Extra Credit Review 2: The Hunger Games

Citation: Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.

Annotation: Locked in an arena for a fight to the death, Katniss doesn't really expect to see her family again, but she must ask herself, what is she willing to do in order to get home?

Justification for Rejection:

      In The Hunger Games, Collins crafts an intriguing, fast-paced plot that hooks readers, both avid and reluctant. The characters experience danger and adventure which appeals to readers while an unconventional female protagonist manages to cross any lines of gender-based appeal. Katniss makes for an authentic, yet admirable protagonist. She sacrifices her own safety repeatedly for the safety of her family and those weaker than her, even in the arena. Yet, Katniss makes for a fierce contender who is not limited by her gender or her size. Katniss balances very difficult ethical dilemmas and somehow comes out a winner. Collins' settings and plot mirror reality enough to be convincing but the story slips into a striking departure from the reader's reality into a horrific, yet captivating dystopian universe. In Katniss' world, the reader sees characters not much different from their own family and friends. Her world is different from the reader's but it is not difficult to imagine how our own world could take just such a striking and terrifying turn. Collins takes aim at important social commentary on politics, ethics and the importance of family life but falls just short and the buzz of action drowns out the potential message. The Hunger Games is a well-written and highly readable book, particular useful for reluctant readers, but the book's potentially meaningful resonance with adolescent development falls prey, like many of The Hunger Games' characters, to the slaughter of the games. For this reason, The Hunger Games comes up short as a “best book” contender.

Genre: Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Challenged Books.

Extra Credit Review 1: Speak

Citation: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. Print.

Annotation: An outcast without a voice, Melinda must find a way to speak up for herself and for the other girls who might suffer because of IT, before anyone else gets hurt.

Justification for Nomination:

      Anderson writes the story of Melinda, a girl who was raped and outcast from a limited first person perspective. Through this device, the reader experiences Melinda's isolation. Alone with her thoughts, removed from all possible help, Melinda must battle her fear of speaking. Melinda's loneliness and confusion resonate with adolescent readers, even if their experiences differ from those of the character. Melinda's voice is simple, but authentic. Speak may not be flashy. In many ways it reads like a teen's diary, but that is precisely why it is relevant. This work of fiction was created to mirror the real-life experiences of a teen. The pep-rallies and cutting class, the dysfunctional home- this may not be flashy, but it is real and the pain of Melinda's experience- her rape is real to many teens. Anderson does not create a flashy plot line with murder and intrigue in order to address the issue of sexual abuse. She places the experience smack dab in the middle of an ordinary teenager's life- a party on a farm, an art class, a janitor's closet- because that is precisely where these experiences take place, in ordinary life. The story does not need to take place in a back alley crime scene to be effective. In contrast, it is the normalcy, the almost boring setting that makes this story so riveting- these things happen to real people, in the midst of their every day lives and for that reason this story is indeed relevant.

     I do not believe that it is possible to write a story that every teen will embrace. While I believe and agree that a wider audience appeal is ideal and that broader relevance (particularly across genders) does attribute to the award-worthiness of a work, I believe ultimately, a work must be awarded for how powerfully and accurately it reaches readers. No work is perfect and no work will be relevant to every single reader, but some works reach their readers in such a powerful, life-altering manner that they cannot be ignored. I believe that Speak is one of these works. Speak may not reach every reader, but the readers that are effected by Speak are moved in such a meaningful way, in both their personal development and in their understanding of the world, that Speak is indeed a worthy title.

Genre: Printz Award Winner, Coming of Age, Realistic/Problem Novel, Challenged Books.

Review 10: Monster

Citation: Myers, Walter Dean. Performed by Peter Francis James. Monster. New York: Recorded Books, 2000. Print.

Annotation: In a world where accused criminals are automatically known as monsters, 16 year old Steve Harmon must prove to a jury and ultimately himself that he is not a monster, but a human being.

Justification for Rejection:

Myers' original approach and intriguing plot catch the reader's (or in this case listener's) in this courtroom novel. Myers' manages to address issues of racism, prejudice and the social justice system in one fairly succinct plot line. Steve Harmon's character gives voice to questions of ethics, morality and justice. His character is stigmatized and accused, to the point where even Steve is not sure of his own humanity. Steve's internal questioning and self-doubt resonates with adolescent readers, but I feel this title quickly gets caught up in the straight-forward plot details, at the expensive of potentially more meaningful reflection.

