Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: MTV, 1999. ISBN-10: 0-671-02734-4
Summary
In letters addressed to "A friend" Charlie talks about his freshman year of high school. Charlie is shy kid who is also very intelligent and very observant. Since his friend Michael committed suicide in middle school, Charlie hasn't had any friends, but he would like to change that. Charlie is constantly aware of his emotions and concentrates on keeping the depression at bay. At school, Charlie makes friends with Patrick and Sam, who introduce Charlie to their friends, their music and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Charlie's English teacher Bill assigns Charlie extra books to read but also reminds him to "participate" in life. At home, Charlie has a supportive family, but his parents has less than idyllic childhoods. In particular, Charlie's Aunt Helen, who is now deceased, was molested as a child and had a series of abusive relationships. The Perks of Being a Wallflower simultaneously celebrates Charlie's quiet reflections and encourages readers to open up and share their thoughts with others.
Critical Evaluation
Charlie is an extreme case of shy. Although it isn't clear until the end, Charlie is suffering from repressed trauma. Nonetheless, Charlie, with the help of his family and friends, breaks out of his shell and begins to share some of his thoughts and feelings. But trauma aside, the process that Charlie undergoes in his freshman year will be familiar to many many kids, even those who lead relatively easy lives. In fact, Charlie even acknowledges that everyone has his own problems and its not right to compare problems. Just because someone else has bigger problems doesn't make your problems less. The story is written in a conversational tone, including run on sentences, that is annoying at times. Overall recommended. This older story is still relevant.
Reader's Annotation
Charlie has been trying to participate in life more and although its hard work, it seems to be working. Charlie doesn't have to be a wallflower.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Dealing with repressed trauma. Also, general shyness at a new situation, especially the transition to high school or a new group of friends.
Genre and Subject
High school friendships. Dating, family, abuse. Homosexual relationships.
Why I read it
This book makes being shy okay.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable. New York, NY: Antheneum, 2005. ISBN-10: 0-689-84789-0
Summary
Keir Sarafian is a good guy. He plays football and soccer. He spends time with his dad. He is well liked and he likes being liked. It is important to Keir that people think he is a good guy. When Keir cripples a guy during football, he is glad that the investigation declared it an accident. Keir feels reaffirmed as a good guy. But Gigi acusses Keir of rape and that is something good guys don't do. Did Gigi misunderstand or is Keir distorting the facts to protect his good guy image?
Critical Evaluation
There's a lot going on in this book that isn't addressed. Keir and his father both drink heavily. At one point Keir takes drugs but it's unclear how often he does drugs or if its a factor in his behavior. Lynch implies that the football team is influencing the bad behavior but it is only implied. The best part of the story is the way Keir justifies his actions to himself, but since the reader only sees Keir side of things its hard to tell the depth of his delusion.
Reader's Annotation
Keir wants to be a good guy, but now Gigi is accusing Keir of something no good guy would ever do.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Reconciling personal image with public perception
Genre and Subject
Popularity, date rape.
Why I read it
Deals with a similar topic as Breathing Underwater.
Summary
Keir Sarafian is a good guy. He plays football and soccer. He spends time with his dad. He is well liked and he likes being liked. It is important to Keir that people think he is a good guy. When Keir cripples a guy during football, he is glad that the investigation declared it an accident. Keir feels reaffirmed as a good guy. But Gigi acusses Keir of rape and that is something good guys don't do. Did Gigi misunderstand or is Keir distorting the facts to protect his good guy image?
Critical Evaluation
There's a lot going on in this book that isn't addressed. Keir and his father both drink heavily. At one point Keir takes drugs but it's unclear how often he does drugs or if its a factor in his behavior. Lynch implies that the football team is influencing the bad behavior but it is only implied. The best part of the story is the way Keir justifies his actions to himself, but since the reader only sees Keir side of things its hard to tell the depth of his delusion.
Reader's Annotation
Keir wants to be a good guy, but now Gigi is accusing Keir of something no good guy would ever do.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Reconciling personal image with public perception
Genre and Subject
Popularity, date rape.
Why I read it
Deals with a similar topic as Breathing Underwater.
Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Johnson, Kathleen Jeffrie. Target. Brookfield CT: Roaring Brook Press, 2003. ISBN-10: 0-7613-2790-8
Summary
Grady is the victim of a violent sexual assault. Afterwards, ashamed that he had been such an easy target (he had been too afraid to fight back). Grady transfers schools never even speaking to his best friends. At the new school, Jess is a loud aggressively friendly student makes Grady his project. With Pearl, Jess and Fred, Grady finally starts healing and talking.
Critical Evaluation
Johnson writes a lot of description. As Grady struggles to stay in the moment, he concentrates on the physical--obsessively fingering pencils and the buttons on his shirt. Grady is working through trama. Also, Johnson's treatment of the relationship between male rape and homosexuality is sensitive, showing both Brady's fears and the anger of the gay community. The characters are funny, human and incredibly loyal. This is a story about recovery.
Reader's Annotation
Brady, 16 years old, built, masculine, big, felt safe. Others were nervous around him. But Brady was snatched up, attacked as easily as a little girl. Maybe something about Brady just said "target".
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Trauma, rape, friendship, moving on
Genre and Subject
Realistic fiction. Male rape
Why I read it
I've never heard of a book that deals with the rape of a man. It is interesting in its uniqueness.
Summary
Grady is the victim of a violent sexual assault. Afterwards, ashamed that he had been such an easy target (he had been too afraid to fight back). Grady transfers schools never even speaking to his best friends. At the new school, Jess is a loud aggressively friendly student makes Grady his project. With Pearl, Jess and Fred, Grady finally starts healing and talking.
Critical Evaluation
Johnson writes a lot of description. As Grady struggles to stay in the moment, he concentrates on the physical--obsessively fingering pencils and the buttons on his shirt. Grady is working through trama. Also, Johnson's treatment of the relationship between male rape and homosexuality is sensitive, showing both Brady's fears and the anger of the gay community. The characters are funny, human and incredibly loyal. This is a story about recovery.
Reader's Annotation
Brady, 16 years old, built, masculine, big, felt safe. Others were nervous around him. But Brady was snatched up, attacked as easily as a little girl. Maybe something about Brady just said "target".
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Trauma, rape, friendship, moving on
Genre and Subject
Realistic fiction. Male rape
Why I read it
I've never heard of a book that deals with the rape of a man. It is interesting in its uniqueness.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. Harper Tempest, 1999. ISBN-10: 006028077-8
Plot Summary
Steve Harmon is in jail awaiting trial for felony murder. He is 16. He is also an aspiring filmmaker. So to deal with the stress of incarceration, Steve writes down his experience as if it were a screenplay. Steve is accused of the being the look-out to a drugstore robbery that ended with the store owner killed. Steve knows the guys who were at the robbery but he claims that he wasn't involved. His defense attorney is working hard, but Steve isn't sure that she believes he's innocent. The prosecution has a lot of witnesses but they are all criminals, trying to strike a deal. Steve is never sure which way the trial will go until the verdict is announced.
Critical evaluation
Monster is full of questions that, in trying to answer, force the reader to look inward. Steve is clearly the product of a bad neighborhood- a black man in Harlem. It's no wonder that he knows thugs and drug dealers. But does living in the same neighborhood, even being friendly to criminals, make Steve as guilty as they are? The story is told as if it were a movie, directed by the book's main character and the reader is to understand that perspective- camera angles etc.- can alter the audience's view of the situation. Monster is at once the story of a teen's struggle for maturity and personal responsibility and the story of racism in the criminal justice system.
Reader's Annotations
The lookout was supposed to give a sign if there were cops in the store. If he gave NO sign, that was also a sign- a sign that the store was clear. So by saying nothing, by minding his own business, is Steve guilty? This is the question that Steve's murder trial will answer.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Understanding criminal justice, crime, and responsibility.
Genre and Subject
Realistic Fiction
African American Interest
Why Book Included
I've never read this title, although many students now read Monster in high school.
Plot Summary
Steve Harmon is in jail awaiting trial for felony murder. He is 16. He is also an aspiring filmmaker. So to deal with the stress of incarceration, Steve writes down his experience as if it were a screenplay. Steve is accused of the being the look-out to a drugstore robbery that ended with the store owner killed. Steve knows the guys who were at the robbery but he claims that he wasn't involved. His defense attorney is working hard, but Steve isn't sure that she believes he's innocent. The prosecution has a lot of witnesses but they are all criminals, trying to strike a deal. Steve is never sure which way the trial will go until the verdict is announced.
