"DREAMLAND"

Dreamland one of Sarah Dessen's book, was not what I expected. The title kind of threw me for a loop. I"m thinking Dreamland, hmm a place where we can all pretend who we want to be with and live happily ever after. Not at all the case.

Caitlin's older sister Cassandra was the perfect girl, was in every club, prom queen, debate team, dated all the jocks, good grades in school, accepted to Yale University, but when she graduated from school, she ran away and did the total opposite of what was expexted of her. Her mother was devastated that she decided to throw everything that she's worked so hard for in high school out the door to be with her boyfriend and move to New York with him on her sister Caitlin's birthday. Cass's mother did everything and planned everything out for Cassandra in high school, from baking goods, to organizing meetings for different clubs, supporting PTA, telling her daughter what she thought was best for her to do and her father was encouraging her to go to College and make sure she does everything right and on and on...

In the meantim, everyone forgets about Caitlin who just goes with the flow. Her parents are dealing with the loss of their prize daughter Cassandra and Caitlin just does her own thing and goes to school just going on with the day to day routine as usual. Caitlin's best friend Rina convinces her to try out for the cheerleading squad, so she makes the team. Caitlin goes home to tell her mom and she was ecstatic. The only reason Caitlin agreed to try out for the squad was because it was something Cassandra hasn't done. So she makes the team and her mother is already, planning the meetings, making baked goods for the squad for away games and getting involved in Caitlins cheerleadng life..Caitlin couldn't help but think, is this one of the reaons Cassandra decided to leave? Caitlin began to realize that Cass had alot of expectations to live up to with her mom highly involved in her high school life and her dad expecting her to be happy about YALE which is the school her parents chose for her. And thats how the story begins..

Some of the parts that stuck in my mind were when Caitlin met Rogerson Biscoe, a high school student from Perkins Day who was quite smart, drove a BMW, sold pot, was in out and out of correctional facilities and had dreadlocks. He was not the type of guy her parents would see their daughter with and maybe thats one of the reasons Caitlin was so interested in him because he was different. They get together and she goes to his house and was in the restroom when Rogerson's father enters the room and yells at Rogerson for being late to their party and slaps him across his face and you can already tell the father hits Rogerson frequently. Caitlin sees from the restroom and hides until his father leaves the room. Caitlin sees what happens sits down on the bed to comfort Rogerson and he pulls away and tells her in a soft voice to leave him alone, again she gets closer to him and the same thing he pulls away and asks her to leave him alone. She doesn't listen and she rubs his face where he was hit and he slowly puts his head on her shoulder and lets her comfort him. I enjoyed that nice part. It shows that Rogerson is letting Caitlin into his little private world.

Another part that I didn't like but was one of the crucial parts in the book is where Rogerson was upset that Caitlin was late to meet him for their mall date. Her BFF was having guy issues and she had to be with her and let her know everything would be alrite. She leaves her BFF and goes to meet Rogerson who has been waiting for a long time for Caitlin and by this time in the book, Rogerson and Caitlin are dating and he picks her up from school, lunch and they go out like every night and he is never late, always prompt! She jumps into his BMW with dark tinted windows, he asks her, where she was and as she was trying to explain, out of nowhere, with no time to react, he slaps her across the face..She's shocked and doesn't say anthing, she couldn't believe it. Where one time, she was in his room comforting him from the slap he received from his dad and now she's getting the exact same slap from her boyfriend, so not the business. So she just sits there speechless and he looks at her and says, I love you Caitlin and you should have been here on time. Their relationship is a weird one, he doesn't officially ask her to be his girlfriend, and he's never really said he loved her, just puts his hand on her knee when he drives or orders a chocolate milkshake for her from McD's without asking if she wants one little acts like that which shows her he cares for her, but that night he slapped her across the face was the first time he said he loved her and that wasn't exactly the way she pictured him saying he loved her, not like that anyways. So began the history of the abused girlfriend.

She began to wear long sleeve shirts, pants all the time to try and hide the beatings she would get from Rogerson. Her parents didn't pay any attention to her clothes and just thought she was being a normal teenager. She started getting high everyday with Rogerson and hated cheerleading, always late to practice and was finally voted out of the squad later in the book.

