Summary:
When Ben finds out that he has a blood disease and only has a year left to live, he decides to keep it a secret. He is an 18 year old high school senior who chooses to live his last year to its fullest. He spends that year training to be a star football player, going after the girl of his dreams and working to make his community and the people in it a little bit better. Along the way, Ben discovers that he's not the only one with secrets and learns that maybe keeping those secrets isn't always the best choice.
Strengths:
Crutcher writes incredibly good sports actions scenes. The sports parts alone will be enough to draw many readers into the book. In addition, Ben's voice is authentically teen. His sometimes glib, often humorous and sometimes sober reflections on his own mortality are thought provoking but realistic when considering that he is a teenager. The overarching theme of how people keep secrets is relate-able, even if some of those secrets are less so. This book also deals with racism, child abuse and incest.
Other Books by Chris Crutcher:
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Ironman
Crutcher, C. (2007). Deadline. New York: Greenwillow Books.
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