Since my experience of Monster was via an audio recording, I decided to pick up a copy of the printed edition as well. Thumbing through the book, I am noticing the effects of radical change in format. There are pertinent pictures which appear at just the right time in the story. Myers' “screenplay” approach takes on a whole new life in print, mimicking an actual screenplay with camera directions. Portions of the story which are intended as a first person narrative are printed in Steve's handwriting in order to mimic a journal entry. So much of this novel's strengths are in the formatting that I feel I must re-evaluate the work in print. As for my “rejection”, let me specify that it is for the audio recording of Monster and as far as the book itself goes- the jury is still out.

Genre: Printz award winner, Search for Identity, Realistic/Problem Novel, Multicultural, Audio title.

Review 9: The Book of Lost Things

Citation: Connolly, John. The Book of Lost Things. New York: Atria Books, 2006. Print.

Annotation: After David's mother dies and his father remarries, David would give just about anything to escape. Little did he know, an escape awaits him that would have him longing for home again, only he will have to overcomes magical beasts, a tricky crooked man and packs of ravenous wolves to get there.

Justification for Nomination:

John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things is the pinnacle of fantasy, a fairy tale for adults. Beginning with a gold leaf cover that is crawling with ivy and an opening line of “Once upon a time”, both the aesthetics and format of The Book of Lost Things emulate a bygone age, where Grimm's fairy tales were regularly stocked on shelves and stories were told at night around fireplaces as a regular past time. Connolly’s story is lengthier and darker than some might expect for a fairy tale, but his intriguing characters, fast-moving plot and substantive approach appeal to both adult and young adult readers. The book's omniscient third person narrator follows David, a young adult on a journey of self-discovery through a magical land of dreams, or better yet nightmares while transforming the reader's imagination and challenging the reader's understanding of the genre. While The Book of Lost Things is an adult market title, nearly every aspect of the story appeals to young adult readers, from the riveting horror to the deeper questioning of oneself.

The obvious connection between the protagonist, David and young adult readers is age and experience. When David's father remarries and his half-brother Georgie consumes his parents' time and energy, David feels displaced within his family. He is angry and makes an escape from his discontent into an alternative realm which holds within it both the beauty of dreams and the terror of nightmares. At first David finds himself wondering if he is missed, if he matters to his family and whether he will be able to find a place in his new world. The journey within this alternate reality mirrors a quest theme, in which David embarks a child, scared and selfish and finishes a man, flawed but self-aware and conscientious of others. In this world he confronts his fears, but more important he confronts his own short-comings and gains new wisdom from them. Connolly's story echoes the adolescent experience- it is a search for identity, a journey to find ones own worth- a difficult but worthwhile journey indeed.

Genre: Coming of Age, Fantasy, ALEX Award Winner

Review 8: The Color Purple

Citation: Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Print.

Annotation: Through self-doubt, rape, abuse, and the loss of her family Celie discovers herself and what it means to be loved. 

Justification for Nomination:

Alice Walker gives voice to Celie, a once voiceless and abused woman in The Color Purple. Walker's form mimics letters, addressed “Dear God” from Celie in her own vernacular. The tone set through Walker's writing style is at once believable, matter-of-fact and heart-wrenching. Walker's characters are authentic and interesting. All of the characters are developed fully through a series of letters written by Celie and then later to Celie from her sister, Nettie. The reader feels what Celie feels toward each character as the story progresses: disdain for “Mister” and “Pa”, a deep abiding love for Nettie and wonder and admiration for Shug. Aside from well-executed stylistic and formal elements, Walker makes a lasting statement on deeply meaningful social issues.

