Slam - Book Review

I don't need to tell you that I'm a fan of Nick Hornby - actually, I told you that here - and so I don't have a good reason for taking so long to finally get around to his Young Adult novel, Slam. Just one of those things, I guess, but I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it and get caught up with his oeuvre. (What? He's written another book since this one? I'd better get a move on then, hadn't I?)

Slam is about a teen pregnancy, presented with no bells or whistles, just a plain-spoken, straight-forward, and hilarious, story. The plot itself is less important than Sam's reaction to it. Sam's a good-hearted and likable skater kid with a vague ambition to be more than his parents, who were teen parents themselves, but realistic about his chances. This unexpected occurrence yanks the wheels off his life and he makes a valiant attempt to cope and do the right thing. Neither sentimental nor hard-bitten, Sam realizes what's in store for him and his son and he tries to make the best of things. How he does I'll leave up to you but as I mentioned in my prior post about Hornby linked to above, I think the Young Adult genre is the place in literature where you'll find the important themes being explored today.

(YA novels are decidedly different than they were when I was first reading them. Beware, there are a few f-bombs that are sprinkled throughout this book. Shocking for a parent, perhaps, but not, unfortunately, for today's teens. Conservatives might be willing to overlook them in exchange for the book's pro-life view. Hornby is an avowed Liberal so even more kudos to him for this bright book.)

Shakespeare Wrote For Money - Nick Hornby

Hornby's last collection of columns for The Believer magazine is every bit as funny and absorbing as his other collections and underscores my belief that he's one of the finest writers working out there today. The rules of the magazine require Hornby to say nothing bad about the books he reads - a rule he jokes about often, referring to the editors as the robe-clothed cult-members of the Polysyllabic Spree - so that all of his reviews are about books he liked. Refreshing. Hornby's a fan of Anne Tyler, too, and gives her last book, Digging to America, high marks and, well, that's good enough for me to give Hornby high marks. I was sad to learn he won't be writing these columns anymore but I'll look forward to reading more of his books - I've read them all but his last, a novel for young adults, a genre that Hornby only recently discovered and has rightly declared it the home of modern classics. If you're looking for compelling, deeply felt novels, look for them on the young adult shelves.

I've put together another reading list from his recommendations; since there's been no change in my unfortunate habit of not reading books, I'm sure it'll turn out like the last one did. Even so, hope springs eternal and I have Hornby to thank for that.