Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen
Plagued by Tourette's syndrome and a stepfather who despises him, Sam meets an old man in his small Minnesota town who sends him on a road trip designed to help him discover the truth about his life.
www.jonathanfriesen.com
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2 comments:
I recently finished Jerk, California. I had trouble with imagining a mother who so totally allows her 2nd husband to overwhelming emotionally abuse her son. Yet, I know it rings true and plays out in "real-life". I would have appreciated an examination of her psyche as well as that of Naomi's mother. However, this coming of age tale is well written and highly recommended.
This is one of my FAVORITE reads so far. Jerk, California was one of the titles chosen by the student panel and I, too, would definitely recommend it.
No doubt other readers will see this title and first think about the slang definition of 'Jerk' [foolish, rude, or contemptible person] and there certainly are plenty of those in this book which deals in part with a stepparent's treatment of a teenager. Yet, jerk's first dictionary definition [sudden abrupt motion] definitely also applies. In fact, I was amazed at how readily I could empathize with the main character who has been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Reviewing the discussion questions at the end of the book revealed that the author himself has the same diagnosis and I believe that he does an excellent job of helping his readers to identify with Sam/Jack’s attempt to define himself outside of the disease, to struggle with accepting himself and others who are different in some way.
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