Critical evaluation
Monster is full of questions that, in trying to answer, force the reader to look inward. Steve is clearly the product of a bad neighborhood- a black man in Harlem. It's no wonder that he knows thugs and drug dealers. But does living in the same neighborhood, even being friendly to criminals, make Steve as guilty as they are? The story is told as if it were a movie, directed by the book's main character and the reader is to understand that perspective- camera angles etc.- can alter the audience's view of the situation. Monster is at once the story of a teen's struggle for maturity and personal responsibility and the story of racism in the criminal justice system.
Reader's Annotations
The lookout was supposed to give a sign if there were cops in the store. If he gave NO sign, that was also a sign- a sign that the store was clear. So by saying nothing, by minding his own business, is Steve guilty? This is the question that Steve's murder trial will answer.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Understanding criminal justice, crime, and responsibility.
Genre and Subject
Realistic Fiction
African American Interest
Why Book Included
I've never read this title, although many students now read Monster in high school.
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Hartinger, Brent. Geography Club. Harper Tempest, 2003. ISBN-10: 0-06-001221-8
Summary
Russel is sure that he's the only gay kids at his small town high school, but he finds out that one of his message board friends lives in his small town. Russel confides in his friend, Min who he finds out is bisexual and is dating another student. With the addition of Min's girlfriend and another boy, a sort of gay support group is formed. To meet on campus, they'll need to be an actual club, but they're not ready to "out." Geography Club seems sufficiently boring. When the school newspaper runs an article about the radical health teacher who mentions starting a group for gay students, the group worries that they've been outed. Fear threatens to break the group apart, but in the end the group expands to include other students who need support and renames themselves the gay-straight alliance.
Critical Evaluation
This simple book deals with the fear of coming out. Unfortunately, it perpetuates the idea that coming out is dangerous and to be feared. The characters are not exceptional, besides their sexual orientation. The story is basic and may be reassuring to those students who feel alone in their communities.
Reader's Annotation
Geography Club is just a front-- a club so boring that no one would join. That way, the gay students can have a safe place to meet. But even a boring club isn't a secret.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Useful to teens thinking of coming out, or to teens who suspect that their friends may be gay.
Genre and Subject
Realistic fiction. Coming out.
Why I chose it
I always regret not joining the GSA in high school.
Summary
Russel is sure that he's the only gay kids at his small town high school, but he finds out that one of his message board friends lives in his small town. Russel confides in his friend, Min who he finds out is bisexual and is dating another student. With the addition of Min's girlfriend and another boy, a sort of gay support group is formed. To meet on campus, they'll need to be an actual club, but they're not ready to "out." Geography Club seems sufficiently boring. When the school newspaper runs an article about the radical health teacher who mentions starting a group for gay students, the group worries that they've been outed. Fear threatens to break the group apart, but in the end the group expands to include other students who need support and renames themselves the gay-straight alliance.
Critical Evaluation
This simple book deals with the fear of coming out. Unfortunately, it perpetuates the idea that coming out is dangerous and to be feared. The characters are not exceptional, besides their sexual orientation. The story is basic and may be reassuring to those students who feel alone in their communities.
Reader's Annotation
Geography Club is just a front-- a club so boring that no one would join. That way, the gay students can have a safe place to meet. But even a boring club isn't a secret.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Useful to teens thinking of coming out, or to teens who suspect that their friends may be gay.
Genre and Subject
Realistic fiction. Coming out.
Why I chose it
I always regret not joining the GSA in high school.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Alfred A Knopf, 2003. ISBN-10: 0375-82400-6
Summary
Paul is out with his friends Tony and Joni when he meets Noah. Noah is perfect for Paul but Paul messes up. Paul, in a fit of compassion or confusion, kisses his ex, Kyle and Noah finds out. Now Paul is on a mission to win Noah back. Meanwhile, Tony's parents find out that he's gay and Tony forces a confrontation. Homecoming is coming up fast and Paul just wants all of his friends to go together.
Evaluation
Paul lives in a world that is very similar to the real world except that homosexuality is just another way that people are different. Levithan shows readers what could be possible with just a little acceptance. A great novel that will inspire the queer community to keep fighting and will inspire others to give acceptance a chance. It could also be a great escapist novel for teens facing persecution.
