Iphigenia Murphy

Gr 9 Up–Readers will be swept away by this angsty survival tale of a teen willing to take her future into her own hands. Iphigenia has endured a forced relationship with her stepbrother and is now dealing with the aftermath. In hopes of finding her mother and a better life, she leaves the horrors of her home behind and makes a home in a park in New York for a few months. Her experiences and the relationships she develops teach her how to survive and help her become stronger than she realized. Hosey touches on issues such as unexpected friendship, trust, abortion, rape, courage, hope, incarcerated parents, drugs, physical abuse, and violence, though the book never becomes overly graphic. Each of these issues is intricately woven throughout the novel and leads Iphigenia to answer questions of identity and self.