In one fell swoop, the first chapter of the book cracks open the issues of incest and abuse, as Celie writes to God the things she is too ashamed to speak aloud. Here, in Walker's work- “voice” becomes so much more than a stylistic element- it transforms into a tool for justice. Unfortunately, many girls, by their teenage years, have been the victim of some form of abuse, often sexual. To see these experiences play out in the pages of a novel may very likely become a “safe haven” for readers, a place to find solace, or simply answer questions. Walker addresses issues of sexuality ranging from same-sex desires to female masturbation that may never be addressed in the life of an adolescent reader anywhere other than the pages of this book. Walker presents strong, independent and willful female characters, which will not set well with all readers, but she makes no secret of her intentions. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker challenges established ideas of patriarchy, racism and religion. She does not merely shame these ideologies but she tears them down and rebuilds them from the ground up. Walker presents characters that are flawed, like any human, but that seek to build for themselves and their families, a life full of meaning and love. Walker's characters teach adolescent readers to think, to question and to fight for their beliefs. Such characters, even in their flawed human states, make for excellent teachers.

Genre: Search for Identity, Realistic/ Problem Novel, Multicultural, Censored/ Challenged

Review 7: The Giver

Citation: Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.

Annotation: When Jonas is chosen for a unique role in his safe and structured community his training reveals a whole new realm of reality, which includes both new joys and new pains. Jonas is faced with a choice - does he placidly accept the colorless reality that was created for him or does he forge ahead into the dangerous world of freedom and choice?

Justification for Nomination:

Lois Lowry's The Giver is a dystopian science fiction novel written under the premise of a world that sought “sameness” by climate control, sexual suppression and various other forms of control. The devices that Lowry uses to construct this fictional world are foreign to the reader but comprehensible. Places like the“House of the Old” and events like the “Ceremony of Release” are fictional to readers but Lowry co-opts terminology from the reader's reality to form an entirely new world. The Giver presents a world that at present, is scientifically impossible, but may not always remain so. Lowry does not invest much time in the “how” of this fictitious world, but focuses mainly on the “why”. One of the greatest strengths of this story is how frighteningly possible its impossibilities seem. In an apparently fictional world that lacks color, pain, choice and variability, the reader recognizes truths of the human existence. The experiential realities presented in The Giver are that of power, choice, identity and justice.

These realities echo many of the real-life experiences of adolescent readers. Through Jonas, readers can face adulthood, questions rites of passage, doubt those in power and be motivated to make meaningful and cataclysmic choices. Lowry acknowledges her readers' powerful potential through the character of Jonas, whose power to radically change his community as well as himself appeals to and inspires adolescent readers.

Genre: Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Censored or Challenged

Review 6: Thirsty

Citation: Anderson, M. T.. Thirsty . Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1997. Print.

Annotation: At present, Chris must navigate a teenage crush, the impending divorce of his parents and his own awkwardness- and as if that weren't enough, now he has to resist his growing urges to suck blood and find a way to save the world from the Dark Lord Tch'muchgar.

Justification for Nomination:

     In Thirsty, M.T. Anderson delivers a poignant coming-of-age story, complete with lots of teenage lust... blood-lust that is. When Chris, a typical, gawky teenage boy finds himself growing especially hungry after seeing a vampire before her execution, he begins to question the source of all this leaping anguish. Through Anderson's natural use of first person narrative, authentic voice and clever plot, the reader is pulled into Chris' world. It's not long before the adolescent reader identifies the hungry feeling Chris is experiencing, for it is a familiar one- longing. Chris' thirst turns out to be less conventional, but readers still identify with his feelings of anguish, lust, isolation and confusion. True to its genre, Thirsty provides a plethora of rejection, questioning and self-discovery, all of which add a deeper authenticity to this sometimes playful and humorous vampire novel.

     Throughout my reading of Thirsty I was convinced that the novel was enjoyable at many levels and thus would be an “easy sell”, especially to reluctant adolescent readers but I was not convinced of its award merit until I thoroughly pondered the novel's ending. Thirty's ending is ambiguous, open-ended and most important, authentic. Anderson challenges his readers by offering them a painfully realistic ending to a fantastical fictional narrative. Anderson does not provide a neat, formulaic conclusion. The protagonist makes the right choice. He overcomes his darkest desires. He resists urges that control him mentally and physically. He is a hero, but he is not rewarded. Instead, he is betrayed. He is left desperately questioning- will he be betrayed by the very woman who gave him life? Will he live forever in isolation, accepted by neither world? And finally will he even live? Chris chooses the ultimate sacrifice- forfeiting his life for another. He will not feed on a human. Any human, and as a result- he will die. Anderson leaves his readers a very real message within the pages of an impossible fiction, “the decision to be human is not one single instant, but a thousand choices made every day. It is choices we make every second and requires constant vigilance. We fight to remain human”. For adolescent readers the visceral longing in Thirsty reflects their own tumultuous thoughts and feelings. Anderson validates these desires, but does not simply excuse them. Ultimately, Anderson admonishes readers to take responsibility for themselves, even when the decision is difficult. In the end, the right choice may not be rewarded, but it is still the right choice.