The clencher in the end was when her BFF Rina convinces her to go to the beach before the big dinner for school and the whole time they are at the beach she is on the phone trying to get a hold of Rogerson who of course does not have voicemail. She is a nervous wreck knowing that if she's late to meet Rogerson she will be in for another beating. Everytime she jumped into his car she didn't know what was coming her way, if he were in a good mood or just wanted to blame her for something and then the hitting began. So she tells Rina please take me back home now Rogerson will be waiting for me, her friend was a but tipsy and couldn't drive her back just yet so Caitlin decides to walk. Rina's boyfriend decided to take the car and look for Caitlin, he finds her and drives her home. She arrives home and sees Rogersons car parked by the mailbox as usual. She was so nervous, but she climbed in the car and he asked her where she was, she tells him and tries to explain herself, he says he's been waiting for an hour and again out of no where he socks her in her jaw and she flies to the window hitting her back. He slaps her again and again and this time she reached for the car handle and falls back hitting the grass in front of her house all the while her family and neighbors are in the backyard at the "April Fools Party." She crawls on the grass in the fetal position covering her eyes and trying to protect herself. Rogerson yells, get up, come on, get up..She's surprised because he never yells at her in public, nor tries to hit her in public. She says, No, and still covers her eyes, she feels him litely tapping her with his foot, yelling at her, get up right now, she doesn't move, she can't her body is hurt and she's going numb, she feels that he is getting ready to swing his foot back and is preparing to kick her really hard on her back which is already bruised from previous beatings and all of a sudden she hears a voice, yelling, screaming.."Get away from her you bastard" and she recognizes the voice, its her mother, running and coming towards her. Rogerson pulls away and tries to explain, but its too late, Caitlin hears sirens and looks up to see two police men handcuffing Rogerson and putting him in the police car. Apparently, the neighbor across the street saw the whole thing and quickly called Caitlins mother and then called the police right away. This is where I can appreciate good neighbors when they call the police right away to help out!

I think because Rogerson was getting hit by his dad all his life, that's the only way he probably knew to release that anger and instill it on someone else who was not listening to his directions.
Totatlly sad, but true in real life as well. These types of people, need HELP- ASAP!

The next morning Caitlin is at home, but her mother checks her into Evergreen Estates a Rehabilitation for her to recooperate from the beating and because her mother found some pot in her jacket. Caitlin does good in the Rehab and gets visits from her parents, her good neigbors and her BFF. She still thinks of Rogerson and she loves him but she knows that they cannot be together. She opens up to the Therapist and makes progress. During her visits, she was able to get closer to her mother and father and goes home safely.

When Caitlin and her sister were young, her mother would always kiss them before they went to sleep and as she closed the door she would tell her daughters, Good nite, See you in Dreamland. Cassandra gave Caitlin a Journal type book for her birthday when she ran away from home. Caitlin used the book to write down what was happening to her and writing down the things she wanted to say to her parents and to Caitlin. She did write down that she loved Rogerson and she knew that he loved her but every time she was with him, she didn't know what to expect, a hug, a kiss, a hit..she just never knew and still yet continued to be with him. At the time, she felt like he was the only one who understood her, but through the beatings you would think she would dump the guy.

I think this book was so disturbing to me because it happens in real life and is not a happy ending. Sad to say, there are many young girls who are being abused by their boyfriends as we speak or as I blog. Alot of them have low self esteem, hope that their boyfriends will change, say that their boyfriends had a rough life, say that they know he loves me and just needs my help..regardless whatever the case may be, it is WRONG! There is no justification for laying hands on your girlfriend or boyfriend. I think one hit leads to another. Any man who tries to hit me better be ready for retaliation. That is not LOVE! It is not worth the pain, and there is no saying which states, to love is to hit..I don't think so.. Anyone who stays in that type of relationship needs help to get out of it right away!

I enjoy Sarah Dessen's book very much, I must say that this particular book was NOT one of my favorites but did invoke different feelings as I read it. It's always good to try and find out alot about a person before getting heavily involved with him. Although I still believe in leaving the past in the past, its always good to know what was in the past just in case. Live in the present and take it from there. But I still love Sarah Dessen's other books. "Lock and Key", "Along for the Ride", "Just Listen" and "This Lullably" are my preferred favorite books of hers thus far. I highly recommend them for nice happy ending stories. I plan on blogging what I thought about her other books as well so keep in tune readers, where ever you are..