Free Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick Page B

Released.
    You get back everything—
    your belt,
    your shoelaces,
    the perfume bottles from your purse.
    your wallet,
    your cell phone,
    the blade behind the battery.
    And they give you
    brochures,
    and pamphlets,
    and these useless psych referrals.
    And then that’s it.
    You open up the door and walk out.
    And the world’s still the same sharp
    trigger as when you left it.
    So that makes you wonder
    what’s gonna happen next.
    Like was getting Baker Acted
    enough of a wake-up call?
    Or can a kiss really change you?
    Or a butterfly make you strong?
    I wonder that myself.
    But like I said before, my life’s
    not some riveting novel that’s
    gonna tie up all neat at the end.
    Not in 72 freaking hours.
    The only thing I can say is that
    when I walk out those doors,
    I see Sean’s face shining
    like that blue jellyfish,
    bright enough to light the dark,
    and that butterfly
    still alive on my arm,
    eager for another day,
    and I feel my troubles
    unzipped just a little,
    and that seed of hope
    budding in my pocket.
    And it’s not like I get
    all happy ending-ish
    and ride off into the sunset
    or some crap like that.
    But I do feel like I have a choice.
    Like a fork in the road or whatever.
    I just hope 937 Things to Do Instead are enough.
    Because to tell you the truth,
    I could go either way.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
    HarperCollins Publishers
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
    I knew from the very beginning that the question would come up eventually.
    So where did you get the idea for your book?
    And I knew when the time came, I’d have two choices. To give some vague, veiled answer. Or to tell the truth. But the truth doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to my daughter. And it is only with her blessing that I share it.
    Like Kenna, my daughter found herself surrounded by cutting as early as the sixth grade. She tried it, experimentally at first, but was soon drawn into the strangely addictive allure of the blade. Eventually, she was caught cutting at school and involuntarily committed under Florida’s Baker Act.
    I wrote this book in the year that followed.
    I think it’s important to note that while this story has roots in a real-life event, it is ultimately a work of fiction. But it’s the kind of fiction that has a responsibility to tell the truth. So I spent hundreds of hours researching the blogs and Tumblr pages of countless teens struggling with self-harm. I sank into their stories, looked at their agonizing photos, and tried to understand. In the end, my characters and the events they experience in Kiss of Broken Glass are a fictionalized composite of all these brave and aching voices.
    Waiting to be heard.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
    HarperCollins Publishers
    ..................................................................
RESOURCES
    If you or someone you care about is struggling with self-harm, you are not alone. There are resources and people who can help, and many different roads to recovery. These are just a few examples. Since I am not a clinical professional, I cannot endorse these specific resources or accept responsibility for any of the services they provide. But it is my hope that this information will help you begin exploring the power of support and treatment and that you will find your own path to healing.
    www.selfinjury.com—S.A.F.E. Alternatives is a nationally recognized treatment approach, professional network, and educational resource base, which is committed to helping you and others achieve an end to self-injurious behavior.
    1-800-DON’T-CUT—S.A.F.E Alternatives referral line.
    www.twloha.com—To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.
    www.recoveryourlife.com—Recover Your Life is one of the largest self-harm support communities on the internet, welcoming and supporting people who