freely roam the facility at any level, and every thing is behind closed and locked doors (I suppose it depends on the time period this story was supposed to take place in, which really isn't clear). I have heard concerns from parents that this book is a bad influence on adolescents. As an adolescent counselor, I do not think it is a bad influence at all on healthy teens. I think healthy teens would find it to be a fast-paced, fasinating story that is based on real life for many teens who struggle with cutting. However, if you're a teen who does struggle with cutting, it could be both a positive and negative influence. It's a really great book for adolescent counselors to read with their clients who cut since it does have a positive ending that offers a sense of hope. The book is mostly well-done and written to catch the reader's attention.
reviewed Cut on
I read this book when I was a teen. I loved it because it made me feel like there was finally someone in the world who understood my pain. I've been a cutter for 12 years and it never gets easier. becareful if you decide to read this, it might be triggering.
meimei avatar reviewed Cut on + 16 more book reviews
An amazing book, as a past cutter this book was a stepping stone in my life. It portrays a great story, a struggle, and the light at the end of the tunnel. A must read for all teens and even adults!
dbo avatar reviewed Cut on + 74 more book reviews
I was expecting this book to be a difficult / disturbing one to read, but I actually enjoyed reading it after a while. I appreciate how the author kept the book short, since it is on a difficult topic. Another good book about cutting is "Willow" by Julia Hoban.
reviewed Cut on
great young adult short novel (along the lines of Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak") about a girl who cuts herself as a coping mechanism. Mildly controversial if you're the conservative-type because of the psychological element of a self-destructive teen in a mental facility.
xxtiffanyxxo avatar reviewed Cut on + 3 more book reviews
i really enjoyed this book
mndwhite avatar reviewed Cut on
Horrible. Just horrible. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Ever.
reviewed Cut on + 3 more book reviews
I read this book in high school. I liked it back then. I don't remember much about it because it's been like 6 years since I've read it, but I do remember I enjoyed it as a high school girl who was going through depression.
reviewed Cut on + 48 more book reviews
Decided that since this book was so short, that I'd just sit down and read it through. I did, in a couple of hours. Definitely kept my interest. It was irritating at first, but as the book went on things became more clear. My biggest beef with this book is that it was so short and wasn't as in depth as it could have been on some parts. I suppose it leaves the mind to debate some things though.
reviewed Cut on + 8 more book reviews
Its about a girl who is in rehab for cutting herself. Very good
reviewed Cut on + 23 more book reviews
THis was a quick red. Great for summer! This book follows a high school girl who cuts herself as an outlet. The book stays with the main character as she opens up in rehab thera[y. Not at all what I expected, but still a good read.
Carwells avatar reviewed Cut on + 29 more book reviews
Very interesting kinda helped me to understand a little what some young people go through on a daily basis to make it work in their lives. Was a very fast read and enjoyed it very much.
reviewed Cut on + 41 more book reviews
Very telling.
reviewed Cut on + 29 more book reviews
Excellent book on cutting. I read it in just a couple hours. Wonderful book for any teenage girl or anyone interested in learning about the mind of a cutter.
reviewed Cut on + 12 more book reviews
A good book for a young teenager to read.
GeniusJen avatar reviewed Cut on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

CUT is an amazing first novel by Patricia McCormick that offers a glimpse inside the mind of a 15-year-old girl who cuts herself. For Callie, life just became too complicated. The solution lay right in front of her. One tiny cut. A bubble of red. And yes, pain. Then, escape.

Callie now resides at Sea Pines with several other girls seeking treatment for a myriad of other disorders. She goes to group share time, hooks her sleeves over her thumbs, and hides behind her hair. She sees her counselor twice a day and counts the stripes on the wallpaper. But Callie doesn't share. With anyone. Not even when her mother and little brother visit.

Callie can't bring herself to speak. Instead she watches, and listens. She knows everything about her group mates. But they know nothing about this girl who won't talk. Then, when Amanda joins the group and brazenly flaunts her own scars, it becomes more difficult for Callie to remain silent. And as she begins to speak, she slowly finds she doesn't want to keep it all inside. She wants to get better.

Callie is a bright girl that the reader will easily identify with. You'll care for her the same way she cares about the others at Sea Pines. And you'll be amazed when you find out what started it all; that it's an entire family in pain, not just Callie. She'll make you cry, and make you laugh some, and in the end you'll feel so proud of her progress.

Cutting is a very real issue for teens. Many, like Callie, don't even know themselves why they do it. CUT is an honest look at how cutting can consume a young person. If you know someone who cuts, share this book with them. Let them know they can find help. They can stop. This is a gusty novel that you won't want to put down until you're sure Callie is safe.
reviewed Cut on + 3 more book reviews
this book is amazing!
reviewed Cut on + 44 more book reviews
An interesting first novel; as a psychologist, I found the main character's pathology a little too "tidy," but the book was enjoyable. Fine for YA.
reviewed Cut on + 5 more book reviews
i really enjoyed this book.
reviewed Cut on + 103 more book reviews
Quick book, deep subject.
reviewed Cut on + 88 more book reviews
This is a book better for young people. I read it to gain insight into why people cut.
reviewed Cut on + 15 more book reviews
Drama, Horror, Realistic Fiction, Story,
reviewed Cut on + 36 more book reviews
"Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside. Now she's at Sea Pines, a 'residential treatment facility' filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want anything to do with them. She doesn't want anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak. But Callie can only stay silent for so long..."
juggalettemomma2011 avatar reviewed Cut on
i loved this book i couldn't put it down
reviewed Cut on + 6 more book reviews
A fictional story about a girl who self-injures by cutting herself.
mamadoodle avatar reviewed Cut on + 1105 more book reviews
Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside. Now she's at Sea Pines, a residential treatment facility filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. She doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She won't even speak. But Callie can only stay silent for so long...
reviewed Cut on + 16 more book reviews
Back of Book-
Callie cuts herself. never too deep, never enough to die. but enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside. Now she's at Sea Pines, a "residential treatment facility" filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She won't even speak. But Callie can only stay silent for so long...
reviewed Cut on + 11 more book reviews
More a book for a teenager

written like a bad online blog.
reviewed Cut on + 17 more book reviews
This was my daughter's book, she actually received two copies by accident from paperback swap.