Genre: Coming-of-Age, Fantasy, Humor, Vampire fiction

Review 5: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Citation: Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.

Annotation: In this absolutely true diary, Junior gives his honest approach to the world- from death and alcoholism to basketball and boners. Through humor, realism and the occasional cartoon, Junior chronicles his transition from rez reject to suburban superstar.

Justification for Nomination:

The issues of identity, loneliness, belonging and acceptance that are addressed in Alexie's “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” are at the heart of many multicultural works, as well as adolescent discovery. Alexie uses the authentic and humorous voice of Junior, the part-time Indian, to convey these issues in an engaging and intriguing way. Junior's narrative voice is believable and raw. Alexie's honest exploration into normally taboo issues such as masturbation, death and alcoholism provide audience appeal. Readers do not feel that they are being “talked down to” by an adult, but rather that they are conversing with a peer, from whom they might glean advice, laughter, companionship or comfort on a nonjudgmental basis. Through this work, adolescents are given freedom to discover both the realities of the world and themselves.

In “Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, Alexie genuinely explores form. The book imitates a diary, complete with a first person perspective, fragmented memories and comics that add humor and enhance the reader's camaraderie with the characters. Alexie's experimentation with radical change is a successful one and the reader comes away with a holistic and natural understanding of Junior as a character. All of Alexie's characters read as authentic and believable. He does not intentionally avoid stereotypes or negative images of Junior and the other Spokane Indians, but instead speaks truthfully. Alexie presents characters who are flawed and entirely human. Any given character might fulfill a stereotype on one page (for instance, the drunken rez Indian) but contradict it on the very next page (say, the Indian father who never misses any of his son's basketball games). Alexie's characters are dynamic, they are unpredictable and they are real. He is not afraid of offending or shocking his readers. Instead he respects them, by presenting an authentic story while holding nothing back.

Genre: Multicultural, Coming of Age, Realistic/ Edgy Fiction, Censored or Challenged, Sports, Humor.

Review 4: Special Effects: in Film and Television

Citation: Hamilton, Jake. Special effects: in film and television. New York, NY: DK Pub., 1998. Print

Annotation: Monsters, explosions, high-speed chases and UFOS! See how these special effects and many more are brought to life on the silver screen.

Justification For Rejection:

     While Jake Hamilton's Special effects: in film and television comes packed with audience appeal, readable and flexible information, and complimentary graphics, it lacks the ultimate resonance with developmental issues that is necessary for the Printz Award nomination. This encyclopedic take on the nonfiction world of special effects perfectly befits the subject matter. Hamilton organizes the material into readable, nonlinear subjects that allow the reader to begin or end at any page of the book. There is a logical flow to Hamilton's organization, but it does not necessitate a “front-to-back” reading. This flexibility, as well as plethora of appropriate and frequent full color images makes this book a perfect choice for reluctant readers. The subject matter may spark an interest in a variety of careers, or simply a new-found interest in nonfiction reading for younger or reluctant readers, in this way, Special effects: in film and television does address some developmental issues, but not directly or powerfully enough to be nominated.

     Also, while Hamilton makes information accessible to readers via an index and acknowledgments on the final page of the book, the works lacks a certain amount of authority. More direct documentation or footnotes may have lent authority and provided a more obvious path of future reading choices to adolescents for whom this work may serve as a “gateway” book. Also, as an unfortunate side effect of our society's rapidly progressing technology, this book is slightly outdated. In the last dozen years or so since this book was published the jump from film to digital recording was made, so the information is not up to date. Although many of the other special effects discussed are still applicable and widely used. Even though this book excels in many ways, these technical elements and the lack of a strong developmental component leave Special effects: in film and television in the “good book” category instead of the “best book” category.  

