Deadline by Chris Crutcher Click on the book cover to see which libraries have it.
AMY SAYS: When Ben Wolf finds out he has a terminal illness, he decides to “ride it out”, to take no treatments, and to have the best and last year of his life. He joins the football team. He dates the girl he’s wanted for who knows how long. It was the best year. No doubt about that. I just have to say that once again Chris Crutcher has made another masterpiece. Despite the morbid theme of this book I couldn’t stop laughing. Over and over again Ben was cracking jokes and making sarcastic remarks. I couldn’t put this down. Although it was sad at the end, to see some one so young and full of potential, die, I could think of no better ending. As Ben said repeatedly through out the book, he never really thought he’d grow to be an old man. This was the end for him. It felt right. In conclusion, this is just one of those books that stay with you. Because of the valuable life lessons it has, and also... it’s just so funny and well written!
ALEXA SAYS: There are only two words that come to mind when trying to describe Deadline, author Chris Crutcher’s newest book, and they are absolutely breathtaking. The novel is about a high school senior named Ben Wolf and his last adventurous year of life. Making the football team, getting the girl he has only dreamed about forever, and dealing with his mother’s illness are just a few of the activities he engages in after he finds out that he has a rare blood disease...because, unfortunately, it is terminal. Chris Crutcher has been amazing me with his writing since I first picked up Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and has definitely created a whole new level with Deadline. The characters were the most well-developed I have ever read and all the little extras, like Malcolm X and Coach’s prized truck, just made the story all the more catchy and believable. I would recommend this book to anyone who adores Chris Crutcher or people who are hooked on truly inspiring stories.
ARWA SAYS: Deadline, by Chris Crutcher, is a captivating story that reinforced the message of living each day as if it's your last. I never really thought about this until I read the book. It truly is heart-wrenching and it makes you feel like you have an impact on people; you have a legacy. If not, then, pray tell me, what is the point of living? It illuminates the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, even with just a year to live.
GRETCHEN SAYS: What do you hope to do before you die? We all have dreams for the future, like going to college, getting married, or traveling the world. What if you only had one year, your senior year in high school, to get a lifetime of experience? Would you keep your illness a secret and proceed as normal? Would you opt for treatment? Or would you forgo treatment and school, and cram in as much life as possible? Ben chooses normalcy, and yet it becomes an extraordinary year. With nothing to lose, Ben enters sports, relationships, and even classroom discussions with courage that he's never had before. In doing so, however, Ben discovers everyone else's secrets while witholding his own. And he realizes through a series of conversations with Hey-Soos (not Jesus), that being normal means facing reality and truth, even when it's difficult. This book is classic Crutcher, and I am not ashamed to say that the conclusion made me cry. Check it out!
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- Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
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