'Face'

This is a story about Martin. He's the leader of the Gang of Three, and the classroom joker. He lives in the 'new East End' where there is a difficult brew of white, Caribbean, African and Asian families. You have to be careful what you say and who you say it to on the streets of Martin's neighbourhood.

One evening, after leaving a rap club, he and his friends are offered a ride home by someone they knew fairly from school, which they accept. However, the car is stolen, and the driver's reaction on seeing a police car results in an accident in which Martin suffers severe burns to his face. Martin has to deal with the loss of his Girlfriend and Friends, ridicule at school and his isolation from his family; however he eventually overcomes his disfigurement, makes new friends and attains a level of personal acceptance. The book portrays the difficulties faced by people with facial disfigurements and how one minute they are leading a normal life and the next; they are stared at and teased. It shows people with disfigurements are still humans and should lead a normal life too.

I chose this book because it looked interesting; with just a black and white cover but only the top part of the head with the rest of the face gone, which shows that something interesting is going to happen, and surprisingly it is a pretty good book. Highly recommended.