Inexcusable, By Chris Lynch

Title: Inexcusable
Author: Chris Lynch
Publish Date: May 8, 2007
Publisher: Atheneum
Pages: 176
ISBN: 1416939725

Price: Paperback $7.99
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult
Price: $7.99
Annotation: Everybody loves Keir. Or so he thinks. He is the typical "good guy." But when his girlfriend accuses him of rape he uses his good guy status as an excuse for the accusation's impossibility.

Summary: High school senior Keir thinks of himself a charming and lovable rascal. So does everyone around him, including his widowed dad. He likes being popular. Keir would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose-just a little silliness while drinking or experimenting with drugs–and that doesn't even count. But, when he tackles a little too hard, or or vandalizes a town statues as a prank, he writes it off as normal, mischievous or sporty behavior. But, he cant write off date rape, no matter how hard he tries...

Evaluation: Many rape stories such as Laurie Halse Anderson's famous novel Speak, are from the perspective of the victim. This book explores the psychological minefield of the rapist. This book is exceptional for this first person narrative along with the fact that it is an National Award Finalist and a page turner!

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Date Rape, Facing Your Mistakes, Denial, Perpetrator's Perspective, Danger's of Drinking and Drug Use

Reason this Book was Chosen: For the unique perspective.

Raider's Night, by Robert Lipsyte

Title:Raiders Night
Author:Robert Lipsyte
Publish Date:July 3, 2007
Publisher:Harper Teen
Pages:256 pages
ISBN:0060599480
Classification: Fiction
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price:$6.99

Annotation: Co-Captain of his football team and school sports star, Matt witnesses the brutal, horrific rape of a rookie player by his teammates. Dealing with this and his own steroid use make for a horribly traumatic season.

Summary: This dark and at times down right scary sports drama revolves around Matt, Rydek High's Co-Captain of the football team.

He is being recruited for college and he's hitting the gym and juicing up. It's an aggressive time that includes pressure from his father and team as well as help with using the drugs. Meanwhile his life is falling apart. He witnesses a brutal rape of a teammate by teammates during the annual hazing and Matt begins to live on a constant emotional trip of sports-star and failure, embarrassment and ultimately hating his sport. he cooperates with the investigation, but all is not well with the world around him. A painful, realistic descent takes the readers into the emotional and physical world of the dark side of sports.

Evaluation: I am not gonna lie. The rape scene made my heart miss a few beats and it is not easy to store in your head after reading this book. But, the reality is, Matt's struggles are definitive of his role (and others like him) in high school sports and I can appreciate what this book does. His situation is a relatable one for sports players. And it also helps get inside the head of a Matt's messy world: one from letting sports rule and influence his entire life and, two, the allure of steroids. The pressure of Matt's father is a stunning window as well.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Brings to light many issues in the sports world: interteam abuse, steroid use, father-son relationship, obsessive nature of high school sports, bullying

Reason this book was chosen: I may have missed this book had it not been recommended. That being said, I would have picked it for it hellish but important depiction of sports and high school. I would have picked it if I had known on my own for it's subject as well as it's accessibility to readers who may not share matt's affinity for the world of sports. Where bad things happen but everybody looks the other way.

Website: http://www.robertlipsyte.com/works.htm

Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Title: Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publish Date: September 14, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 384

Price: Hardcover $17.99
ISBN: 0439023483

Price: Hardcover

Classification: Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Annotation: As punishment for a long past rebellion, the citizens of the 12 districts are randomly selected to fight to the death on a televised show. In the famished 12th district, Peeta and Katniss are thrown together & chosen to represent their district and fight to be the single person left alive. The only way to win is to stay alive...and only one can win.

Summary: In the not to far off future, in the 12th District, in what was once the country of the United States of America, lives Katniss. Standing in for her younger sister who was chosen by lottery to participate in the "Hunger Games," Katniss is forced to fight to the death with & against Peeta (the male representative also chosen by lottery). In the Arena, they are forced to fight each other as well as Capitol created death traps all while being broadcast to the citizens daily. In the spirit of reality TV the Capitol uses the Hunger Games to teach the citizens a lesson that uprising is not an option and that the people are powerless. Peeta and Katniss create a surprising bond, but are also forced to try and kill each other. There is nothing left to do but fight to try and get out alive.

Evaluation: Suzanne Collins states that she got her idea while watching TV one night, and there being nothing to watch but reality TV and the iraq war. The apparent mix between Gladiator style fighting and todays culture of reality TV and entertainment style news coverings of Iraq turn this book not only into one of the funnest pieces of YA written but also into an important commentary on our society. It fun, you root for the characters, and feel empathy for society.

A wonderful, though violent tale.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Therapeutic topics include Reality Entertainment, War, Dissent, Love, Survival, Loss

Reason this Book was Chosen: Because this is by far one of the top choices of reads in YA lot today. However, it's use of violence makes it a prime target for disapproval. However, I feel that it's worth supersedes the controversy.

Whale Talk, By Chris Crutcher

Title: Whale Talk

Author: Chris Crutcher

Publish Date: April 2001

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Pages: 224pp

ISBN: 0688180191

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Sports

Age Range: 12 and up

Price: $15.95

Annotation: The Tao, (yes that's his name-so he just goes by TJ), is an adopted, part black, asian, and white. After never taking part in sports (even though he is awesome at everything) he joins the swim team-on one condition-he gets to pick the school outcasts. Together they bond and horrify the football team while pursuing letter jackets.

Summary: T.J. is given up by his birth mother to a loving family who raises TJ like their own. He's grounded and matter of fact, and is incredible in sports. But in his High school where sports reign over everything else, T.J wants nothing to do with it. That is until a teacher approaches him to start a swim team. T.J. then comes up with a brilliant way to fight the injustices he see around him! He commits under the condition that he can recruit the players and they can all get letter jackets -the holy shrine of all things sports. Well, he does recruit and he recruits hard. He gets the less popular, outcast students and figures out a sly way of beating the odds to quality them all for the jackets. What he didn't expect was the bonds he would form while on the team. And what's more he may find some humanity in the craziness around him.

Evaluation: This book was so entertaining. It brought up all sorts of small town horrors but somehow you just love TJ and laugh out loud and grit through the tough parts. This is a Crutcher masterpiece in my eyes. And my boyfriend read it and loved it even more. So boys will totally enjoy this.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Mixed races, bullying, sports team bullying, outcast, bonding, surviving abuse, helping others, small town issues, everybody is human

Reason this book was chosen: This book was on a required reading list but I must say I probably would have end up reading it anyhow because Crutcher is a talented writer and one that I would recommend to pretty much all young adults. Even if you don’t like sports (which Crutcher seems to be a big fan of) you can still find the joy and meaning in his books.