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Boy21 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Matthew Quick Books

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Boy21 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Matthew Quick Books

Matthew Quick's prior novels focus on damaged characters that end up relying on their network of friends and family to overcome emotional as well as practical problems. Be it his adult debut The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel (soon to be a major motion picture directed by David O. Russell and starring Bradley Cooper) or his Young Adult debut Sorta Like a Rock Star, Quick crafts unique voices that carry readers through tribulations.

It is important to understand this -- despite what you may believe you prefer in a good book (plot, romance, drama, humor) none of it matters if the VOICE doesn't work. If the narrator irritates you or lies to you or withholds information without reason, you may become frustrated. If you understand what the narrator cares about -- even if they keep secrets -- you will be engaged.

In Boy21, Quick continues his tradition of troubled characters with strong voices. A self-professed 'minimal speaker' (he literally responds with nods and gestures early on, but does speak), main character Finley is harboring a tragedy that occurred before the first page of the novel. He loses himself in the rituals of basketball and his loving, true relationship with Erin. We know from page one what and who he cares about, and it's one of the prime rules of fiction: show the reader what the character cares about and the reader will care, too.

Set in the fictional town of Belmont -- a blue collar Philly suburb populated by Irish and African Americans -- Finley has no sense of the possibilities of the world. Basketball, family, Erin -- these are the things that matter. Or, simply the things that exist and do not wound.

Quick then introduces the brilliant, fascinating titular character: Boy21. The setup involves Finley being asked to mentor Boy21 as he transitions from a well-to-do lifestyle in California after a tragedy of his own, but doing so risks Finley's basketball season and his relationship with Erin. Because Boy21 believes something crazy. About outer space. I can't give more away without truly ruining some of the first few scenes of Boy21's appearance in the novel -- but it is hilarious and nearly surreal.

To be clear: this is not a sports book. It's easy to say but needs to be stressed since reading about sports can be a dull experience for non-sports fans. As with The Silver Linings Playbook (where football dominates the main character's mind but not the plot), basketball here is part of the landscape and experience of the characters. It's important to them, but Quick isn't forcing us to read about 4 periods of HS basketball. I admire Quick's ability to describe sports in a way that makes fans and non-fans understand the true importance of the activities. It's not about whether Finley scores a winning shot or succeeds in practice. It's about Finley's need for a ritual to ensure he does not crumble beneath the stress of life, his town, and his tragedy.

The other strength in this and Quick's other novels is the spikes of humor. While not a comedy, plenty of images and dialogue exchanges had me laughing out loud. Like this: HA ha! or ha HA! or HAHA! While you are not asked to laugh at the mental health issues the characters suffer from, you are reminded through the humor that even the troubled, tragic people in this world exist on a day-to-day level. They can be depressed but smile; they can be sad but make a joke.

If you're already a fan of Quick's work -- even if you've only read Silver Linings -- this novel will definitely satisfy you. Adult readers have nothing to fear as there's a complexity to the structure of the novel that makes the book rewarding beyond the story (I mention this for people who might think Quick writes a simpler type of fiction for YA readers -- he doesn't.)

If you're new to Quick, you cannot go wrong by starting with Boy21 -- there's humor and truth and love and conversations that have to be re-read to be appreciated. I suspect lots of readers will start here and happily jump to Silver Linings or Sorta Like a Rock Star. Huzzah!


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Boy21 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Matthew Quick Books Reviews

