The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin ’90 and Brendan Halpin Liana is an aspiring planetary scientist and a kissing addict. Hank is a loquacious, but slightly awkward, music lover with Asperger’s syndrome. In this young adult novel told through their alternating points of view, The Half-Life of Planets is the story of one summer when Liana and Hank’s worlds collide. Emily Franklin’s new book, cowritten by young adult author Brendan Halpin, addresses the adolescent struggles of discovering and creating one’s identity; dealing with insecurities; breaking free from labels; and navigating the thrills and jitters of first love. The authors create authentic teenage characters who form a poignant friendship, which helps both of them accept
themselves and each other on their own terms. The story has been compared to both Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. A School Library Journal review says, “The authors do an excellent job of demonstrating Hank’s disorder without explaining it in detail. Liana’s chapters… poignantly express her struggles with family issues and her negative self-image. Having both points of view gives readers a better understanding of each teen and the opportunity to witness the same scenes through different lenses, further aiding in understanding Asperger’s.” The Half-Life of Planets was nominated for the Yalsa Best Young Adult Book of the Year and was a 2010 Top Ten Children’s Indie Pick for the Summer.
This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone by Melissa Coleman ’87 Set on the rugged coast of Maine during the 1970s, This Life Is in Your Hands is the memoir of Melissa Coleman, who is haunted by the need to uncover the truth of a childhood tragedy and capture the beauty of a unique way of life. Melissa tells of her parents, Eliot and Sue—a handsome, idealistic young couple from well-to-do families, who forgo the trappings of society to carve a homestead from the woods. While they achieve success and recognition, the pursuit of purity and simplicity comes at a price. Winters are long, summers fre-
netic, and the distraction of the many young apprentices threatens the Colemans’ marriage. One summer day, when Melissa is seven, her three-year-old sister, Heidi, wanders off and drowns in the pond where she liked to play. In the wake of the accident, ideals give way to human frailty, divorce, and a mother’s breakdown; ultimately, Melissa is abandoned to the care of apprentices. Her true story is both tragic and redemptive. Author Tom Perrotta says of the book, “Lyrical and down-toearth, wry and heartbreaking, This Life Is in Your Hands is a fascinating and powerful memoir. Melissa Coleman doesn’t just tell the story of her family’s brave experiment and private tragedy, she brings to life an important and underappreciated chapter of our recent history.”
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