Genre: General Nonfiction

Review 3: Hard Love

Citation:

Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard love . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1999. Print.

Annotation: John meets a fellow zine writer, Marisol the self-proclaimed “rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin” and becomes entangled in a friendship based on a their shared habit of “trusting no one”. While John's first love turns out to be a hard love, he admits, “It was the reason I was no longer comatose after an entire life of sleepwalking”.

Justification for Nomination:

     In a narrative that addresses a quintessential adolescent experience, first love, Ellen Wittlinger manages to tell a non-traditional story of a boy who has yet to consider his sexuality and self-proclaimed "lesbian virgin" in an authentic and engaging way. The story is told from the first person perspective of John (a.k.a. Gio) with pieces of his and other writers' zines grafted in to give the reading a true-to-life multimedia experience. Even the form of each chapter begins with a "shout out" to zines, the first few lines of each being slanted to imitate the off-center, photocopied pages of a zine. The pieces of writing that are included in the text appear on pages of ruled notebook paper, scrawled in the writing of a teenage boy, type-written, photocopied or layered in magazine cutouts and doodles. As a reader, I felt as if I was being handed the piece by a friend to give an opinion or picking the zine off of the shelf at Tower Records myself. Wittlinger's format is believable and dynamic.

     In Hard Love, the voice is that of a sixteen year old boy, but the story blurs the lines of gender and sexuality. This is not a novel that can be classified as "literature for young men" or "literature for young women". John calls himself a neuter and questions his sexuality, only due to his lack of interest in women, but finds himself entangled in a relationship with a lesbian. John and Marisol's relationship is hardly a traditional dating relationship, but it seems at times more than a traditional friendship. The ambiguity of John and Marisol's relationship so closely mirrored reality, that a vague sense of deja' vu followed me throughout the novel. Not that the details of either character applied to my own adolescence, but the experiences- of finding out who you are, what you believe, how you classify love- the developmental concepts at the heart of this story, all rang so true that I was transported back to my own seventeen year old self while voraciously and effortlessly consuming this novel. John's voice and his experience transcend the gender lines that are often drawn hard and fast in any type of romantic novel and makes the experience accessible to a myriad of readers rather than a single gender or sexual orientation.

     The artfully crafted plot of Hard Love extends it narrative's authenticity and audience appeal. Teen readers can easily identify with the scenes taking place at school, the prom, coffee shops, music stores and at the homes of both divorced parents. Wittlinger pays homage to a "founding father" of adolescent literature, J. D. Salinger in John's zine title, Bananafish, as well as the use of Nine Stories as the bible on which he takes an oath. In the last few chapters of Hard Love, the experiences of John and Marisol resonant with older teen audiences in particular as they prepare to depart from their families. The two leave for a zine writers conference in Cape Cod unbeknownst to their parents. John leaves scathing letters for both of his parents, reflecting the need of many adolescents to be brutally honest with their parents after a lifetime of acquiescence. Meanwhile Marisol makes plans to depart to New York city and find herself, explaining to John that she must leave now, because she is at “escape velocity” (coincidentally the name of her zine). John and Marisol's respective journeys into self-discovery and adulthood are left to the reader's imagination. We do not know whether she “makes it in the big city”, or if John reconciles with his father or maintains his new found relationships with fellow zine writers. Marisol leaves John with the words “I love you too, Gio... As much as I can” Then she disappears. Wittlinger respects her audience by giving them an ambiguous and realistic ending to an authentic story. She does not trivialize the adolescent experience by tacking on a “happy ending” so that everything looks nice and neat. Wittlinger acknowledges that life is messy, especially for teens- and I believe that makes her work not only accessible to real-life teens, but meaningful as well.

Genre: Coming of Age/ Printz/ Romance/ Multicultural

Review 2: Ayn Rand's Anthem: the graphic novel

Citation: Santino, Charles and Joe Staton. Ayn Rand's Anthem: the graphic novel. New York: New American Library, 2011. Print.

Annotation: In a society where uttering the word “I” is an offense punishable by death, one man breaks away to discover himself.