Boy21 is a strong and memorable story of true friendship between two high school seniors who have nothing in common (well almost nothing,but the reader doesn't find out what it is until the end). Finley is from a hard working poor white family in a rapidly disintegrating neighborhood run by black drug dealers and Irish mob thugs. Between basketball and caring for his invalid grandfather, Finley has never had time for friends or a social life. Being the only white kid on his basketball team gives him several casual friends, but he has never had a best friend other than his girlfriend. Then his coach introduces him to the new kid in town - wealthy, privileged basketball super-star Russ. Russ has suffered an unimaginable tragedy and is coping with it by acting looney-tunes and refusing to touch a basketball. Coach asks Finley to take care of Russ and convince him to join the team. Finley knows if Russ joins the team, his chances of playing will disappear along with his dreams of using basketball to escape his dreary town and life. He also suspects Russ is not emotionally ready to pick up the pieces of his old life, and he questions if Coach is more concerned with Russ' well being or winning a state championship. Finley really likes Russ, and Russ really likes Finley. Their awkward, uncomfortable friendship is endearing and authentic. They have each other's back while rarely having a normal conversation. I liked all the characters in Boy21, even the scary drug dealing older brother of the team's star center. He sees that Finley sincerely cares about what is best for Russ, and out of respect, promises to protect Finley because, "You good people. You got what the old people call character." Yes, Finley does and so does Russ. We should all be, and have, friends like Finley and Russ.
This is the second book I've read of Matthew Quick's. I enjoy his writing style. If I had to guess, Quick either studied mental illness in college or grew up with someone close to him having a mental illness, as he writes about the psych really well. He knows how to go deep, and bring you back up for air before you fear drowning.
I was hooked from page one--no exaggeration--and couldn't put it down unless life required it. I was totally involved throughout the whole book. Then, the end came. He ended the book the same way I always found myself ending every college paper I wrote--letting the reader's imagination do what it wanted to with the ever-after. This writing style always earned me an A, but, I now realize it just may have aggravated my professor's wildly. I remember one of my professor's actually asking what happened afterward. My paper was graded, the A in my hand, but he wasn't completely satisfied. He had to know what happened next. That's how I felt at the end of this book. It made me want a part 2; although, technically the writing on a whole was an A+. That is my simple and humble opinion. With that said, I've become a Matthew Quick fan and would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick and brief escape. I didn't summarize the book because you can find that in the product description, which does a better job than I could.
If I were trying to get a middle school or freshman boy to read, I would recommend this book. I have taught for over 36 years, and this book turned kids who saw themselves as non-readers into readers.The cover and the title do not predict the sports, mystery, and brotherhood of the plot. Plus, the author also includes a strong teenage female. The ending is unpredictable and up-lifting.
Matthew Quick's prior novels focus on damaged characters that end up relying on their network of friends and family to overcome emotional as well as practical problems. Be it his adult debut The Silver Linings Playbook A Novel (soon to be a major motion picture directed by David O. Russell and starring Bradley Cooper) or his Young Adult debut Sorta Like a Rock Star, Quick crafts unique voices that carry readers through tribulations.

It is important to understand this -- despite what you may believe you prefer in a good book (plot, romance, drama, humor) none of it matters if the VOICE doesn't work. If the narrator irritates you or lies to you or withholds information without reason, you may become frustrated. If you understand what the narrator cares about -- even if they keep secrets -- you will be engaged.

In Boy21, Quick continues his tradition of troubled characters with strong voices. A self-professed 'minimal speaker' (he literally responds with nods and gestures early on, but does speak), main character Finley is harboring a tragedy that occurred before the first page of the novel. He loses himself in the rituals of basketball and his loving, true relationship with Erin. We know from page one what and who he cares about, and it's one of the prime rules of fiction show the reader what the character cares about and the reader will care, too.

Set in the fictional town of Belmont -- a blue collar Philly suburb populated by Irish and African Americans -- Finley has no sense of the possibilities of the world. Basketball, family, Erin -- these are the things that matter. Or, simply the things that exist and do not wound.

Quick then introduces the brilliant, fascinating titular character Boy21. The setup involves Finley being asked to mentor Boy21 as he transitions from a well-to-do lifestyle in California after a tragedy of his own, but doing so risks Finley's basketball season and his relationship with Erin. Because Boy21 believes something crazy. About outer space. I can't give more away without truly ruining some of the first few scenes of Boy21's appearance in the novel -- but it is hilarious and nearly surreal.

To be clear this is not a sports book. It's easy to say but needs to be stressed since reading about sports can be a dull experience for non-sports fans. As with The Silver Linings Playbook (where football dominates the main character's mind but not the plot), basketball here is part of the landscape and experience of the characters. It's important to them, but Quick isn't forcing us to read about 4 periods of HS basketball. I admire Quick's ability to describe sports in a way that makes fans and non-fans understand the true importance of the activities. It's not about whether Finley scores a winning shot or succeeds in practice. It's about Finley's need for a ritual to ensure he does not crumble beneath the stress of life, his town, and his tragedy.

The other strength in this and Quick's other novels is the spikes of humor. While not a comedy, plenty of images and dialogue exchanges had me laughing out loud. Like this HA ha! or ha HA! or HAHA! While you are not asked to laugh at the mental health issues the characters suffer from, you are reminded through the humor that even the troubled, tragic people in this world exist on a day-to-day level. They can be depressed but smile; they can be sad but make a joke.

If you're already a fan of Quick's work -- even if you've only read Silver Linings -- this novel will definitely satisfy you. Adult readers have nothing to fear as there's a complexity to the structure of the novel that makes the book rewarding beyond the story (I mention this for people who might think Quick writes a simpler type of fiction for YA readers -- he doesn't.)

If you're new to Quick, you cannot go wrong by starting with Boy21 -- there's humor and truth and love and conversations that have to be re-read to be appreciated. I suspect lots of readers will start here and happily jump to Silver Linings or Sorta Like a Rock Star. Huzzah!