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