Justification for Rejection:

      This graphic adaptation of Ayn Rand's Anthem cuts to core of adolescent development- finding oneself. The protagonist in the story, Equality 7-2521 goes on a journey of self-discovery in a society that seeks to keep him in the strangle-hold of the status quo, a quest that resonates with adolescent readers. He succeeds in establishing a life for himself, complete with a wife and a new name, Prometheus, who “took the light of the gods and brought it to men...taught men to be gods”. The anthem sung in this narrative transitions from a worship of collective society to a respect for oneself as an individual. This narrative mirrors the journey many adolescents may be making, away from their home, their parent's religion or their educator's influence and into isolation, where only the individual is honored and obeyed.

     While Anthem, has at it's core a story that resonates with the struggle for identity that is so vital to adolescent life, I feel the adaptation lost audience appeal in translation. This particular form, while bursting with potential, failed to qualify as a “best book”. The first thing I noticed while reading was the panels. The size and placement was uniform throughout the book, each page had three equal-sized panels with zero variation. That stylistic element made for a monotonous read. The form did nothing to direct my eyes or set the pace of the novel. The potential for this type of adaptation lies in the graphic format and while the artwork was well done, the form felt incongruous and did little to enhance and support the text. I am adding the print version of Anthem to my reading list because the heart of this story is compelling, but the presentation in this graphic novel was missing too much technical cohesion to nominate for our award.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Coming of Age/ Search for Identity, Fantasy, Romance

Review 1: The First Part Last

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2003. Print.

Annotation:

     At a time when most teenagers fantasize about leaving for college, attending spring break parties and meeting so many new people they forget their names, Bobby and Nia are faced with a decision- do they keep the baby growing in her belly, or do they stay carefree teenagers? When tragedy strikes, Bobby feels he no longer has a choice and that it is time to become a man and ultimately, a father.

Justification for Nomination:

      Angela Johnson's The First Part Last is a realistic first person narrative, told by Bobby, a teenage father. Johnson makes use of Brooklyn “street” vernacular in dialogue enough to give the piece authenticity, but not so much that it distracts from her larger purposes. Johnson's form is often poetic, but stays consistent with a fragmented stream-of-consciousness befitting a sixteen year old boy. This style is interlaced with more straight-forward narration and a constant “then”/”now” time shift, but only once does the perspective switch from Bobby's first person narration. One of the last few chapters of the book is entitled “Nia”, and shares a few paragraphs of Nia's stream-of-consciousness before entering a traumatic “brain death”.

     Johnson's novel is brief, but effectively implements voice and tone that create a true-to -life story and resonates with teen readers. Bobby wants to have fun, like any other teenager. He wants to stay up late, be irresponsible and enjoy adolescence. He wants to shoot hoops with his friends and feel the colors of spray paint graze his fingers as the hit the brownstone. In short, Bobby wants what all teenagers want- freedom, self-discovery and a chance to make mistakes. For Bobby though, one mistake is too much. One mistake takes away any future chances at adolescent irresponsibility. Bobby is going to be a father, and after Nia falls into a permanent vegetative state, he chooses to keep their baby, Feather and raise her himself. When Bobby's mother insists that he indeed raise this child “by himself”, he must grow up- and fast. Midnight feedings, diaper changes and grocery trips are all Bobby's responsibility now. Bobby's experience mirrors what all teenagers must face- a journey into adulthood. Not all readers' experiences will be as dramatic as Bobby's, but the concerns are the same. Who am I? I am no longer a child, but can I yet be an adult? What parts of my past routine and my past self do I cling to? What new habits must I make? What does “coming of age” mean for me, at this time and place?

     The First Part Last is also realistic and yet unique in its representation of a single, teenage father. Rarely, in literature is a single father represented and if one is, I would venture to say that single father is not also a black, sixteen year old boy from Brooklyn. Johnson's novel breaks ground with the character of Bobby, not because such a man doesn't exist in reality, but because the literary canon at present, represents only a vary narrow population. Bobby's character is fully human. He nearly leaves Feather alone once. He gets arrested for tagging. He wants to shrug his responsibilities. He also makes a difficult decision. He takes on adult responsibility. He loves his daughter and he works hard to stay in school and care for a newborn. Bobby's character does not shine without also failing and for this reason, he is relatable. A teen reader can see in Bobby their own insecurities, desires and hopes.

Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Coming of Age