Bruised

"Since her parents died in an accident Daya Wijesinghe survived, bruises have become a way to keep her pain on the surface of her skin so she doesn't need to deal with the ache deep in her heart. When chance brings her to a roller derby bout, Daya is hooked. Yes, the rules are confusing and the sport seems to require the kind of teamwork and human interaction Daya generally avoids, but the opportunities to bruise are countless. As her rough-and-tumble teammates and their fans push her limits in ways she never imagined, Daya realizes some big truths about love, loss, strength, and healing"-- Adapted from jacket.

When Imogen, a sixteen-year-old black belt in Tae Kwon Do, freezes during a holdup at a local diner, the gunman is shot and killed by the police, and she blames herself for his death. Before the shooting, she believed that her black belt made her stronger than everyone else—more responsible, more capable. But now that her sense of self has been challenged, she must rebuild her life, a process that includes redefining her relationship with her family and navigating first love with the boy who was at the diner with her during the shoot-out. With action, romance, and a complex heroine, Bruised introduces a vibrant new voice to the young adult world—full of dark humor and hard truths. UPraise for Bruised/u STARRED REVIEW "Offering psychological drama and an introduction to martial-arts code of behavior, the book has a meaningful message about power, control, and the internal bruises carried by victims." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "Her story is compelling, and readers will stick with her as new insights bring about a believable shift in her behavior…This distinctive debut will be appreciated by fans of contemporary fiction." —Kirkus Reviews "This layered first novel explores the aftereffects of the trauma, convincingly depicting why Imogen blames herself for a situation over which she had no control. Skilton also sensitively depicts the bond and tentative romance that develops between Imogen and Ricky. The main story line about Imogen’s struggle to come to terms with what she did (and did not do) is nuanced and honest." —Horn Book "This is a useful exploration of the difference between fantasy-style omnipotence and the complexity of real-life human strength." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Skilton does a fine job capturing how a psychological process after trauma can take time and might manifest in unique, sometimes unexpected, ways." —VOYA Magazine "Poignant and emotionally raw at times and humorous at others, this debut novel adeptly portrays a shattered life in the wake of an unexpected act of violence and the road back to normalcy." —School Library Journal "Here is a writer to watch who handles complex issues with sensitivity in the vein of Deb Caletti and Sarah Dessen." —Booklist

“A searing portrait of self-discovery; soulful and captivating.” —Kirkus Reviews Whip It meets We Are Okay in this vibrant coming-of-age story about a teen girl navigating first love, identity, and grief as she immerses herself in the colorful, brutal, beautiful world of roller derby—from the acclaimed author of Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens. To Daya Wijesinghe, a bruise is a mixture of comfort and control. Since her parents died in an accident she survived, bruises have become a way to keep her pain on the surface of her skin so she doesn’t need to deal with the ache deep in her heart. So when chance and circumstances bring her to a roller derby bout, Daya is hooked. Yes, the rules are confusing and the sport seems to require the kind of teamwork and human interaction Daya generally avoids. But the opportunities to bruise are countless, and Daya realizes that if she’s going to keep her emotional pain at bay, she’ll need all the opportunities she can get. The deeper Daya immerses herself into the world of roller derby, though, the more she realizes it’s not the simple physical pain-fest she was hoping for. Her rough-and-tumble teammates and their fans push her limits in ways she never imagined, bringing Daya to big truths about love, loss, strength, and healing.

Why do we suffer? How can I understand my suffering? Why do I have to be bruised and hurt? Where does difficulty lead me? When we are being matured, God uses many methods to achieve his goal. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bruised but Not Broken, by author Terry Atkinson, offers a Biblically based understanding of sickness and human suffering. He tells the story and explains the history of the bruised reed in Matthew 12:20. Through an allegory of Christian life, Terry Atkinson addresses many of the questions about why we suffer, and he sheds light and understanding to the heart and to our sometimes-muddled intellect. When darkness falls, Bruised but Not Broken helps you look for the shining moon, and when day breaks, it will help you look for the rising sun and to rise with it.

The title of the book comes from a passage in Isaiah, among the "Servant Songs" which foretell the coming of the promised Messiah and speak of His role as the suffering servant. "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment into truth". It speaks of Jesus' ministry being one of gentleness and mercy to sinners. "...by misery he is brought to see sin as the cause it, so that together these, a bruised reed and a smoking flax, make up together the state of a poor, distressed man. This is such an one as our Saviour Christ terms 'poor in spirit' (Matthew 5:3), who sees his wants, and also sees himself indebted to divine justice, [with] no means of supply from himself" (pg. 3-4). But this bruising is itself a gift of grace, as it is "required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what we indeed are by nature"

In Bruised Fruit, pride hangs from a tree like a plum, is plucked, and left to rot on the ground. A cow jumps over the moon and lands on the highway. A heart is made of glass. Blushing is “a wound / in my cheek.” A breath is an ocean wave. Love is turned and turned, like a prism, as the poet peers into romantic love, family love, betrayal, friendship, loss, grief, ecstasy. The tone is sometimes rageful, sometimes tender—"My love for you is / pollen in the sunlight: / soft and bright”—and sometimes ironic—"The time has come / for me to say / I never cared much / for him anyway.” Written over the course of half a year, Bruised Fruit tracks the mind as it wanders through university classes, pondering the past, ruminating on the present, curious about the future. Eloquent line drawings throughout either directly reflect the poem or diverge from it, ushering in new and unexpected meanings. Brie Susanne’s poems range over her personal landscape, exploring every nook and cranny, finding, ultimately, redemption. This young author’s piercing gaze reveals a world both entirely personal and universal: Oh, miss Maya, you have stolen so many hours but wasted none of my time. With you I find shiny dimes scattered everywhere— all of them wear different faces and have been to places I will never know. Never go. The room is dark and I park myself on the sofa from which I will not move. I feel the grooves of continuity— there is no play if I choose to stay. Bruised Fruit will appeal to an adult audience.

Bruised To Be Used takes you on a journey of a lot of individuals in life whom I encountered, who had a lot of brokenness in their past--mind-boggling stories of bruises in the form of physical and emotional strongholds imposed on them from their family background, relationships, and in leadership and life experiences, etc. This book helps people understand that the things they went through can become a powerful gift to help others through their faith in God.