Having read a number of books and articles about the extremely exploitative and problematic trouble teen industry, I couldn’t wait to start reading this book. I wasn’t disappointed. The Elissas: Three Girls, One Fate, and the Deadly Secrets of Suburbia by Samantha Leach is a deep dive into the tragic lives of three girls: Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa. All three attended Ponca Pines Academy, and all three died very young.
The Elissas
The book starts out with Samantha describing her relationship with Elissa. The two essentially grew up together, went to school together, and were closer than sisters. That is, until they commit an indiscretion that gets Samantha a disciplinary warning and Elissa a banishment from their private school.
From there, Elissa begins to act out and eventually is sent to a Troubled Teen Treatment center called Ponca Pines. While there, she meets the other two girls with similar names, Alyssa and Alissa. How did they end up in a TTT center? Leach goes some detail there are well, highlighting how it can take everything from a series of small issues to a number of larger ones to lead a parent to panic.
Unfortunately, things at Ponca Pines are far from idyllic, and all three end up graduating with more issues than they came in with. It ends in a cautionary, yet true, tale about the dangers of the Troubled Teen industry.
My Thoughts
I’ll be honest: I had a very hard time putting this book down. I had to find out what happened to each of the girls/women, and the way that it was written was chronological, so it was like one those thrillers where you want to peek ahead at the end, but don’t. Leach remained honest about the lifestyles of the Elissas, both before and after their time in Ponca Pines, and clearly did a lot of research and conducted numerous interviews. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Troubled Teen industry and what it can do to a person.
Mandy's Book Nook 