Book Review-Take Me There

By Carolee Dean

Published by Simon Pulse

Released July 20th, 2010

Source: Author

3.5 stars- I liked this book

Sometimes sexy, sometimes sad, and always intense, Take Me There is a dark and surprising novel about a boy on the run who's headed nowhere fast.

Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.

But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.

Take Me There is a story that leaves a lasting impression on you days after you read it. It's one of those books that really makes you think. What Carolee presents in Take Me There is an important message about illiteracy and the limited options illiteracy presents. It's also about choices, as the choices that are made today can and will determine where we end up a few months from now, to years from now.

Take Me There is the story of Dylan, our broken, illiterate boy who tries to do the right thing. No matter how hard Dylan tries to stay away from trouble, it follows him. When something bad happens, he and his best friend Wade run from California to TX. Trouble always has a way of finding Dylan, even on the run.

Dylan is more than a tragic character, he's full of insight and wants to make something of himself, but he feels he can't do that until he meets his father who's sitting on death row in TX. As Dylan tries to piece together the tragic events that locked his father up, he learns more about himself and comes to understand why his father did what he did. What I like about Dylan, is even though he's a bad boy, he tries to do everything he can to do something better with his life. Carolee provides us with an insight to Dylan's more sensitive side by sharing his poems through out the book.

Carolee provides a whole cast of strong supporting characters for Dylan and while at times you want to yell at them, in the end each of their personal strengths shine through. From his best friend Wade who's the reason behind their run from the law to TX, to Jess, Dylan's girlfriend. Jess is the beautiful California girl who comes from a rich family, but even rich families aren't perfect and Jess's character is one I really liked getting to know more about. She's not your typical beauty queen and she offers Dylan hope and makes him realize he's so much more than he thinks he is. Meeting the rest of Dylan's family will be heartbreaking and empowering for Dylan.

Take Me There isn't a warm fuzzy read. It's a book with a powerful message. It's not a pretty story, but it's one that portrays real life for many people. This book has left me questioning our judicial system and what more can be done to end to illiteracy in this country. Carolee did a beautiful job at not only writing Dylan's story, but she wove together Dylan reminiscing about the choices that lead him and Wade to be on the run, to present tense and introduces us to Dylan's father, with pages of his father's writing. Carolee's writing is done so well, that I was never lost on who's voice was who's or what was going on. By providing small insights into Dylan's dad's story, you understand Dylan more and the fate that awaits him.

Take Me There is a thought provoking read, that will leave you cheering for the bad boy and hoping that everything works out for him and Jess. It's a book that will have adults remembering what it was like to be a teenager trying to find your own direction in life, and one that teens will relate to on many levels.