The Dead Inside by Cyndy Drew Etler

Thank you to @kidlitexchange for providing me with a free copy of The Dead Inside to read in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

The Dead Inside is not like any other book I’ve read for Kid Lit Exchange.  It’s heavy and heart wrenching, providing a glimpse into the 16-month stay the author, Cyndy Drew Etler, had at a place called Straight Inc.  Straight Inc. is described as a horrific place, where all free will and reason were thrown out the door. After a few wrong decisions and years of conflict in her home, Etler’s mother and step-father sent her to the “rehab” facility, telling her she was going to boarding school.  What follows is Etler’s degrading and painful account of the ways Straight Inc. attempted to change who they thought she was into an unfeeling, emotionless lemming.

Etler’s experience is not one I had read about before.  As a young adult memoir, I was surprised, impressed, and concerned with the amount of detail it provided about her experiences.  Any student I would recommend this to could not be an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person). It would need to be just the right student who I would have to know could handle the material Etler presents.  (Trigger warnings for drug use, rape, sexual encounters, language, and disregard for human rights.)

Nevertheless, I rated The Dead Inside high with 4 stars.  Etler’s descriptions are poignant and forced me to reflect about how I think about rehab facilities.  Even after I put this one down, I found myself returning to many of the scenes the author shares, which is the sign of a good book to me!  Etler has certainly used her experience for good by sharing her story with her readers.

Rating: 4/5 stars
TL/DR: If you pick up The Dead Inside, you will be met with a raw account of a nightmare situation.  If you can handle the heavier content, you will not be disappointed.