What is it about adolescence that fascinates us so thoroughly? Is it that we all still bear scars from that painful period? That we'd like to romanticize it to take some of the sting out of those years? Or is it just that as painful as adolescence is, it's also exhilarating and we never really feel that same exhilaration again?
Whatever the case may be, I definitely count myself in the group that loves teen movies and T.V. shows, that loves reading young adult novels, and can't stop watching Stand By Me. But I try to stay rooted in fiction, perhaps so that I don't actually have to deal with the real pain of adolescence, like somehow if it's buried under humor, it will be easier to digest. (That seems obvious, but think about it). That is, until I read The Secret Lives of Boys by Malina Saval.
Now, if you haven't guessed by the name that signs off on each of these posts, I'm a girl. So like most girls, I'm not privy to the inner workings of the adolescent male, seeing as when I was an adolescent I had no freaking clue what the adolescent male was thinking or doing. But holy crap, there's a lot going on there. The Secret Lives of Boys delves in to the lives of a group of individual boys who, on the surface, seem like they should have nothing in common. Everyone from the Teenage Dad to the Hearing Impaired Republican Gay Vegan share many of the same hopes and fears, and the same emotions...yeah that's right, teenage boys actually feel emotion. Shocking, I know!
Jesting aside, I've found myself near tears multiple times while riding the bus to work as the boys in this book share the same hopes, dreams, obstacles and fears that every adolescent faces, no matter what their gender. And rediscovering those feelings that are so far in the past for most people, is not nearly as painful as you might think. I find myself hopeful that all is not lost, that 'kids today' are just as driven and motivated and confused and worried as they were ten, twenty or thirty years ago. They just have a few different obstacles to overcome.
Happy Reading,
Julia
4 comments:
I can't wait to read this book. I've read Ms. Saval's other work in magazines and am anxious to see how the book is. I'm sure it will be great!! Who doesn't want to know what teen boys think??
I love it. And we just thought they were staring and ignoring us. I guess teenage boys are thinking about things after all.
i would just like to say that book soup is great on computers
Wow! This sounds like an awesome book. Librarians are always trying to understand the minds of teen boys. Thanks Julia!
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