Burning the Boats
by Christina Minaki

---

Naomi Demas is seventeen, and her relationship with her mother is conflicted.  Irene is obsessive and strange. She has never gotten over Naomi’s disability, or her twin’s infant death. When Naomi was eight, Irene left with Naomi’s older sister.  Naomi is sustained by her faith, her connection with her deceased twin, and her commitment to her remaining family. She also finds purpose in her connection with her valued friends -- whose struggles include alcoholism, foster care, and learning disabilities.  There is excitement in Naomi’s romance with her boyfriend Matt, focus in her love of school, and comfort through her trusted horse.  But she is unsettled… Naomi’s surviving sister, Jo, has reached out to her as their mother deteriorates in new ways, and as it is becoming clear that Matt is not who Naomi thought he was. She must find yet more strength when an emergency throws her half-brother into serious danger and tests everyone’s loyalties. Burning the Boats tells the story of a young woman, the ones she loves, and the value of her disability.  It is a story about commitment, integrity, choices, consequences and convictions. Here is a world of loss, betrayal, love, trust, and healing when least expected.

www.christinaminaki.com

---

"A powerfully emotional exploration of disability and adolescence...Canadian author Minaki uses her educational background—she holds a master’s in education, specializing in disability studies—to paint an honest...revelatory view of life with disability. The pacing and well-developed cast conjure up a fictional world that’s sure to engage readers.” Kirkus Reviews

---

Christina Minaki is a published novelist and social justice educator, public speaker and former librarian. She holds an M.A. in Education, specializing in Disability Studies, and a Masters in Information Studies. Burning the Boats is her second novel. Her first, Zoe’s Extraordinary Holiday Adventures (Second Story Press, 2007), was chosen by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), as one of two books in Canada to be on their 2009 list of Outstanding Books for People with Disabilities. Christina’s M.A. thesis focused on the importance of transformative, anti-ableist change in portrayals of disability in fiction for all ages. Visit her website and blog, at www.christinaminaki.com

---

Contributors

Author

Christina Minaki

---

Other eBook Editions

This book is also available in eBook format from these sites.

• Amazon Kindle Store
• Nook Store
• Kobo Store
• Apple Books
• Google Play