Issues that are much more emphasized, I would say, than any similarities to Holden. But really, I was more struck by the inclusion of Steinbeck and Ellison than the others - you have poverty and you have race, pretty squarely represented. Both reviews pick on the Catcher in the Rye similarities, but honestly I never thought of Catcher until Junior mentioned it on his list of favorite books. They don’t have problems with friends or family or school or themselves. Yes, they’re all so annoying aren’t they? They’re not, you know, struggling with figuring out who they are and what their place is in the world. “The protagonist is too similar to all of those annoying protagonists in young adult fiction today,” says the 1 star. It’s one I could pick up and read through again, if I didn’t have so many others waiting for me.Īlso, the 1 and 2 star reviews on Amazon are pretty diverting. While it certainly packs a punch, it’s a quick, engaging read and I think it would be equally engaging to high schoolers and adults.

Maybe that’s kind of perverted or maybe it’s just romantic and highly intelligent. Just like the times when Junior is heartbroken but can’t. This in no way makes it less funny, or less sad. Here’s one of my favorite things about the book: almost everything that makes you laugh is also heartbreaking. And for YA that everyone’s been raving about. Plus I’m not the hugest fan of short stories. But I didn’t go out and gobble up all this other books. Put it next to Plato’s Republic and it was pretty damn exciting. I kinda got on the Sherman Alexie bandwagon, as an undergrad, when all freshmen were required to read his The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. I still think the book is fantastic, but I don't think the same of its author, and I can't promote his writing with any enthusiasm. 2018 update - with all of the women coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment from Alexie, I'm no longer comfortable with the glowing review I originally wrote.

The absolutely part time indian