An unforgettable cast of characters is unleashed into a realm known for its cruelty—the American high school—in this captivating debut novel.The wealthy enclaves north of San Francisco are not the paradise they appear to be, and nobody knows this better than the students of a local high school. Despite being raised with all the opportunities money can buy, these vulnerable kids are navigating a … are navigating a treacherous adolescence in which every action, every rumor, every feeling, is potentially postable, shareable, viral.
Lindsey Lee Johnson’s kaleidoscopic narrative exposes at every turn the real human beings beneath the high school stereotypes. Abigail Cress is ticking off the boxes toward the Ivy League when she makes the first impulsive decision of her life: entering into an inappropriate relationship with a teacher. Dave Chu, who knows himself at heart to be a typical B student, takes desperate measures to live up to his parents’ crushing expectations. Emma Fleed, a gifted dancer, balances rigorous rehearsals with wild weekends. Damon Flintov returns from a stint at rehab looking to prove that he’s not an irredeemable screwup. And Calista Broderick, once part of the popular crowd, chooses, for reasons of her own, to become a hippie outcast.
Into this complicated web, an idealistic young English teacher arrives from a poorer, scruffier part of California. Molly Nicoll strives to connect with her students—without understanding the middle school tragedy that played out online and has continued to reverberate in different ways for all of them.
Written with the rare talent capable of turning teenage drama into urgent, adult fiction, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with sorrow, passion, and humanity.
Praise for The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
“Alarming, compelling . . . Here’s high school life in all its madness.”—The New York Times
“Unputdownable.”—Elle
“Impossibly funny and achingly sad . . . [Lindsey Lee] Johnson cracks open adolescent angst with adult sensibility and sensitivity.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“[A] piercing debut . . . Johnson proves herself a master of the coming-of-age story.”—The Boston Globe
“Entrancing . . . Johnson’s novel possesses a propulsive quality. . . . Hard to put down.”—Chicago Tribune
“Readers may find themselves so swept up in this enthralling novel that they finish it in a single sitting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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This is a stunning debut novel – heartbreaking, horrifying, achingly relateable.
The book plays out on Facebook and in the hallways and classrooms of a middle school and high school in a wealthy California town, where a group of classmates (and teachers) torments themselves and each other in desperation to “fit in.” A series of horrifying events ensues, but just as unsettling are the hidden truths these teens hide deep down inside themselves.
Much like Facebook, the masks these classmates and teachers wear around each other are the “highlight reel,” the filtered and photoshopped picture shared to project a very particular version of a person and their life. And when the mask inevitably slips, the truth revealed is raw, often ugly, brutal in it’s honesty, leaving us to wonder if it was all worth it or if it wouldn’t have been easier somehow to bear the pain of being maskless from the beginning. But as Cally says in the book: “Nothing ever goes back.”
This book is a very realistic and interesting read. I really enjoyed the way it was written, with each chapter focusing on one student, but showing how their lives were connected. I felt that this story showed the powerful and disheartening affects kids can have on not only each other but their teachers and families as well. I think people like to believe that “kids will be kids” when it comes to picking on each other or bullying, but this book really showed that even kids can impact each other in profound ways.
This book also shows the inner thoughts and views of a teacher, Ms. Nicoll, fresh out of college at her first job. I felt slightly uncomfortable for her and her wanting to befriend the kids, but at the same time, it is that kind of openness that can sometimes get through to kids. I found her actions and thoughts to be believable of a naïve young teacher, but it also showed how it is easy to go from wanting to be friends with the students and make a genuine connection with them, to the cold, strict teacher who only focuses on the tests and materials being taught. There is a fine line a teacher has to walk, and unfortunately, most teachers stick to sterile side that does not allow them to feel for their students or get too invested in them as people.
Overall, I felt a strong connection with the students in this book and I wanted to know their thoughts on life, what they were going to be when they grew up, etc. However, I felt the book left the ending a little too poetic and I would have appreciated just a little bit more definitive ending.
I rated this book as “haunting” because once you finish reading , you will not easily forget it. Setting is an American high school in an affluent community, and plot deals with bullying, which is certainly a hot topic in today’s high school culture. I gave it four stars out of five only because I felt the language was excessively vulgar, and fail to believe that’s really how most American teens communicate…..or, at the very least, I would hope it’s not.
Loved and hated this book. It made me very glad that my kids are adults! Worry about my grandkids.
Disturbing take on the effects of teenager’s use of social media
Great book ! The first few chapters kept me interested. Then it kinda of lagged in the middle. I think this is a pretty realistic look at the lives of HS students
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth is posed as a Megan Abbott-esque thriller about girls in high school. It follows a mixed group of teenagers from 13 years old in 8th grade, to their senior year. At the end of 8th grade, something happens that impacts them all.
I loved the beginning of this book. The voices of these teens were so real, and it really resonated with me. However, as the book moved forward, the voices did not seem to mature, the kids did not change or grow, and neither did the plot. I’m typically fine with books being character studies, but this one did not hit the mark for me. I was not so much a fan of this, but made myself finish after investing time into it!