Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

I cannot believe how moved I am by this book.
It caught me so off guard and now I am crying and blogging at the same time!
The details of the book are cruelly realistic and scary. The feelings of this girl are so perfectly portrayed to intertwine with the feelings of all of the people around her, especially her family. Her disease, her demons, her visions, her fears, her actions are all formed into an incredible story about survival. The writing style if perfect for the story - the small details of repetition and combining words are telling and meaningful. The hope in the end is beautiful. Wow. I just feel like I cannot say a lot about the book because I cannot articulate what I just read, how it made me feel, and what I took out of it. Laurie Halse Anderson did it again, completely floored me with a story, left me speechless and ready to reread.
Certain details were just heart wrenching - her sister finding her on the bathroom floor, a ghost in her face with details that you can feel go up YOUR spine when you read it. Uh, gives me the heebie jeebies!
I think the story especially spoke to me for certain reasons, and maybe that makes my reaction far more dramatic than most others, but I cannot help but feel emotional about it. I would recommend this book up and down to anyone. Most especially to girls my age or slightly older or younger that battle with any sort of personal, emotional, or private struggle. I would say to anyone, read it, cry, and feel what her and her family feel, because its real. It is real and it really happens.
This book could work in a classroom. I am not sure it would be my first choice because it may only speak to certain students, and I like when a text can apply to all areas. I would love to hear a male reaction to this book. I would be worried about intense discussions, or passing judgments in class and I would be concerned about getting the entire moral across to the students. The book articulates the issue very seriously and in a concerning fashion, which might ease any of those judgments, but I would still be nervous about it.
However, the text itself could hold up. It is strong and well written, more towards females, but I would be more than willing to try it. Her writing is incredible in my eyes, and worth sharing with students everywhere.