Frost Upon These Cigarettes
"But all my trouble so far has come from being the little control freak I am, deciding who should hear what when and trying to control other people’s emotions by what I say. It’s become clearer and clearer it’s just disrespectful to not let people deal with things in a straightforward manner. When I’m lying on that bed on my last day, I want a clean slate."
From Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Okay, so I picked up a few young adult novels at the library because I’ve been doing some heavy reading lately and need something light, and romance just isn’t cutting it. Silly me. I’d forgotten that in many cases, YA novels are more hard-hitting honest and heavy than anything – fiction or non – out there.
I read Deadline. The story is your typical adolescent coming-of-age tale in which said teen questions the meaning of life and the existence of God, and sees that the truths he’s been taught all his life aren’t, in fact, the whole truth. This novel rises to the top of the heap in that Crutcher actually delivers the answers and also attains the heights in his craft that all writers strive to reach.
The standard YA theme is different here, however, because Ben, the hero, has a year to live. He decides against treatment and divulges his secret to no-one. Instead, he opts to strive to be the best human he can be, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He lives each day dangerously but not recklessly. He is desperate to live, not to die. He sets fear aside, seeking truth, by playing football, and by daring to love.
While on this path, he discovers Malcolm X and as a result, chooses to show the world that his sleepy Idaho town is bigoted. By exposing racism, aka truth, he hopes to stop this manmade disease, to make his small world a more compassionate place.
There is no right or wrong here. Crutcher’s gift is that of an unbiased journalist – he lets his characters speak their own truths and the reader sees that no person or situation is black or white, good or bad, just or unjust. We are one.
The very white, middle class hero and his hero, the very black, poor Malcolm Little take the same journey despite their very different beginnings. Malcolm Little, street thug, comes of age and becomes Malcolm X, an angry man lost in his own bigotry and exclusion. As Crutcher summarizes, he goes into danger to find peace and the truth that we all need each other. He becomes a wise man. Then he dies before his time. Similarly, Ben comes of age and becomes terminal. Excluding all, he battles alone until his Mecca to truth leads him to a devastating secret about a friend. At this point he realizes that exclusion is not the correct path. He becomes a wise man. Then he dies before his time.
I closed the book knowing that I want my son to live his whole life as Ben lived his last year. Harm no-one. Do not let fear rule your actions. Seek truth and speak truth. Know that we are all connected and that there is a force that makes us one. Always plant rosemary at your garden gate. (Well, that last was from Practical Magic, but I’ve always liked that bit of advice.) Read this book.
On the Nightstand: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
On the iPod: By now you've realized that the title of this blog has nothing to do with the post. It's a lyric from my favorite Sisters of Mercy song, "Nine While Nine." I’ve waited to see them for twenty years. Twenty years. Too late, I discovered that they played Worcester last night. I can tell you when Disney on Ice is coming, however. Geez. Parenthood.
From Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Okay, so I picked up a few young adult novels at the library because I’ve been doing some heavy reading lately and need something light, and romance just isn’t cutting it. Silly me. I’d forgotten that in many cases, YA novels are more hard-hitting honest and heavy than anything – fiction or non – out there.
I read Deadline. The story is your typical adolescent coming-of-age tale in which said teen questions the meaning of life and the existence of God, and sees that the truths he’s been taught all his life aren’t, in fact, the whole truth. This novel rises to the top of the heap in that Crutcher actually delivers the answers and also attains the heights in his craft that all writers strive to reach.
The standard YA theme is different here, however, because Ben, the hero, has a year to live. He decides against treatment and divulges his secret to no-one. Instead, he opts to strive to be the best human he can be, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He lives each day dangerously but not recklessly. He is desperate to live, not to die. He sets fear aside, seeking truth, by playing football, and by daring to love.
While on this path, he discovers Malcolm X and as a result, chooses to show the world that his sleepy Idaho town is bigoted. By exposing racism, aka truth, he hopes to stop this manmade disease, to make his small world a more compassionate place.
There is no right or wrong here. Crutcher’s gift is that of an unbiased journalist – he lets his characters speak their own truths and the reader sees that no person or situation is black or white, good or bad, just or unjust. We are one.
The very white, middle class hero and his hero, the very black, poor Malcolm Little take the same journey despite their very different beginnings. Malcolm Little, street thug, comes of age and becomes Malcolm X, an angry man lost in his own bigotry and exclusion. As Crutcher summarizes, he goes into danger to find peace and the truth that we all need each other. He becomes a wise man. Then he dies before his time. Similarly, Ben comes of age and becomes terminal. Excluding all, he battles alone until his Mecca to truth leads him to a devastating secret about a friend. At this point he realizes that exclusion is not the correct path. He becomes a wise man. Then he dies before his time.
I closed the book knowing that I want my son to live his whole life as Ben lived his last year. Harm no-one. Do not let fear rule your actions. Seek truth and speak truth. Know that we are all connected and that there is a force that makes us one. Always plant rosemary at your garden gate. (Well, that last was from Practical Magic, but I’ve always liked that bit of advice.) Read this book.
On the Nightstand: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
On the iPod: By now you've realized that the title of this blog has nothing to do with the post. It's a lyric from my favorite Sisters of Mercy song, "Nine While Nine." I’ve waited to see them for twenty years. Twenty years. Too late, I discovered that they played Worcester last night. I can tell you when Disney on Ice is coming, however. Geez. Parenthood.
posted by Dina Keratsis at
8:34 PM
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