A Reader Is Me!

Name: chosenmortal
Goal: 75 books during 2009
Definition of "book": anything i haven't read before, graphic novels or comic anthologies count, single comic books do not.
Books read so far: i keep track at goodreads; you can friend me here, just drop a comment here so i know who you are to friend back. XD

Title: How I Paid for College : A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater
Author: Marc Acito
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: Fiction/Memoir
Book Number/Goal: 30 of 100

Review: from my goodreads page......... there is nothing not to love about this book. first and foremost, it is **hilarious**, it had me actually laughing out loud on just about every page, which is something i haven't experienced since like, Catch-22 or the last David Sedaris book i read. acito's narrative voice is incredibly strong and consistent; from page one, you're right inside edward's head, and there isn't a second you leave it for the entire book. i'm a sucker for good realistic characters, especially teenagers who actually act like teenagers, and acito delivers. i understand why the book isn't shelved in the YA section, though i desperately wish it would be-- there need to be more books like this, portraying kids in their late teens in all their melodramatic feckless hormonal coming-into-their-own glory.

and, of course, i am strongly of the opinion that there need to be way more books that deal with all aspects of teen sexuality as frankly and candidly as this book does. actually, every issue that comes up in the book is handled with great subtlety, showing how edward deals with it without even trying to lay out a lesson for the reader. from questioning your sexuality to following your dreams to hating your parents to dating your friends to being jealous of other people dating your friends... acito puts his main character through a lot, and lets him muddle through it the way most teenagers wade through the drama of their lives-- on their own, recognizing it as a part of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

books like this make me think a lot, but if you're not the kind of reader who wants to dissect a book after you're finished with it, you can still read and adore this book. it is first and foremost a comedy, and so for anyone who lived through high school or ever fought with their parents or fell in love with their best friend, you'll find a lot to laugh about here.