Module 7: Deadline

Module 7: (October 4-10)

Crutcher, C. (2007). Deadline. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Summary: In this book we meet 18-year-old Ben, who has just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Without treatment, his doctor gives him a year to live, and even with treatment the odds don’t look good. Ben then decides to hide his illness, and to live the best last year of his life that he can. To accomplish this, he joins the football team (an odd choice for a 123 pound guy), finally talks to and dates the girl of his dreams, and challenges the close-minded ways of his small town. However, he eventually realizes he must tell his friends and family before it’s too late. Along the way many difficult issues are faced, some with surprising results.

My Impressions: I’ve always liked Chris Crutcher. There is something about his writing—the characters he creates, how they speak and think, the truly “real” situations they must face—that I just really appreciate. He is probably one of the most consistently censored authors writing today, but I love that he doesn’t let that stop him. Crutcher does tend to pack a lot of dysfunction into each of his books, and this is no different, but this book really points out the fragility of life even for those of us young enough to still think we are immortal. My favorite line: “Life’s short. Do what you love.”

Reviews: “Crutcher brings his signature blend of sports action and human emotion to this powerful novel. Emotionally spare but deeply touching, the relationship between Ben and his brother will resonate with many readers, while others may find the several strong father figures comforting. Secondary characters add humor and balance, though the government teacher's voice occasionally veers too far toward that of a right-wing pundit….Some discussion of sexual molestation and child abuse is present in the text, but is not graphic or overwhelming in its depiction. Crutcher uses dark humor and self-deprecation effectively to avoid maudlin situations, and teens will appreciate the respectful tone of the work.”—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library. School Library Journal. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0060850914/sr=1-1/qid=1290933577/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1290933577&sr=1-1

“Crutcher's oeuvre is full of plot-heavy novels; the issues crammed into this one include alcoholism, child molestation, absent/abusive parents, bigotry, teenage motherhood and depression…. Ben's voice often sounds distinctly like the author's, but here's predicting readers will not care one whit. The message at the core of Crutcher's latest-"Life's short. Do what you love."-is delivered inside an entertaining, thought-provoking tearjerker.”—Publisher’s Weekly. http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2548/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=74228784&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText=

Library Use: There is a bit of a trend lately of books written where the main charcter is dying (another is Jenny Downham’s wonderful first novel Before I Die), though it might be horribly depressing to just display or book talk books where you know the main person isn’t going to make it. A slightly less tragic option, would be a book talk about people who are dealing with cancer/other illnesses/addiction, not only in themselves, but also in family members and friends; basically a realistic fiction book talk. Sonnenblick’s Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, would also go great in here—especially since it ends with more hope. You might call the talk “Fictional Teens, Real Issues.”

Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Deadline-Chris-Crutcher/dp/0060850914/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290837295&sr=1-1