Book of the Month (December) - Teen Angst? Nahhh..

          I started Teen Angst by Ned Vizzini because I wanted to get away from mushy teenager books about two people who are too different, but end up falling in love anyway. I knew that Ned Vizzini didn't write that way, so I decided to read his autobiography to learn more about him. I really enjoy this book, and it's very different from anything I've read before. I just love how he goes through all the events of his childhood. He starts with Junior High / Middle School and ends with his Senior year of high school. I like how it shows his transformation through school, and I am drawn to his books because they aren't about the usual teenage things.
     Ned Vizzini's books never have a predictable story line. I also love this book because I have things in common with it and I don;t know if I would ever be able to publish my life in a book for everyone to read. I'll probably finish this book relatively quickly, and I'm already seeing how Vizzini used events in his own life to write his latter books. For example, in the Freshman year chapter he explains how he tried to get into the best school, and in It's Kind of a Funny Story Craig wanted to get in the Professional Executive High School, the most notorious high school, and he studied so long and hard for the acceptance test, just like Vizzini actually did. I've never read an autobiography about someone who is still so young, so it's new for me, but I really really like it. I'm super excited to continue reading this book and not knowing what is going to happen next is really great!
This is a link to Ned Vizzini's website and it has a lot of good information about him;
http://www.nedvizzini.com/

6 Word Memoir

Book of the Month (November) - Be More Chill

This was the second book I've read by Ned Vizzini. I really enjoy reading books written by him. This book is basically written from basically two different perspectives. One of the main characters is Jeremey Heere. He is a "nerdy" kid in high school that would do just about anything to date a girl named Christine. The other point of view is from his squip. The squip is a little pill that you are supposed to swallow, and it makes you automatically "cooler". Jeremey gets his, and starts becoming more popular at school, and does exactly what the squip, in his brain, is advising him to do. But, sometimes the squip malfunctions, because even the most advanced technology can have faults. I had made a prediction before I finished the book. I thought that after having the squip for a few months, he would realize that he didn't need it anymore to be "cool", and would try to get rid of it. I partially based this off of the quote, "Don't call Christine, talk to me." I thought this showed that it was trying to control him completely. You will notice Jeremey going through a transformation during this book. After I finished the book, I was a little confused about the ending, and I just felt that the ending could have been more thorough.

     Ned Vizzini continues to relate well to teenagers in this book. I feel like he just knows how to, not only relate to them, but he's able to write well about them. I think he draws some of his ideas from his own life. I didn't think I was going to like this book too much because it was a little more towards the science fiction side. But, I found that I really enjoyed it, but I was a little disappointed by the end. I enjoy when the ends of books give me a clear image of what all the characters are doing, unless of course there is another book coming out. I just thought it left me with questions. There is only one more book by him that I hope to read soon, called Teen Angst.
This is a link to a video about Ned Vizzini talking about this book;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g0u79DpqM0&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Book of the Month (October) - It's Kind of a Funny Story

The author of this book, Ned Vizzini, wrote the story based on an event that actually happened to him. He had called the Suicide Hotline, and they put him on hold, and then forwarded him to a Stress Management Hotline instead. This book is based on what the new phone line tells him to do, and he listens. This shows that Vizzini connects his books to himself personally.

      I chose this book because my teacher showed me the trailer for the movie and it looked like a great movie. I saw the characters as I was in the middle of the story, and the movie characters looked like actually came out of the book. It helped me to picture how these people looked and how they acted. My teacher also said that she knows Ned Vizzini and that his writing is very good. After I read my first Ned Vizzini book, I knew I had to read all of the other books he wrote.

      I would say that this book is very appropriate for teenagers because it relates to real life experiences that Vizzini had as a teen. Even though this is written from a male's point of view, and could potentially be seen as a "book for boys", as a girl reader, I could say that I enjoyed this book as much as a boy would have. Personally, I felt a real connection to this book, and sensed that many other teens share the same problem as Vizzini had as a kid.

     This book was written in the first person, which  is my favorite tense to read in. I feel that first person books tell the story better because it's from the point of view of the protagonist. The author's writing style was basically informal,because it was written for teenagers from a young person's point of view. The book also includes some comedic relief that I enjoy in my books. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun but a tad serious, although not a short read. I had never read a book written like this, and I really enjoyed the short chapters that allowed me to read a short amount, multiple times a day.

      The theme or lesson of this book is that you just need to live your life no matter what problem you have, and to accept help from the loved ones around you, along the way. Ned Vizzini goes through the story of how a troubled teen finds his way and overcomes his problems, and finding personal connections with the people who you wouldn't suspect to become friends with and form life long bonds with. I recommend that if you have any depression problems, or had any as a teen, or just want an excellent read, I recommend you pick up this book.
This is a link of the trailer for the movie that should be on DVD soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ZEq3coRvE&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1