Cover:
Bibliographic
Information:
Title: Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You
Author: Todd Hasak-Lowy
ISBN: 978-1442495739
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Copyright: 2015
Reader’s
Annotation:
Plot
Summary:
Darren’s parents recently got divorced, and his
older brother Nate has gone away to college.
Darren is really looking forward to taking a road trip with his dad to
visit Nate at school, up until the moment his dad decides to drop a bombshell
on him by coming out as gay. Darren
decides he cannot handle the trip with his dad, so he skips school, and has a
girl named Zooey to drive him to the bus station. Zooey ends up tagging along with Darren, and
stays with him at Nate’s apartment.
Darren and Zooey get close, and then she disappears. Days and weeks pass; Darren returns home to
deal with his dad’s revelation, but Zooey never returns. He learns she has been sent away to deal with
her personal issues. As time passes,
Nate drops out of school and returns home.
The tensions rise as Nate struggles to maintain a job, while their
mother continues to be gone most of the time.
On Darren’s 16th birthday, a day that should be happy, his
world seems to crash down around him.
Critical
Evaluation:
The writing style of this book is very unique, in
that the book is written entirely in lists.
Some of these lists are very short and to the point, with the items on
the list being one or two words each, such as when Darren lists the words his
brother says to him. Other lists are
more detailed, and really become fully fleshed out chapters, such as when
Darren describes conversations he has with a girl named Rachel, his summer
fling that comes to visit him. The
premise is unique and engaging.
Darren is the main character in the book, and the
writing really allows the reader to get to know him. Because the book is written as a series of
lists created by Darren himself, it is almost like a hybrid of a first and
third person point of view. Darren is
referred to in the third person, but the writing is clearly his personal
thoughts. The result is a narrative that
is very honest, poignant, and at times very funny. Darren learns that the people he looks up to
most are deeply flawed, and that he must depend more upon himself. Reading a character having such a discovery
can be quite intimate for the reader.
The plot of the book seems a little inconsistent;
the first part of the book is a detailed description of the action that occurs
over the course of one weekend, with Darren and Zooey running away to visit
Nate’s brother. After this incident,
however, the plot’s timeline changes, with vast swaths of time being covered in
just a few pages. It does make it difficult
for the reader to gauge the passage of time, and keep track of all the changes
in the plot. There is no real resolution
to the plot at the conclusion of the book, either, which leads to the story
feeling unfinished.
The premise of the story, in terms of being a series
of lists, is quite unique, and showcases the writing style of Hasak-Lowy. Darren’s character is well developed, and the
writing style allows the reader to really delve into Darren’s most personal
thoughts. However, the story lacks
resolution, with a plot that is never very clear.
Author
Biography:
My name is Todd, and I’ve been writing for about twenty
years. I started writing books for adults, but now I write books for kids and
teenagers, too. My most recent book is a narrative memoir for ages 9-13 that I
co-wrote with Holocaust survivor Michael Gruenbaum called SOMEWHERE THERE IS
STILL A SUN. Earlier in 2015 I published my first young adult novel, ME BEING
ME IS EXACTLY AS INSANE AS YOU BEING YOUNG. My first middle grade novel,
33 MINUTES, was published in 2013. I’ve also published two works of fiction for
adults: a short story collection, THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR, and the novel
CAPTIVES. In addition to writing fiction, I teach creative writing and
literature at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago and translate Hebrew
literature into English. I live in Evanston, Illinois (just outside Chicago),
with my wife, two daughters, a dog, and two cats.
Genre(s):
Contemporary Realistic Fiction, LGBTQIA fiction
Contemporary Realistic Fiction, LGBTQIA fiction
Curriculum
Ties:
Pennsylvania
State Standard CC.1.3.9-10.K
Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade
level, reading independently and proficiently.
Booktalk
Ideas:
A discussion of the impact of parent’s lives on
their children, in terms of parental sexuality, divorce, job choice, etc.
A discussion about personal heroes, and the idea
that any personal hero that is a real person will have flaws
Reading
Level:
Lexile 1070
Interest
Age:
12 and up
Challenge
Issues: Could be
challenged based on scenes of teen substance use, teen sexuality, and discussion
of homosexuality.
If
this book were challenged I would:
· Listen to the concerns of the person
raising the challenge
· Consult the library’s collection
development policy
· Explain how this work meets a library
need based on the collection development policy
· Consult YALSA’s Dealing with Challenges to
Young Adult Materials
· Consult reviews on VOYA, Amazon,
Common Sense Media, and Kirkus
· Discuss any awards or notable
commendations the book received
· Explain the library’s commitment to
intellectual freedom as discussed in the ALA Library Bill of
Rights
· Give the patron the procedure for a
formal challenge should they seek to pursue it
Why
was this book selected:
I selected this book because it is written from the
point of view of an actual teen dealing with some pretty difficult
situations. I especially liked that
Darren had to deal with his dad coming out as gay, and learning how to handle
his dad dating. This is an aspect of
LGBTQIA literature not often discussed, a character having a queer parent. As marriage equality opens the doors for more
diverse family makeup, I think it is important for teens to see these types of
issues covered in literature.
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