Fragments: Journeys From Isolation To Connection Book Tour & Giveaway

I’m so excited to be taking part in the Fragments Book Tour, hosted by The Children’s Book Review. Check out my review below and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

FRAGMENTS – Journeys from Isolation to Connection

I feel like I’m a piece, a fragment that’s missing all the good bits, but I don’t know where to find the rest … the parts I need to work properly. I bet they wouldn’t fit anyway. (Lexy, age 17)

Eight young people navigating high school and beyond, each struggling to hold on – to family, to friends, to a piece of themselves. Perhaps you know them. The bubbly girl who keeps telling you she’s okay. The high achiever who’s suddenly so intense. The young teen obsessed with social media. The boy challenged by communication. Every single day they, and others, are working hard to keep it together. So hard, they don’t see their friends are struggling, too. Through eight imagined stories, Fragments moves from a place of disconnection to connectedness.

The action of Fragments takes place in the minds and hearts of an ordinary group of young people. Their stories encompass anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, gender dysphoria, social media, bullying, family dysfunction, cross-cultural diversity and more, culminating in a sense of hope. Although set in Australia, their stories could take place anywhere.

From the Playwright: Rarely presenting as neat packages, mental health issues often involve feelings and behaviours with jagged edges and blurred origins. Fragments embodies the theme that stress at home, at school and in life is challenging young people beyond their usual coping abilities, leaving them disenfranchised and vulnerable. So much of adolescent life is spent looking inwards that it’s perhaps not surprising that mental health issues are often internalized.

I wrote Fragments to start a conversation. It’s only when we speak openly about mental health issues – without fear or judgment – that we can chip away at the stigma that prevents many people from seeking help. It is my hope that the work will find its way into schools in Australia and overseas.

The publication includes a comprehensive Study Guide, detailing activities and curriculum links for English, Drama/Arts, Health & PE, Civics and more.A powerful and timely mental health resource for young people and their families. Essential reading for high school.

My Review

We follow eight teens going through adolescence. As with most teens going through high school can be hard. Depression, anxiety, and being an introvert all while trying to get an education can be hard. I think that every teen should read this so that they don’t feel so alone, so that they know others go through the exact same thing. I also believe that parents should read this so that they can watch for signs, and to have a better understanding. Some parents forget what high school can be like and this book is definitely an eye opener. I think that the author portrayed the characters is such a relatable light. Overall I think this book could be a phenomenal learning tool in school.

About The Author

Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author and playwright who hails from New York but has called Canberra, Australia home since the early 1990s. Her writing delves into complex issues including memory, identity, self, and, more recently, mental health. Following its sellout 2019 season in Canberra, Maura’s debut professional theatre production, Fragments is being adapted for the digital space, supported by arts ACT. The work is published online by Australian Plays Transforms and in print by Big Ideas Press.

Maura is a past winner of the SOLO Monologue Competition, Hothouse Theatre for her play, Tapping Out. Her plays have been performed in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, and Hollywood. A former medical news reporter and editor of Australian Medicine, Maura also writes for children and young adults. In 2017 she was named winner of the CBCA Aspiring Writers Mentorship Program, and recipient of the Charlotte Waring Barton Award, for her young adult manuscript, Free falling(now True North).

Maura’s debut picture book,The Trouble in Tune Town won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children’s category) along with international accolades.Maura’spoetry, short stories, microfiction, and essays appear in various literary journals and anthologies. Maura has a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate, each in philosophy, specializing in ethics. When she’s not busy writing, Maura visits schools and libraries as a guest reader and speaker, serves as a Role Model for Books in Homes, and contributes reviews for the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s online magazine, Reading Time.

For further information on Maura and her work, Fragments please visit: https://maurapierlot.com and https://fragmentstheplay.com.

Enter for a chance to win a copy of Fragments and a $50 Amazon gift card!

One (1️⃣) grand prize winner receives: A copy of Fragments A $50 Amazon gift card

Four (4️⃣) winners receive: A copy of Fragments

The giveaway begins September 6, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 6, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

Enter Giveaway Here

Huge thanks to The Children’s Book Review and Maura Pierlot for my gifted copy. To get yourself a copy just click the links below!

Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Make sure to check out what the other hosts are saying below!

Tour Schedule

Come back tomorrow for my interview with Maura Pierlot! Have a great weekend!