Burnin' Up

As promised, your Jonas Brother's post...

So I've heard a lot about the Jonas Brothers lately.  Apparently they're big teen sensations.  So I thought, how fitting would it be to review their CD on this blog, the melting pot for all things teen?  First, some boy band personal history.

I first CD I ever purchased with my own money was Hanson's Middle of Nowhere, which, I found out after a quick Wikipedia search, came out in 1997.  I was 11 and I was in love with these long-haired boys that looked like girls and sang songs with titles like "MmmBop."  I memorized the words to all the songs, and in fact I still remember most of them.  

As I got older I moved on from Hanson to older, "edgier" boy bands.  Backstreet Boys were acceptable, but I loved N'Sync.  JC Chasez could sing ridiculous pop lyrics to me all day.  

98 Degrees were good too, especially since one of the members attended my middle school and carved his name into the desk (according to middle school lore).  There were a lot of throw away bands during this period, but those three bands made up my trinity of music icons.

Now I've grown up and my musical tastes have turned elsewhere, but I still have a special place in my heart for sugary pop songs.  And I was not disappointed in the Jonas Brothers.

"Burnin Up" is by far my favorite song.  Not familiar with it?  Well, it's my pleasure to introduce you:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z1kSdk7y1A 

 (sorry I couldn't figure out how to embed it!  You might have to copy and paste)

"Lovebug" is another favorite of mine.  Overall, although I don't think I could listen to the CD more than a few times, it's actually pretty catchy and cool.  Way better than Miley Cyrus, by the way.  Maybe not as classic as "MmmBop," but it'll do. 

  

On your mark...

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher, is a book about the following things:  swimming, racism, small towns, abuse, alcoholism, high school, and outcasts.  Sound overwhelming?  If this was any other book it might be, but Crutcher does something magical with this book--he blends all of these elements together, so in the end it's a book with a message without being "a book with a message" (we've all read books like that, or at least watched a Lifetime movie).  The main character's name is "The Tao Jones," so right off the bat you know it's going to be a good book.  He's just so...cool.  I don't know how else to describe it, but never have I met a more interesting protagonist.  "The Tao Jones" creates puts together a swim team with the unlikeliest of candidates, and, amazingly, he succeeds in doing something the jerky football jocks never even saw coming.  This book makes you want to cheer in some part, but sob quietly in others (which I admit I did).  Here's a sample:

"What I like about the meets more than the swimming though, is the bus ride.  When Icko pulls the door shut and fires up the engine, it feels almost cocoonlike.  We talk about things we'd probably never mention in any other arena: Simon's mother drinks like a fish, Mott spent most of middle school in drug rehab, Tay-Roy lost a baby brother to SIDS, Dan Hole's father has heart trouble, Chris's aunt plays bingo, and Jackie Craig may or may not have a voice box." (117)

I was on the swim team in high school, and this book brought the memories rushing back--the camaraderie of the team after a meet when we gulped down our Subway sandwiches, the 5 am practices in the dead of winter, the never-ending relays and sets, the joy of beating your opponent by a finger length in the last leg of a race.  T.J. has it right in the book--swimming is definitely not a "fun" sport, but it's worth every second in the end.  

Fan Boy hearts Goth Girl

Fanboy is a comic book geek.  He has one friend, a beer-guzzling neanderthal for a stepfather, a pregnant mother, and a single lucky bullet that he keeps in his pocket.  To top it all off, he's in high school, and all he wants to do is get out of there as quickly as possible. 

Soon he meets Kyra, a "goth girl" who drives like a maniac and lies constantly. When he shares with Kyra that he is writing his own graphic novel, things begin to fall apart.  He loses his one and only friend and the comic book convention he has been looking forward turns into a disaster.  Plus, he has to deal with feelings for a girl who seems to hate his guts.  What is a comic book geek to do? 

 

The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga, was the next book I read in my journey into the teenage mind.  The thing that makes this book great is the dialogue between the main character and everyone else in the novel, including his internal monologue.  It's just so real--I felt like I was on the inside of my brother's mind when he was in high school.  It's hilarious in parts, but equally touching in others.  Here's a snippet of Fan Boy talking to his best friend Cal on the phone after the two have an argument:

"Why did you call me?"

He pauses, and there are infinities in the pause before he says: "Because you're my friend."

"Cal, can you hang on for a second?"

"Sure." 

I put the phone down and walk to the other side of the room, where I indulge myself in some quiet tears. 

You probably have to have read the rest book to get the significance of this interaction, but I almost cried myself when I read that.  At times I just wanted to give little Fan Boy a hug.

That said, the ending disappointed me a little, and I felt like more could've been resolved, but ultimately I was satisfied by this book.  I recently finished reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which is discussed in Lyga's book, so I felt like I could relate to Fan Boy a little better.  I've also been starting to get into graphic novels myself, so it was nice to see that interest reflected in the text.  I think the graphic novel element to this book is so appealing to teens today, so they will definitely not hesitate to pick up this book.  

Coming in the near future: my reactions to the teen music sensations known as "The Jonas Brothers."  Yes, I got there most recent CD at the library, trying to get myself in the YA mood.  Details and reviews to come...  

