Jena Brigantino

Eng 112B

Annotated Bibliography:

Cont. Realistic Fiction

12/2/09

Answers Through The Struggles

Young male adolescents encounter many problems in their lives. Identity issues, peer pressure, drug and alcohol abuse are only a few of the problems that the male teenager faces today. Works of literature as well as film and music in the contemporary realistic fiction genre can influence a young male teenager�s life. Contemporary realistic fiction concerning issues such as depression, divorce, peer pressure and racism can help teenaged boys get through those tough years known as adolescence. According to a survey taken from Adolescents in the Search for Meaning by Mary Warner, male teenagers rated peer pressure as the major issue they face in their lives. In a high school or middle school setting the desire to fit in is common. Exposing these teenagers to modern day problem novels with a noble protagonist and intriguing plot can give these young men the answers they are desperately searching for. Another issue concerning teenaged boys is their stubbornness. When faced with an issue it is uncommon for them to reach out for guidance or assistance. For this reason I chose to develop my bibliography around works of literature, film, and music addressing common issues young adult males face today. Through these works young adult males will hopefully be able to find the answers they wish for. This question is presented in Literature for Today�s Young Adults; �Does a book have the potential to touch readers deeply so that, in the struggle with it, they begin to see and to shape themselves?� (Donelson, 39). The answer: It�s up to you.

Literature:

Alexie, Sherman J. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.Hachette Book

Group: New York, 2007. ISBN: 0316013684. Book

Talk handout by Erin Levin. Class Presentation for Eng 112B: November, 2009.

Junior was born on the Spokane Indian Reservation with numerous medical problems and now faces medical and social issues. Despite these issues Junior transfers to an all white school in the hopes of a better education. He now has to navigate through being the only poor Indian kid, being on the basketball team, getting a date for the school dance, and a tragic family loss. Through these tough times Junior finds unexpected strength, talent and friendships.

Junior�s determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the handicaps of birth, circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner. Junior brings all the suffering and issues of Native Americans around the US and makes them real while pouring out his heart about his troubles adjusting to two worlds. The cartoons are very clever and they add to the humor in this funny but real novel.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted. Penguin Group: New York, 2007. ISBN:

9780142411841.

Last year�s Tyler Miller was a shy nerd who was only noticed by the jocks who teased him. After Tyler gets busted for vandalizing school property and spends the summer doing hard labor, his new look makes him a major stand out in his High School. His new bad boy reputation attracts the girl of his fantasies, Bethany Miller. This newfound reputation is not what Tyler expects and he has to learn to cope with family issues as well as how to handle the pressures of the real world.

The story is a very honest and brutal examination at the inner struggles that a typical suburban teenage American male goes through. Lauire Halse Anderson does not sugar coat serious issues such as depression, bullying and suicide. Tyler has a sense of humor, which is entertaining, but he is also honest and loveable. This book opened my eyes to the realities of these serious issues that so many teenagers face. This book does an amazing job of capturing the angst of growing up, of finding your place in the world.

Burd, Nick. The Vast Fields of Ordinary. Penguin Group: New York, 2009. ISBN:

0803733402.

C.J Bott from ALAN online summarizes the novel well as she says:

Dade has a boyfriend who won�t publicly acknowledge his existence because Pablo also has a girlfriend. Dade�s parents are getting a divorce. Dade is looking forward to college when he meets the peculiar Alex Kincaid. �Falling in real love finally lets Dade come out of the closet—and, ironically, ignites a ruthless passion in Pablo. But just when true happiness has set in, tragedy shatters the dreamy curtain of summer, and Dade will use every ounce of strength he�s gained to break from his past and start fresh with the future (Bott).

In a book review from Amazon.com Darcy Wishard states:

Burd�s novel weaves together all the rollercoaster emotions attached to finding oneself in this coming-of-age and coming out story that is sensitive, touchingly human, and heart-achingly realistic. The Vast Fields of Ordinary is one point of view out of the thousands of teens out there who are just trying to figure out who they are, dealing with what life throws at them and wondering what life has in store for them (Wishard).

Crutcher, Chris. Deadline. Greenwillow Books, 2007. ISBN: 0060850914. Book Talk

handout by Jackie Smith. Class Presentation for Eng 112B: September, 2009.

After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, 18-year-old Ben Wolf elects to forgo treatment and keep his illness secret from his family and friends in an attempt to have a normal senior year at his small Idaho high school. Free from long-term consequences, he connects with his crush, frustrates his biased U.S. Government teacher, and tries out for football. However, Ben's illness slowly exacts its toll on him, and he begins to realize the consequences of keeping his condition hidden.

Ben lives his life without the fear of dying for he already knows that he is going to. Deadline teaches a good lesson about living your life to the fullest; living everyday like it was your last. I learned that this book shows you that when you're given a number of days left on your life it's not the time that matters it's what you do with that time and how you affect the people around you when you leave. The author hooks you in every possible way and answers every question that needs to be answered and leaves every question that doesn't up to you and when the ending hits you'll feel as if you never knew it was coming.

Cructher, Chris Whale Talk. HarperCollins: New York, 2001. ISBN: 0061771317.

T. J. Jones is a mixed-race high-school student in the Pacific Northwest, and he's also got something of an attitude problem. He's athletic, but ignores organized sports at his competition-rabid school until he sees the younger brother of a now-dead local hero getting pushed around for wearing his brother's letter jacket. Jones decides to retaliate by starting a swim team-- at a school that doesn't even have its own pool. He recruits a number of misfits (including Chris, the pushed-around, mentally challenged kid), lines up a coach, and sets out to, if not humiliate the sports enthusiasts around him, at least show them that the outcasts can perform, too. What he doesn't expect is that the long bus rides to swim meets around the region will create a sense of camaraderie among them.

