Review #5: Historical Fiction

Mazer, Harry. Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

"There was just no connection between the battlefield and Bakersfield. Between the meat grinder and this peaceful little town." Adam's grandfather lost an arm in World War II. Adam's father was killed at Pearl Harbor. If Adam didn't act fast, he would miss his chance to join the family legacy. But heading full speed into war would make Adam realize his dreams would place him in the middle of a nightmare.

Justification for Nomination
Mazer has crafted a young boy's heart wrenching personal journey through the United States conflict in the Pacific. Adam can't stand waiting any longer for the freedom that comes with being 18, and his greatest fear is that the war will leave him behind, still a child. Adam decides to run full speed ahead by convincing his grandfather to let him enlist behind his mother's back. But as he arrives on base and begins his training, he is faced with a harsh reality. The heroism and glory of war comes with a steep price, one that Adam can no longer choose to walk away from.

Mazer brilliantly describes a teenager's angst and longing for adulthood against the historical backdrop of one of our country's most forgotten wartimes. Not only is the action of war compelling, but seeing Adam's personal struggles accelerates the reader page turn after page turn. Mazer creates vivid detail in the portrait of war without being nightmarishly gory.

Mazer's use of diction throughout his novel is the icing on the historical cake. The characters write and speak with popular slang in the forties, both civilian and military, yet the context is not lost to a modern audience. The tone in which Adam writes his letters home, further illustrates his need to "prove his adulthood," by using terms and references that his mother would never understand. Asserting his knowledge is clearly one of the ways Adam tries to do this.

In addition to describing timeless teen development issues, and accurate historical events, Mazer also weaves some of the cultural and gender issues that were present in 1940's America. Adam's friend Davi is a Japanese American who joins the military as part of a deal to get his family out of a prison camp and Adam writes to a female friend who has joined a women's branch of the war effort. His mother and love interest back home work in weapons factories as well.

Mazer has crafted a story that will heavily appeal with male readers, but certainly hold the interest of a female audience. It is packed with action, and invites an aesthetic connection through deep emotions, family ties and obligation, and even a little romance.

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Coming of Age/ Adventure

Review #4: Memoir

Burroughs, Augusten.
Running with Scissors, a memoir.
New York: Picador, 2002.

Augusten Burroughs is nine years old when he realizes his perfect mother might be a little crazy. Augusten is twelve when he knows she's crazy. He is thirteen when she abandons him with a family that is even more crazy than she is. How could anyone possibly turn out to be a well-adjusted adult in a world like his?

Justification for Nomination:

This book will make you laugh til' you cry and then cry til' you laugh. Augusten Burroughs has recorded his memories with vivid distinction and almost morbid humor. Both teens and adults will find comfort in not having lived his life, and inspiration in his remarkable ability to overcome it all. Burroughs starts his memoir out at the age of nine, recalling very specific memories and at the same time showing us in summation all of the social and media influences that are shaping his development. Later, around the age of twelve, Augusten is abandoned my his mother and asked to live with her psychologist. It is with the Finches that Augusten begins to realize his mother is not the perfect woman he once thought her to be, and begins to connect with the other children in the house, shifting his developmental influences from his parents to his peers. Throughout the next several years, Augusten tries to rationalize his issues with abandonment, homosexuality, psychosis, and gravitation toward anyting exotic.

Although Burroughs accurately identifies his experiences within the spectrum of adolescent development, he does not leave us in want of entertainment. In addition to dealing with the universal root issues of being a teen, he must also adjust to a home and family that frequently steps outside the boundaries of "sanity." There is a room in the house called the Masturbatorium. They eat dog food just for fun. There is an "obsessive compulsive neurotic" woman who has locked herself in a room upstairs. They based their daily decisions on "bible dips" and "psychic" readings of human excrement carefully placed on the backyard picnic table to dry. Burroughs exquisitely interweaves his wit and humor with his deep confusion and feelings of teenage angst.

The narrative quality and readability is lively and well-paced. Burroughs incorporates a good deal of slang and pop culture, but also surprises his reader with clever vocabulary. The Finch children have a tendency to throw around psychological terms with dramatic flair, and Augusten tries his hand at becoming a writer.

