Haley is a 16-year-old deaf girl. She doesn’t speak, but signs and reads lips with her hearing boyfriend, Josh, a muscular gymnast. She’s been sent to the office eight times for misbehavior, and school has only begun. Haley lives with her Aunt Nicole, who tries to steer her in the right direction, but confuses Haley with her relationship with Dalton, a wealthy rancher.
Haley suffers from bipolar disorder. Bipolar Girl is a novel about a girl who finds strength in herself to overcome her trials and go after what she wants. It is a book about a friendship between a hearing boy and a deaf girl. In the 55,000-word novel she weaves her way through many struggles until she realizes that SHE is the one who controls her life. No other person or challenges will keep her from her goals.
A portion of the novel:
I found my hand resting on the shelf where the aspirin bottle had been. I had been comparing myself to a helpless baby. But I wasn’t helpless.
“I… am… Haley!” The voice bubbled up from me like hot lava. It was the first time I had spoken since those clumsy mumblings at the deaf school. In my mind I said, I am worth something.
I slapped the shelves with both hands, back and forth, knocking bottles of lotion, perfume and makeup to the hard tile floor. The water glass shattered against the edge of the tub. The floor was littered with toothpaste, lipstick, eyeliner, sunscreen, shampoo bottles.
I felt Aunt Nicole’s strong arms around me and I collapsed into her, slumping to the floor on my knees.
“Haley! Haley!”
I glared up at her and signed, I AM SOMEBODY!
