Book Review: Before I Die

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
(Click on the cover to see which libraries own it.)

SUMMARY: Everyone has to die. We all know it. With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most. She's made a list, though, of things she wants to do before she dies. But getting what you want isn't easy. And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important. Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous--this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die. (adapted from the inside flap)

OPINION: I was initially skeptical of this book because it came out at the same time as Chris Crutcher's book Deadline. Both books are about teens living out the last year of their lives with cancer. I thought, really, how many books like this do we need? But, as it turns out, we need both, because they are vastly different takes on the same subject. Deeply angry about her untreatable cancer, Tessa has quit school and dropped out of society, purposely alienating herself from friends and family. Only her list motivates her to get up and out of the house, and then it's usually for some illicit or illegal purpose. Tessa is not going to go meekly, and she wants the world to know. Sometimes. This book perfectly captures the ever-changing emotions that assault us when we are grieving. And, although you already know what happens at the end, it is well worth reading and crying your way through this story.

Book Review: Deadline

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Reviews by Amy, Alexa, Arwa, and Gretchen

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!

BEST FUNNY QUOTE: "There's not one part of Dallas Suzuki's face or body that is in any way Miss World, but you put it all together and I'd swim though five hundred yards of molten turds to listen to her fart into a paper sack over the telephone." (page 47)

BEST SERIOUS QUOTE: "Love turns to hate at the fringes of any belief system." ( page 141)

FURTHER READING: This story references several nonfiction books you might want to look for...

• Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
• Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X