Reader's Annotation
Paul and Noah could be perfect for each other, so why is Paul hanging out with his ex?
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Gives hope to gay teens
Genre and Subject
Magical realism. Gay high school romance.
Why I read it
An interesting thought experiment about a world where homosexuality is accepted.
Summary
Paul is out with his friends Tony and Joni when he meets Noah. Noah is perfect for Paul but Paul messes up. Paul, in a fit of compassion or confusion, kisses his ex, Kyle and Noah finds out. Now Paul is on a mission to win Noah back. Meanwhile, Tony's parents find out that he's gay and Tony forces a confrontation. Homecoming is coming up fast and Paul just wants all of his friends to go together.
Evaluation
Paul lives in a world that is very similar to the real world except that homosexuality is just another way that people are different. Levithan shows readers what could be possible with just a little acceptance. A great novel that will inspire the queer community to keep fighting and will inspire others to give acceptance a chance. It could also be a great escapist novel for teens facing persecution.
Reader's Annotation
Paul and Noah could be perfect for each other, so why is Paul hanging out with his ex?
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Gives hope to gay teens
Genre and Subject
Magical realism. Gay high school romance.
Why I read it
An interesting thought experiment about a world where homosexuality is accepted.
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. (10th Anniversary Ed.) New York: Harper Trophy, 1999. ISBN-10: 0064408183
Summary
Weetzie Bat is best friends with Dirk, who is gay. When Weetzie gets three wishes, she wishes for a pefect guy for Dirk, a perfect guy for herself and a house for them all to live in. That day, Dirk's elderly grandmother dies and they inherit her house. Dirk meets Duck and Weetzie meets My Super Agent Lover Man. The four hipsters cruise L.A. happy to have found each other. When Weetzie decides she wants a baby, My Super Agent Lover Man is afraid to bring a baby into the world. Weetzie sleeps with all three men and conceives Cherokee but My Super Agent Lover Boy leaves. In his absence, he spends a night with another woman, and conceives Witch Baby, but returns to his true love. When the mother leaves Witch Baby in a basket on their doorstep the four adults decide to keep her. Thus their family is formed.
Critical Evaluation
Told with a sense of satisfaction and wonder, the action unfolds in Weetzie Bat as if by fate. The characters expect to find true love and once they find it never doubt it. L.A is a mystical place, where everything is beautiful and everything is possible. It's a fun and touching story- a modern fairy tale.
Reader's Annotation
For slinksters Weetzie and Dirk, finding love is the greatest thing and now that they've find it, life is finally happy.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Finding acceptance of self, especially for gay young adults.
Genre and Subject
Magical realism. True love, gay romance, parenthood.
Why I read it
Reader's of Boy Meets Boy will love Weetzie Bat.
Summary
Weetzie Bat is best friends with Dirk, who is gay. When Weetzie gets three wishes, she wishes for a pefect guy for Dirk, a perfect guy for herself and a house for them all to live in. That day, Dirk's elderly grandmother dies and they inherit her house. Dirk meets Duck and Weetzie meets My Super Agent Lover Man. The four hipsters cruise L.A. happy to have found each other. When Weetzie decides she wants a baby, My Super Agent Lover Man is afraid to bring a baby into the world. Weetzie sleeps with all three men and conceives Cherokee but My Super Agent Lover Boy leaves. In his absence, he spends a night with another woman, and conceives Witch Baby, but returns to his true love. When the mother leaves Witch Baby in a basket on their doorstep the four adults decide to keep her. Thus their family is formed.
Critical Evaluation
Told with a sense of satisfaction and wonder, the action unfolds in Weetzie Bat as if by fate. The characters expect to find true love and once they find it never doubt it. L.A is a mystical place, where everything is beautiful and everything is possible. It's a fun and touching story- a modern fairy tale.
Reader's Annotation
For slinksters Weetzie and Dirk, finding love is the greatest thing and now that they've find it, life is finally happy.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness
Finding acceptance of self, especially for gay young adults.
Genre and Subject
Magical realism. True love, gay romance, parenthood.
Why I read it
Reader's of Boy Meets Boy will love Weetzie Bat.
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