Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Fragments Virtual Book Tour





















GIVEAWAY


Enter for a chance to win a copy of Fragments and a $50 Amazon gift card!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

A copy of Fragments

A $50 Amazon gift card

Four (4) winners receive:

A copy of Fragments

The giveaway begins September 6, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 6, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Written by Maura Pierlot

Ages 12+ | 126 Pages

Publisher: Big Ideas Press | ISBN-13: 978-0645099805

I feel like I’m a piece, a fragment that’s missing all the good bits, but I don’t know where to find the rest … the parts I need to work properly. I bet they wouldn’t fit anyway. (Lexy, age 17)

Publisher’s Synopsis: Eight young people navigating high school and beyond, each struggling to hold on – to family, to friends, to a piece of themselves. Perhaps you know them. The bubbly girl who keeps telling you she’s okay. The high achiever who’s suddenly so intense. The young teen obsessed with social media. The boy challenged by communication. Every single day they, and others, are working hard to keep it together. So hard, they don’t see their friends are struggling, too. Through eight imagined stories, Fragments moves from a place of disconnection to connectedness.

The action of Fragments takes place in the minds and hearts of an ordinary group of young people. Their stories encompass anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, gender dysphoria, social media, bullying, family dysfunction, cross-cultural diversity, and more, culminating in a sense of hope. Although set in Australia, their stories could take place anywhere.

From the Playwright: Rarely presenting as neat packages, mental health issues often involve feelings and behaviors with jagged edges and blurred origins. Fragments embodies the theme that stress at home, at school, and in life is challenging young people beyond their usual coping abilities, leaving them disenfranchised and vulnerable. So much of adolescent life is spent looking inwards that it’s perhaps not surprising that mental health issues are often internalized. I wrote Fragments to start a conversation. It’s only when we speak openly about mental health issues – without fear or judgment – that we can chip away at the stigma that prevents many people from seeking help. It is my hope that the work will find its way into schools in Australia and overseas. The publication includes a comprehensive Study Guide, detailing activities and curriculum links for English, Drama/Arts, Health & PE, Civics, and more.

A powerful and timely mental health resource for young people and their families. Essential reading for high school.

PURCHASE LINKS


Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gZPBCJ

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9780645099805

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Fragments-Maura-Pierlot/9780645099805


MY REVIEW

In Fragments, eight teens each with their own issues such as anxiety, depression, or social awkwardness are all trying to make sense of life and figure out what to do. The monologues show the audience the disconnect between how the characters are perceived by others and how they see themselves. For instance, Freya pretends to be bubbly and happy, but says “if I tell anyone what’s inside my head, that I’m dying inside, that I can’t breathe, they say … ‛Freya, can you just be happy for once?’ Or they laugh, like I’m some drama queen, and walk away. And that’s even worse. So I put on my mask to make everyone comfortable.” Whether it is dealing with the demand to always be perfect and make top scores, struggling with body image or gender identity, or worrying about social acceptance, all the themes presented are common in any group of teenagers.

This book uses some strong language and deals with painful topics, but offers insight into struggles that are all too common in the adolescent world. The characters reflect personalities and situations that are familiar to teens and those who work with them. The flow from the monologues to the group scenes and back again echoes high school life - the feeling that one is alone even in a crowd of classmates and peers. And the final scene as everyone comes together with a common purpose offers hope for resolution and healing. Besides the script there is also a study guide with curriculum links, classroom activities, and a resource list included in the book. This could be used in drama, guidance, literature, and other related courses - or as a tool for discussion in other group support settings. It might also be used in pre-service training for teachers to help familiarize them with some of the issues their students deal with on a daily basis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author and playwright who hails from New York but has called Canberra, Australia home since the early 1990s. Her writing delves into complex issues including memory, identity, self, and, more recently, mental health. Following its sellout 2019 season in Canberra, Maura’s debut professional theatre production, Fragments is being adapted for the digital space, supported by artsACT. The work is published online by Australian Plays Transforms and in print by Big Ideas Press.

Maura is a past winner of the SOLO Monologue Competition, Hothouse Theatre for her play, Tapping Out. Her plays have been performed in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, and Hollywood. A former medical news reporter and editor of Australian Medicine, Maura also writes for children and young adults. In 2017 she was named winner of the CBCA Aspiring Writers Mentorship Program, and recipient of the Charlotte Waring Barton Award, for her young adult manuscript, Freefalling (now True North). Maura’s debut picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children’s category) along with international accolades.

Maura’s poetry, short stories, microfiction, and essays appear in various literary journals and anthologies. Maura has a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate, each in philosophy, specializing in ethics. When she’s not busy writing, Maura visits schools and libraries as a guest reader and speaker, serves as a Role Model for Books in Homes, and contributes reviews for the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s online magazine, Reading Time.

For further information on Maura and her work, Fragments please visit: https: //maurapierlot.com and https: //fragmentstheplay.com.


TOUR SCHEDULE


Monday, September 6, 2021

The Children’s Book Review

Tour Kick-Off

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Over Coffee Conversation

A guest article from

Maura Pierlot

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

The Fairview Review

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Tales of a Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom

A book giveaway of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Friday, September 10, 2021

A Dream Within a Dream

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Monday, September 13, 2021

icefairy’s Treasure Chest

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Life Is What It’s Called

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Barbara Ann Mojica’s Blog

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Momma Spot

A book review of

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

Saturday, September 18, 2021

The Momma Spot

An interview with

Maura Pierlot


The Fairview Review is participating in the virtual tour in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Big Ideas Press.

No comments:

Post a Comment