Try Not to Breathe — Content Guide for Parents
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Content themes
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Religious themes
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
Everyday, Ryan Turner must face the reality that everyone knows what he did. It’s in they way they speak to him. It’s in the way they look at him. Ryan’s only solace comes from the local waterfall, where the violent crashing of the water clears his mind of everything.
But then one day, a girl named Nicki Thornton throws herself into his solitary world. Nicki is direct about his past and determined to crash through the wall of glass that Ryan has put between himself and others. She seeks answers to questions that she knows only Ryan can understand. Nicki dives deeper into his life, opening his heart and getting closer to the shameful secrets that he has tried to bury. Though Ryan knows he does not have all of the answers that she seeks, but he realizes that he may have found an answer to his own questions in her.
“Haunting, hopeful and masterfully crafted”—Kirkus Reviews
Frequently asked questions
Is Try Not to Breathe appropriate for a 7-year-old?
There are no explicit mentions of violence in the context of the book's narrative based on the search results. No elements of scary content are indicated in the search results related to the book.
Does Try Not to Breathe have violence?
There are no explicit mentions of violence in the context of the book's narrative based on the search results.
Does Try Not to Breathe have scary content?
No elements of scary content are indicated in the search results related to the book.
Does Try Not to Breathe have religious themes?
No religious practices, beliefs, or ceremonies are mentioned in the search results related to the book's narrative.
Does Try Not to Breathe have racial/cultural content?
The search results do not indicate any themes or discussions related to race or racism within the book's narrative.
Does Try Not to Breathe have profanity?
The search results do not mention any use of profanity in the book's narrative.
Does Try Not to Breathe have climate change?
No climate themes or discussions are present in the search results related to the book's narrative.
Does Try Not to Breathe have sexual identity?
The search results do not indicate any explicit sexual content in the narrative of the book.
Does Try Not to Breathe have gender roles?
The book is noted for bringing a male perspective to a predominantly female-driven genre, which suggests a critique of traditional gender roles by highlighting male experiences in discussions of mental health and suicide.
Does Try Not to Breathe have lgbtq+ themes?
The book features a lesbian side character and a flamboyant gay actor. The main character, Ryan, refers to past relationships, including one with a woman named Sam, and another character is described as possibly pansexual or bisexual. This suggests a normalization of LGBTQ+ identities within the narrative.
