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There are currently 18 member reviews
for Brutal Youth
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Betty T. (Warner Robins, GA)
Thank God I'm Not in High School Now!
At first I did not care for this book. It took a while for it to hook me. The author took his time developing the characters and it paid off. As I read I started caring about these kids. The title is definitely appropriate. Some of these kids were brutal and some had to become brutal to survive. The administrators of the school were appalling. I can't imagine how it would be to attend a school like this - and this was a private school! For some of the kids their life at home wasn't any better than their school life. The administrators and teachers looked the other way and sometimes were just as brutal as the kids. Father Mercedes had his own agenda for the school which was required to cover his embezzlement of funds.
I don't quite understand why the author referred to the males always by their last names (Davidek, Stein, Green, LeRose, Zimmer) yet the females were always first name (Lorelei, Hannah, Audra) except for Ms. Bromine.
The writing was very good. As I already mentioned, the character development was very good. Even though there are a lot of characters I was able to keep them all straight.
The author took his time in revealing the depravities of the various characters so you are not slapped in the face with it all at once. The book is not light reading but it is eye opening. I don't know if I would survive in a school like St. Mike's.
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Julie M (St Paul, MN)
Brutally Sad
This book did hold my interest until the end, but I was amazed once again the awful things people will do to one another in order to feel better themselves. Why do we join in even when we know it is absolutely the wrong thing to do? This book explores the need to be accepted at all costs and while adults would like to think that we evolve out of that as we age, this book shows us we carry that baggage right along with us into adulthood. It takes someone very courageous to go against the majority for good. It's much easier to go along to get along.
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Shaun D. (Woodridge, IL)
riveting coming-of-age
I liked that this book tackles issues that are current and relevant today. The teenage characters at first seem very broadly drawn in both thought and action But as the story unfolds many of their interior lives begin to impact not only their classmates and teachers but neighbors and strangers alike.
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Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
And I'd thought I hated high school...
This story is disturbing and at times painful to read. I disliked it until I realized that it was really the majority of the characters that I detested. St. Mike's has to be one of the worst parochial schools ever, with a disinterested, ineffective, and sometimes corrupt staff and some very nasty students. Most of the parents in this story are neglectful, abusive and apathetic - - and those aren't even the parents of the worst kids! Breznican tells a compelling, relevant story that his readers will not soon forget. Brutal Youth reminds me of Koch's The Dinner in its ability to provoke thought and discussion. I will recommend this book to my book club.
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Deb Y. (Parkersburg, WV)
Your choice....................
There is something in this book for everyone - I found it wasn't my cup of tea (I don't like tea) but it was well-written for the subject matter. Maybe it will be your cup of tea...
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Barbara B. (Holbrook, NY)
Brutal Youth
I found this book to be a difficult read only because it really made me think and stop reading. I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned from it or it is just a good and exciting horror story in a way. This is why I stopped and thought.
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Nicole S. (Woodbury, MN)
It wasn't for me
Not because it wasn't well written- in fact it was vivid and at times so gripping that I felt uncomfortable.
I did not like the subject matter, I did not like the characters. That does not make it a bad book, it just was not right for me.
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