Plot

A high school senior gets into trouble at the end of his junior year. He is seen as nerdy until senior year starts because well his trouble came with lots of juvenile attention and, as importantly, during the summer he had to do manual labor as consequences for his crime. When he comes back to school senior year he has the attention of the ladies. His father’s boss has a daughter who falls for him and while drunk during a party asks to have sex with him. For her safety because she’s drunk he declines the offer but pays the price for declining her offer.

He is blamed for a crime he did not do. Due to his past crime he was assumed to be guilty in public opinion’s court. Troubled by his situation he contemplated suicide then began to plot his suicide. But, he did not; he did, however, decide to turn his life around.

Possible reason for the ban

There is talk about boners, violence, and suicide. The story is told from the point of view of a high school senior male. These are things high school students go through.

Would I teach this book to my senior class? Probably not because I think there are better crafted stories to expose my students to with similar themes, albeit at the moment obit a single story comes to mind, but the lessons in the book could give high school students direction in life.

I’m partial. I don’t like books being banned. This book does not need to be banned but it should be read in upper level classes. There probably should be a letter sent home to inform parents about the themes the book possess. I doesn’t deserve a ban because it connects too much especially to the life of upper level high school students.

Book’s Growth Lesson

At book’s end the main character decides to change his life around. He chooses to live a life of his choosing even though he still has great tension with his father. We are never so far gone we can’t rehabilitate our life and make better life decisions.

We need this book unbanned because someone can commit a crime, then be wrongly accused of a crime, be devastated, reflect on suicide, but still choose to keep going. This occurs often to young and old and especially the youth can learn from the main character’s response.

Never hopeless,

@growthucator