[book_talk] book review - Harriet Luger
- From: "Bonnie L. Sherrell" <blslarner@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Blind Book Lovers Cafe" <bblc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Blind Chit Chat" <Blind-Chit-Chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Book Talk" <book_talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Books for the Blind" <Books4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 23:25:20 -0800
_The Undudding of Roger Judd_
by Harriet Luger
Roger Judd considers himself the greatest dud at his high school. He's
flunking chemistry and can't feel motivated to do his assignments in
English, either. He's supposed to be keeping a daily journal, but
because he doesn't want other people to see how truly meaningless his
life is, he is keeping two. The one his teacher sees is full of
disaster warnings--the threat of polluted air and water; loss of ozone
in the atmosphere; the likelihood someone with nuclear capabilities may
end up with an itchy button-pushing finger and annihilate half the
globe, and so on. But Roger doesn't want others to know how much he
resents his stepmom and stepsister and how bad his relationship with
his dad is. He hasn't seen his mom for years, not since Dad announced
he was remarrying. But then, what does one expect when Mom is an
alcoholic? Mom is living now in New York City, all the way across the
country from the California town where Roger has lived all his life,
and she claims she is doing pretty well for herself.
Now and then he appears to be turning his life around, only to have
everything go down the tube again the next moment. He wishes he and
Dad could return to the days when he was a kid and all they had were
one another. But life keeps changing, and even with Julie Bierre
depending on him he is messing up more than he's accomplishing
anything. And now, with his mother suddenly back in his life, will he
be able to find a place he belongs and a means of truly connecting to
anyone anywhere?
A good look at the anxieties so many teens go through. Written
primarily for adolescents, and pretty true to life as we see how each
party ends up realizing he or she has been relying on stereotypes
instead of actually relating to these significant others as they
actually are.
Got this in print at Goodwill. A decent and short read. Don't know if
it's in accessible media, I'm afraid.
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large
"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise
cannot see all ends." LOTR
"Don't go where I can't follow."
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