The most important thing that makes this book so good is the characterization. Crutcher has filled his book with well-drawn, memorable, interesting characters that will keep the reader entertained for its duration. T.J�s parents, Heidi, and the members of the swim team, are just a few of the characters that have stayed with me for months. The protagonist T.J is a good role model for teenagers because he stands up for his beliefs and is not afraid to speak his mind. I think what I liked best about this book was that it recognized that behind every crazed idiot, there's a reason they act the way they do.

Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World. Penguin Group: New York, 2003. ISBN:

0142402087. Book Talk handout by Erik Olson. Class Presentation for Eng 112B: October, 2009.

Troy Billings is almost 300 pounds and he hates himself. So much so, that he is contemplating suicide by jumping in front of a train. This is when he meets Curt McCrae, a skinny street brat with a gift for playing guitar. Despite their obvious differences, the two find that they have enough in common to form a punk band together.

Troy and his unlikely friend Curt teach the reader much about acceptance and tolerance of those who seem different from us. Through K.L. Going's characters we learn that on the inside we are all pretty much the same. The main character, Troy does a great job of showing how easily we can obsess on our flaws, and let this obsession color everything we see. Troy's voice is candid, irreverent, realistic, and humorous. He imagines the events of his life in facetious headlines always related to his weight. Curt is a great character to show the power of music and the innate need in all of us for friendship and family.

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. Simon Pulse: New York, 2003. ISBN:

0689849230. Book Talk handout by Melissa Garcia. Class Presentation for Eng

112B: October, 2009.

Bobby is both a teenage artist and a single parent. At 16, he's scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between now and then he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. When Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home.

The First Part Last serves as a realistic wake-up call for teenagers who are experimenting with sex and who think pregnancy, motherhood, or fatherhood cannot happen to them. The most important aspect of this novel is that the story comes from a male�s perspective about an unplanned pregnancy instead of a female perspective. The book describes a lot of what being a parent entails and teens may think twice about what they'd want for their own future. Bobby is not perfect and this aspect of his character is important because teenagers can connect with him easier.

Film:

Charlie Bartlett. Dir. Jon Poll. Perf. Anton Yelchin, Kat Dennings, and Robert Downey

Jr. MGM, 2007.

Wealthy teenager Charlie Bartlett is failing miserably at fitting in at a new public high school. As he begins to better understand the social hierarchy, Charlie's honest charm and likability positions him as the resident psychiatrist giving out advice, and the occasional prescription to other students in need. Charlie gets the prescriptions from pill pushing psychiatrists that his mother pays for. Along the way, he finds romance and will have to learn to accept responsibility.

The protagonist Charlie uses his knowledge and wealth in order to be accepted at his new high school. Through Charlie�s sessions viewers learn of modern day problems that teenagers face from panic disorders to drug abuse. Viewers will learn the dangers of using prescription drugs without the advice of a doctor. Overall I learned that teenagers just need someone who will listen and help them through their issues however small they seem and popping pills will not solve all problems.

Crutch. Dir. Rob Moretti. Perf. Frankie R. Faison and James Early. Hp Productions.

2004.

Crutch is the coming-of-age story of a young man who faces family problems as well as substance abuse. Anita Gates a film reviewer for the New York Times states:

David's life is filled with problems. Aside from his dysfunctional family, he is using both alcohol and drugs; he is confused over his sexual identity and his relationship with his teacher. He is merely a teenager and not prepared nor equipped to deal with his situation in life. Crutch gives us the sad tale of the young man's confusion and the difficulties he faces in finding himself� (Gates).

Crutch feels honest, and it aims to deliver a statement about the dangers of drug abuse and how to conquer it. The message of the dangers of drug abuse and how to conquer it is very potent. But there is another message here and that is how to struggle against overwhelming odds. The film gives you a great deal to think about. I learned that the movie is very special and is title is so correct. All of us have crutches. David's make mine look very small and inconsiderable.

Music:

Good Charlotte. Emotionless. The Young and The Hopeless. Sony 2002.

Emotionless is song written by two brothers of the band Good Charlotte about the effects of their father�s absence. �When you lay your head down how do you sleep at night? Do you even wonder if we're all right?� is one of the questions the brothers ask their father in the song. The song shows the pain and resentment towards their father but they also have grown from it. �You broke my mother's heart, you broke your children for life. It's not OK but we're alright.� The pain of a parent�s absence affects a child�s life forever but the brothers show that it is possible to move on and learn from it.

Sadly divorce has become more common these days and there effects on children can be catastrophic. From listening to this song I learned that the absence of a parent who left by choice scars you for life. Male teenagers who deal with a parent�s absence may find comfort in this song and the ability to accept the absence and move on. It is important for teenagers to learn how to forgive and lead a healthy life in spite of the pain they feel.

Other Works Cited

Bott, C.J. �ALAN�s Picks: September 2009.� ALAN Online. ALAN Online, 10 Sept.

2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. <http://www.alan-ya.org/2009/09/alans-picks-september-2009/>

Donelson, Kenneth L., and Alleen Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. Custom

ed. Dr. Mary Warner. Pearson Education: Boston, 2008.

Gates, Anita. �Film In Review; Crutch.� Rev. of Crutch, dir. Rob Moretti. Nytimes.com.

New York Times, 17 Sept. 2004. Web 18 Nov. 2009. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07EFD71639F934A2575AC0A9629C8B63&scp=1&sq=Crutch+film+review&st=nyt>

Warner, Mary L. Adolescents in the Search for Meaning. Scarecrow Press: Maryland,

2006.

Wishard, Darcy. �Read This Book.� Amazon. Amazon.com, Inc, 18 May 2009. Web. 22

Nov. 2009. <http://www.amazon.com/Vast-Fields-Ordinary-Nick-Burd/products1>.