The book ends when Augusten is seventeen, on his own and wondering if he would survive in New York City. Although he hasn't graduated high school or quite figured life out yet, he leaves his reader with a feeling of joyful hope. Despite the obscurity of his upbringing, Augusten still believes in himself; and if he can survive that life and still be fairly well-adjusted, then there is hope for anyone.

Genre: Memoir, Realistic/Edgy/Problem Novel

Review #3: Realistic/Edgy/Problem Novel

McCormick, Patricia. Cut.
Ashville, North Carolina: Front Street, 2000.



"The real name of this place is Sea Pines, my roomate, who has a nickname for everything calls it Sick Minds. Her nickname for me is S.T., for Silent Treatment." Callie can never seem to find the right words to say. In fact, Callie can never seem to find the right thoughts either. But when she feels that cold jagged edge of the metal blade, it all comes to an end.



Justification for Rejection:
Cut stays true to the realistic fiction genre by providing a deeply moving and emotional treck through the mind of Callie, known by her "group" as S.T. McCormick positions her novel through the first person narrative of Callie, a teenager with very typical conflicts including parents that don't pay any attention to her, resentment for having to handle too much responsibility, and guilt from making mistakes. We see the world and all its problems through Callie's calculating eyes, constantly looking for patterns in the wallpaper, but seldom observing and connecting with the people around her. The difference with Callie is that she has found solace in cutting herself, later finding out it is not solice but reparation she seeks. As the reader, we observe Callie's taxing inner monologue as she struggles to let go and hold on, all at the same time.



Despite the realism of its content and the tragically genuine character development, Cut has plenty of room for improvement. Although she tells the story from a first person perspective, McCormick has positioned the reader in the role of the psychologist. Every now and then Callie says things like, you lean forward in your dead-cow chair and tap your finger on your lip. This is extremely distracting because while we know Callie's every thought, we are then told that she doesn't say a single word to us for months. It is impossible to be omniscent as an outside reader, and picture ourselves in the role of a limited character. In addition, the last thing a young reader is going to want is to picture themselves sitting in the chair of the boring, old, enemy.



Cut was also horribly slow and cumbersome for such a short book. The 168 pages are separated into 3 very large roman numeral sections, for a while I wondered if I had even seen a new chapter heading. In addition to the wide spacing of breaks, the action is monotonous at best. Callie goes from place to place on a strict schedule, seldom speaking to anyone, and using paragraphs to describe a stain on the floor or the sound of someone's shoes in the hallway. The last dozen pages were the pinnacle in the action, but if I hadn't forced myself to contine reading I would never have gotten there. From the perspective of a young reader, I would have put the book down in the first 20 pages, sooner if I was a young male reader.


Genre: Realistic/Edgy/Problem Novel

Review #2 Poetry or Verse Novel

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn't Know.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Annotation:

Sophie dreams of the perfect romance,

and she is going to find it.

One way or another.

But at what cost?


Justification for Rejection:

Sones has crafted a remarkable journey through a young girls quest for true love. Sophie, raised by a mother addicted to daytime soaps, has a flair for the dramatic and a yearning for romance. She finds magic and meaning in every touch and every glance from the boys around her, which sometimes leads her to "practically a religious experience." Sophie is joined in her quest by her two best friends, equally as exciteable by the idea of boys and endless love. Throughout the novel, Sophie questions the qualities she seeks in her mates, and eventually questions the social influences that guide her. In the end she discovers that love lies in true friendship, rather than popularity and good looks.

The function and use of verse sturcture inthis novel is one of the best parts about it. Sones has truly mimiced the fleetingness of adolescence by formating her story through a series of very brief "moments." And despite the fragmented nature of the episodes, the story itself maintains a lovely linear flow. It is a very fast read, and the over-the-top emotional expression is reminiscient of my own boy-crazy fantasies at that age.

The reason I must recommend this novel for rejection is the narrow range of audience appeal. Sophie, although very much like myself as a teen, is not a character that a wide range of young readers is going to relate to. Male readers will have almost no interest in Sophie at all. Although Sophie goes through a processes of discovery, she is the only character that has any kind of depth at all (and it's not a lot). Her two friends, and the boys she writes about have no dimension other than the biased teenage judgement provided by Sophie herself. I also had a hard time with believability of character, because Sophie made some very tough decisions that a girl of her mindset would probably not make in the time frame that Sones has laid out.

Genre: Verse Novel/Coming of Age/Social Issues