Have you ever felt like you are being forced to do things you dont want to by your friends? Well the book called Leaving Fishers is pretty much all about "friends" pushing her into doing things she doesn't want to do. The author had a good strategy to keep readers hooked to the book. What I did and didn't like about this book. I would recommend this book to youth or people still in high school. "Do I really have to do this?" Dorry thought. Dorry didnt want to do a lot things her "friends" were having her do. All this started when Dorry had to move to "the big city." The first week of school she finds her self alone with no friends. Then she meets Angela and her group of friends. Dorry eventually becomes a fisher, but becoming a fisher didn't seem right. With every event and all the thing she "had" to do, made her want to leave and get out of fishers. But does Dorry have the courage to leave her "friends" and have to go back to her old ways?Can Dorry do it? Well read and find out! This is pretty much what the author does through out the whole book. There will be a problem then Dorry will be so close to solving it. All the sudden theirs a new problem in the middle of that problem she will solve the last problem. It is an interesting way to keep readers hooked. Especially if they understand the problems she is trying to solve. That is one of the things I like about the book.I like this book because the author keeps readers hooked. There are a lot of other reasons to like this book, but I would say this is my favorite reason. I have a hard time getting into books, especially if there aren't a lot of attention getters. I like books that have a problem and then a resolution and then a new problem. Realistic books get my attention easily too.I didnt like some things in this book because the fishers were pushing Dorry into doing things she did not want to do. "I hate heights" she wanted to say. "I don't have to do this, do I?... Angela's clear voice asked behind her, "Do you trust us?" "Yes" Dorry mumbled "Are you willing to stake your life to prove it?" "Yes" Dorry mumbled again. Dorry felt she had to do this because she did not want to loose her new "friends" This book is great!! I would recommend it to youth or people still in high school. Its great because it is realistic. If you have ever moved and felt you didn't fit in then that is another great reason to read this book. This book tells people that "friends" or people you know may act nice and do things to be your friend, but in the end they may stab you in the back. So be careful to whom you may choose as a friend. This book is great! I was hooked from the first day I started it! Don't let people push you into doing things you dont want to do! Read books your interested in. Books that get you hooked. Make sure you like the book and is something you will like. If you don't like some things that are in the book that doesn't mean it isn't a good book. Have fun and read more books. I liked this book it was awesome. I was hooked, and I would recommend it to people my age!
Dorry is a new girl that just moved from a small town in Ohio to the big city of Indianapolis. She is not that pretty and she does not really care about appearance. She wants to be noticed but she is not always wanted by other people. She is shy and does not want to be the center of attention. They moved because Dorry's dad got a new job, but their plan was to move back as soon as they could, which would be when Dorry graduates high school. Dorry is having a rough time making friends and she feels very left out. The only thing she wants is someone to call a friend. She had plenty of friends back in Ohio but she does not have any in Indiana. Dorry is then taken into a group of very religious friends. They try to hide it at first but then they involve her more and more and all she wants is friends so she does not ever disagree. They call themselves The Fishers. In that group the main girl is Angela. She is a very pretty blonde girl. She wears fancy clothes and likes to be in charge. The main boy is Brad and he is very good looking. He has a witty attitude. They all seem very nice at first. They all want to be good friends with her and they never stop telling her how much they care. The Fishers take Dorry to many different church parties and retreats. She really enjoys it and she watches as people give their lives over to God and she thinks it is crazy. The Fishers make the people in the groups do scary things to prove their trust. They keep wanting more and more from her. They want her to put The Fishers before everything else in her life like her grades, family, and job. She just needs to know where to stop and hope that she has not gone too far already.
Dorry is your typical new student at a high school. She fails to make friends, and she is incredibly lonely- until she meets Angela. She is introduced to her circle of friends, and then she learns that they are all in a cult. The religious cult is called Fishers of Men. Dorry becomes a classic cult follower, and soon is found that she cannot even voice her own opinion. She can not do what she wants. She has to follow certain rules- like denounce her own parents. I was pretty intrigued by the plot of this book. Also, I read Margaret Peterson Haddix's work before, and I was a big fan. I was a bit disappointed though. Haddix could have brought you closer to the characters, improved her word choice, and make the story more planned out. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes to read books about cliques, and their affect on people.
—Zuzia
This book was... fascinating. At first, I thought it would merely be an anti-Christian book, but I was relieved to discover that wasn't the purpose. The ending of this book was phenomenal. Most of all, though, I must tip my hat to Haddix for being able to so thourougly delve into the mind of Dorry and really help you to understand what she was going through. I *literally* read it in one sitting. I never put this book down (other than for dinner) or even put a bookmark in it. I would look up at the clock, think "Oh, okay, I can read a bit longer before bed", look up 15 or so minutes later, and see nearly 2 hours have passed.I'm 15, and I highly recommend this book.
—Lynette ~ Escaping Reality – One Book at a Time ~
This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.I first read this book many years ago while reading all of Haddix's books, and then I wound up getting it for Christmas from my parents (who took me to a bookstore, let me pick out a bunch of books to buy, then paid for them and hid them until Christmas). I enjoyed rereading this old book - no, I don't think "enjoyed" is the right word. I "liked" getting to read it again, I'll say that. It's not really so much of an "enjoyable" read - it's more of a "meaningful, thought-provoking" read.First, it's kind of misleading of the synopsis to refer to the Fishers as a cult. Dorry doesn't realize it's a cult throughout the majority of the book; she has been brainwashed into believing she is a member of the true church, carrying out God's mission on Earth. It is fascinating being inside Dorry's mind, watching how the Fishers manipulate Dorry into submission to their customs over the course of several months. Of course, I'm sitting there mentally screaming, "Quit doing what you're told! No, don't feel like a bad Christian because you didn't fast on Thanksgiving!" But even though it seemed obvious to me that the FIshers were a cult (partly because the synopsis refers to it as "the cult"), I could still understand every step of Dorry's journey, could see how the Fishers made her believe she was on the right path to Heaven.Approaching this book as a Christian, I found it fascinating to see my religion twisted around and skewed: many truths were actually used correctly to draw Dorry in (truths about the love of Jesus and the interdependance of the body of Christ), but as she went deeper into Fishers they told her more and more lies in a way that sounded like truth.I don't think you need to be a Christian to read this book, because it's still a fascinating look at the phsycology involved in joining a cult. If you're at all interested in cults, then this is the book for you.
—Jaina
