Cruise Control by Terry Trueman

Trueman, Terry. (2004). Cruise Control. NY: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 978-0066239606
Bibliographic Usefulness: Anger, Violence, Divorce, Absentee Father, Sports, Disability
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Paul McDaniel is angry. He's angry at the unfairness of the world; that he should be strong, but his brother has severe cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk. Mostly though, Paul's anger is directed at his father who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning poem about Shawn after he left the family.
Summary: Paul McDaniel is the best player on his basketball team, gets straight A's, and has a serious anger problem. He lives with his mom, sister, and brother Shawn, who has severe cerebral palsy. Paul, who deeply loves his brother (even though he calls him a "veg"), resents his father for abandoning him and for escaping the day-to-day realities of living with a profoundly disabled family member.
Most of Paul's anger is due to his father's leaving and then using Shawn as a prop for his writing career. Paul, though smart and talented, is filled with a rage that comes out in violent bursts. For example, he pummels a man for almost hitting a girl in a crosswalk, and is quick to anger with those around him. His best friend Tim also has problems with violence and gets thrown in jail for beating up his step-dad for hitting his mom. This shows Paul what could happen to him if he continues with his violent ways. Throughout the story, Paul's reigning question is how he can pursue happiness while his brother is suffering and his mom and sister are stuck caring for him? Paul's conflicts continue until his mom finally tells him the truth about why his father left - she asked him to.
Evaluation: This is a companion title to Stuck in Neutral which is from the perspective of Shawn, the brother with cerebral palsy. I haven't read that one, so feel I missed out a little, especially since Stuck in Neutral is supposedly the better of the two. However, Paul's frustration with his situation and the violent ways he deals with his anger are portrayed well.

Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, Chris. (1991). Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories. NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 978-0688108168
Awards:ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1992)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (1992)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2000)
ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
Bibliotherapuetic Usefulness: Homosexuality, Racism, Belonging
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: These short stories all revolve around teenage boys, sports, and the trials that come with being a teenager. Added to the mix are issues such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and more.
Summary: Athletic Shorts contains six short stories revolving around teenage boys, sports, and the trials of teenagedom. While sports create a common thread, the stories all have a coming of age theme in which the main character learns a vital life lesson. There is Angus, the fat boy; Johnny the wrestler, whose father seems to hate him; poor Petey who must wrestle a girl, and more. Many of the stories include taboo topics such as homosexuality, racism, and sexism. All but the first story are about characters that have appeared in other Crutcher novels.
Evaluation:Crutcher has a talent for capturing the lives of teens, and these stories are no exception. He uses a clear and simple approach to some very difficult, but very real, subjects and gives his characters a chance to learn, or as the case may be, redeem themselves.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, Chris. (2001). Whale Talk. NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 0-688-18019-1
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2003-2004)
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award (2002)
Washington State Book Award (2002)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2002)
TLA Tayshas List

Booksense 76 Pick
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2004)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Adoption, Child Abuse, Peer Pressure, Family, Discrimination, Tolerance, Humanity
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Racially diverse, adopted, and living in Idaho, T.J. rallies together a group of misfit boys to create a high school swim team. Amidst cruel jocks, a racist step dad, victimized women, and violent pasts, the team supports one another as they reach to attain the sought after letterman’s jackets.
Summary: T.J. Jones is part black, part Japanese, and dealing with the rage of being abandoned as a child by a drug addicted mother. Now a teen living with a loving adoptive family, T.J. looks to do right. When he witnesses football star Mike Barbour bullying brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket, T.J. resolves to make sure Chris gets his own letter jacket. Tall and athletic, T.J. has always refused to join any of the all important high school sports, but now he assembles a swim team made up of the schools outsiders and misfits. Originally, T.J.’s plan is simply to get his group of misfits the sacred letter jackets, but the team turns into much more than just a sports team. The long bus rides create the perfect environment for the boys to find a place they belong and are supported. While the swim team gets better and better, the jocks get angrier and the step father of little half-black Heidi taken in by T.J.’s family grows more and more dangerous.
Evaluation: I wanted to read this book for a few reasons, but mainly because I had heard that Crutcher has the ability to write about the cruelties of life with clarity, but also hope. I found this to be very true. Despite the horrors and tragedies that have befallen the characters in this book, they try to make things right. The “bad guys” in the book are pretty one-dimensional, but the point is made that when faced with cruelty, one must still choose to be the better person.