Random

June 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Wondering if his existence has any purpose, Joe Campbell, 16, creates a digital diary to chronicle his thoughts as he navigates his emotions about the death of his parents four years earlier and his growing feelings for a close female friend. So far, he has coped with his grief by clinging to the belief that life is random, without any larger meaning. However, the more he considers his life with his adoptive parents and his relationships with two of his longtime friends, Joe begins to discover that there may be deliberate patterns and connections that he has failed to recognize. With the help of Gloria, a clinically depressed potential girlfriend, and Dean, a sexually confused eccentric, Joe delves into his past to come to terms with the lurking memories of his parents' death. The novel meanders through the boy's random thoughts while working toward discovering his place in the world. Introspective teens may enjoy living inside his head. However, some readers will lack the patience to sift through his morose thoughts to uncover the deeper self-actualization he experiences. The narrative moves along slowly, but Joe's character is fully developed. While not as plot driven, this book could be recommended to readers who appreciated Peter Cameron's Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (Farrar, 2007).-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 Joseph Campbell, a self-described 16-year-old nerd, starts off his first-person narration by warning readers that he is just going to vent into his digital diary recorder about whatever he wants to talk about, and his chatty, confused, funny, angry voice will easily hook older teens. The story has plenty of dramatic activity: Joseph loves his adoptive parents, but he remains haunted by the loss of his birth parents, who were killed in a car crash when he was 12. He also has a steamy relationship with his girlfriend, who feels depressed and guilty because her parents are separating, and he supports his best friend, who is coming out of the closet. What many teens may enjoy even more than the plot specifics, though, is Josephs unpretentious search for meaning that emerges from his random thoughts, which range from Malthus to Buddhism to Aristotle to his namesake, Joseph Campbell, who, in describing the mythic heros perilous journey, articulates what may feel like coming-of-age concerns for many teens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)