(Please Don't) Kick Me

"Another thing I think about names is that they do hurt.  They hurt because we believe them.  We think they are telling us something true about ourselves, something other people can see even if we don't.

Lardo fluff fatso faggot fairy dweeb mutant freak ree-tard loser greaser know-it-all beanpole geek dork...

Is that me? we think.  Is that who I am?" (from The Misfits, by James Howe)

-------------

Maybe you could have guessed it, but I was never the most popular kid in school.  I was quiet, and I hated when all of the attention was focused on me.  I was in band, which put me into a certain category at my school.  I was also a "smart kid," so apply whatever stigma that phrase comes saddled with.  But I was never seriously bullied or picked on.

The closest feeling I came to feeling bullied was when I was in 8th grade.  My brother (2 years younger and also smart and quiet) and I had the perfect Halloween costumes: we were going to be nerds.  Complete with short pants, high socks, suspenders, pocket protectors, glasses, and all the trappings of a stereotypical nerd.  To complete the outfit: a "kick me" sign on both of our backs (We should have known better, I suppose...)

As we went from house to house, grandparents, parents, and kids complimented our costumes.  We were feeling pretty good until Stephen, the typical "bully" in my class, came up, and yes, kicked us, right square in the back.  Hard.  It hurt, and consequently that was the last year my brother and I went trick-or-treating.  Part of it was that we were getting older, yes, but that memory was still a painful one.

What was the point of this story?  Well, never put a "kick me" sign on your back, for one.  But more importantly, this story proves that bullies do exist, names do hurt, and the middle and high school years are usually pretty tough for those without the "popular" formula down pat.

The kids in Misfits, the next YA book I read, are, by the standard definition, nerdy.  One is fat.  One is borderline genius.  One is gay.  One is named "Skeezie."  But out of nowhere they decide to put together their own party and run for student council.  A noble idea, to be sure, but is it a realistic one?

The author, James Howe, does a great job of teaching about the pain of bullying and the labels we use without even realizing it.  Better yet, he does it without cramming "values" and "kindness" and "equality" down your throat.  I appreciated it, and I appreciate this book.

 

Requisite Twilight Post (you knew it was coming!)

The first YA book that I read this semester makes teen girls all over the world sigh and wish they had a vampire boyfriend just like Edward Cullen.  That's right, I just finished reading Twilight.  For the second time.  

I first read Twilight about a year ago, in my senior year of college.  This was before "Twilight Mania" hit, and at that time I thought it was an intriguing read.  I finished it really quickly and actively went in search of the sequel (which I still have yet to read.  I'm a little behind!).  Little did I know just how obsessed girls would become with Stephenie Meyer's vampire chick-lit young adult novel in just a few short months.  Reading the book the second time, for my class, I couldn't help but cringe at some of the dialogue and the repetitive vocabulary.  If you've never read Twilight, here is a choice quote:

This is Bella, the main character of the story, talking about Edward, the hot vampire love interest: "About three things I was absolutely positive.  First, Edward was a vampire.  Second, there was a part of him--and I didn't know how potent that part might be--that thirsted for my blood.  And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." (195).

There's a lot of "I can't live without you's" and "You are my life now's."  There are even more burning eyes and fluttering hearts.  It's a bit too much sometimes, but I do have to say that for pure entertainment value, there is no substitute for the Twilight series, even for someone who is much older than it's intended audience.

If you can believe this, I actually saw the movie as well.  TWICE.  That's right, I did.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie, actually.  I thought it was well acted and directed, and while the special effects left a little to be desired, the overall feeling of the movie was great.  And Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, is not too hard on the eyes, if you know what I mean.

So I recommend Twilight to the general public, and yes, even to the male reader out there.  It's good to know the teenage female perspective on issues of love (and lust), and also to stay up on what the kids are reading these days. 

YA reading, Holden Caulfield style!

So here we are: the first post.  You might be wondering why I am doing this, or at least why it is called "Blogger in the Rye."  First things first...this is a class assignment for my LIS 2600 course, which is called Introduction to Information Technology.  Get it?  Blogging=information technology!

Secondly, the name refers to the official patron saint of this blog, Holden Caulfield, made famous in the 1945 novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.  This may not be as easy to understand.  

This focus of this blog, I've decided, is going to be centered around young adult literature.  I'm also taking a class called "Young Adult Resources," which entails that I read about 795348397 young adult books this semester, one of them being the story of young Holden.  

If you've never read the book, Holden is your typical, whiny, narcissistic teenager.  He calls everyone a hypocrite and he doesn't care what people think.  This is a characterization that most of the narrators of young adult literature share, and something I'm sure I'll be sick of by the end of the semester.  

So sit back, think back to your teenage days, and join me as I talk about the books I read.  Read as I dissect Twilight and try to figure out why the heck it's so popular (which I may never understand...).  Journey with me through The Outsiders, The Lovely Bones, and every other young adult book known to man.  

I'll leave you with a typical Holden quote that will set the tone the semester, I'm sure:

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." (Chapter 1)