Cadillac Chronicles

September 17, 2012
Hartman, author of the memoir Hammerhead 84, makes his YA debut with a hard-hitting road trip novel that’s unafraid to show the ugly sides of American life. Sixteen-year-old Alex has nothing but contempt for his politically calculating (and two-dimensionally callous) mother, and when she reneges on an offer to house an elderly black man named Lester after just a few days, Alex and straight-shooting Lester skip town, driving from New York State to Florida to find the father Alex never knew. Hartman doesn’t tiptoe around either Alex’s virility (he notices every pair of breasts that passes before his eyes and loses his virginity in a graphic sex scene) or Lester’s infirmity (including the need for frequent pit stops, not always in time). He also doesn’t miss a chance to describe characters’ physicality in blunt, even cruel terms (Lester’s morbidly obese sister “could have strung together a couple of mop buckets for a bra”). A cynical outlook underlies Hartman’s story, though the self-knowledge and maturity Alex gains during his travels leave room for hope. Ages 13–up. Agent: Anna Olswanger, Liza Dawson Associates.

September 15, 2012
Angry, just-turned-16-year-old Alex, a white boy, and equally angry but very old Lester, a black man, are unlikely road-trip buddies in this novel that transcends its conventions. The cross-generational road trip is a familiar trope; so is the life-changing cross-racial relationship. Where this book that combines the two stands out is in its refusal to make Lester simply a tool for Alex's coming-of-age. While Lester initially seems to conform to many of the stereotypes, he is, as Alex learns, nevertheless entirely an individual, one who hates his age-inflicted vulnerability with bullheaded passion. They come together--unwillingly--when Alex's frankly odious, local-politician mother takes Lester in to make herself look good. In fairly short order, though, they find themselves on the run together in Lester's Cadillac, on their way to, first, Florida to find the father Alex has never known and then to Alabama, to visit the sister Lester hasn't seen in years. Lester counsels him: "[W]hen you commit to a course of action, don't hesitate. Don't limp-dick yourself into a hole." Accordingly, Alex learns to drive, comes to understand a little of the hard truth of race in post-civil rights-era America and spectacularly loses his virginity in a scene that will surprise readers as much as Alex. If there's little doubt about the end of the trip, readers will be happy they've gone along for the ride. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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Starred review from September 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-Alex Riley is friendless and spends most of his time drawing, ogling girls' breasts, or imagining his absent father's reentrance or metaphysical guidance in his life. His mother's sole focus is climbing the political ladder in Albany, New York. Thus, she allows an elderly African American man, Lester Bray, to live in their home, but this inauthentic gesture of goodwill is short-lived. After Alex's 16th birthday and a few unsavory comments by Lester, she tells him that he must find another place to stay. Having enough of his mother's antics, Alex convinces him that they should skip town and drive to Fort Lauderdale in Lester's pristine Cadillac Deville so that Alex can see his father and then go on to Alabama, where Lester can visit his sister. During the trip Alex learns to drive, reconnects with his father, somewhat graphically loses his virginity, and pledges to become a stronger person. While the story of a teen meeting and learning from an elderly adult of a different ethnicity has been done before, Hartman's effort is fresh and gritty. There are some odd moments in the plot, such as Alex stumbling upon a homeless woman with a cell phone and calling his mother to ask if his father is gay, but overall it is well woven. The mix of humor, gravity, and angst will keep readers engaged, and this debut novel has enough of all three elements to appeal to reluctant and eager male readers alike.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
Grades 8-12 Furious with his domineering mother, Alex, 16, takes off from his New Jersey home on a road trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Lester, the boarder Alex's mother just evicted from their home. Alex's goal is to find the father he has never heard from, and while Alex does eventually locate his dad, African American Lester is the true father figure who shows Alex the way on their journey home. The old guy not only teaches the teen how to drive but also helps Alex find the best in himself. Along the way, Alex meets a beautiful young woman and enjoys sexual exploration with her ( the most thrilling moment of his life ). Then Lester is falsely accused of a crime, and roles are reversed as the kid saves his mentor. Alex's mother is demonized and never fully developed as a character, but the wry, honest, present-tense narrative from the teen's perspective, including the candor about sex and the resistance to bigotry, will hold readers, as will the fast, snide, often angry talk that shows Alex the way home.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)