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.
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