Into The Wild Nerd Yonder

Jessie is a girl who doesn't really like her friends. At least, she doesn't really like what her friends have turned into, because somewhere between Freshman and Sophomore year, her two best friends, Bizza and Char, have transformed themselves into wanna-be punks -- multicolored dreads, shaved heads and combat boots. Jessie has no desire to be a punk poser, drinking bad coffee in the smoking section at Denny’s; she'd rather listen to audio books and work on her collection of whimsical skirts. Bizza and Char seem to want to spend more time with the band that Jessie’s brother plays with than with Jessie. Things don't come to the breaking point till Bizza "hooks up" with the guy that Jessie has been crushing on for years. Finally breaking free of the "posuerettes" puts Jessie on the lookout for new friends, and finds them in the local D&D players. But will hanging with the nerds make her a nerd too? And does it matter if it does?

I really liked Jessie. She seems like the kind of girl I'd like to hang out with, and she has excellent taste in books. Plus, she made herself a skirt with Wonder Woman on it, which I now totally covet. Julie just seems very comfortable in her life, and has great relationships with her brother and parents. As an adult I was annoyed with her preoccupation with looking like a nerd. However, I know that being "cool" is something that takes up a lot of teenager's mental energy, so Halpern probably got that right. What I really liked was how excited Jessie was about D&D, how much she enjoyed the game. Role playing isn't an area of the geek forest that I ever really explored much, but anyone who's watched as much Doctor Who or read as many comics books as I have has no right to judge anybody. One thing I do wish is that this book has a better cover. For some reason, this one reminds me of paper dolls.

Year of the Bomb

Paul, Arnie, Oz and Crank are big horror movie fans. I mean love being scared silly.
If it is a horror film, they've seen it. So can you imagine how they feel when they find out "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is going to be filmed in their little town of Sierra Madre, CA. This is only the best and biggest thing in their lives.

However, the background action is beyond what they ever expected. The boys manage to become friends with one of the extras and the director. They are allowed on the set and are invited to watch the entire filming, what more could a horror movie buff as for?

The boys are pretty much regular kids who have their disagreements and fights but there is nothing extraordinary about their lives, except they live in times when they have a daily drill of dropping to the floor under their desks. They do not question why they have to do this or that they are supposed to fear Russia and the communists.

As the boys get involved with the movie, they find more is happening than just the filming of a movie. People's livelihoods could be in jeopardy, perhaps even their freedom. Paul and his friends discover that there are FBI agents on the set. Why are they there, who are they investigating? This situation starts Paul thinking about how the fear the country is living with is affecting people who may be innocent. He even starts thinking about his own family situation. Each of the boys change as the story unfolds and not always for the better. It is difficult to see the fear and anger displayed by the four young men. Still this reader had to admire a willingness on the part of Paul to ask questions and not be a pod person. One also wonders how we would deal with the circumstances, hopefully, we would be more objective and open-minded.

The novel does not hit you over the head with the paranoia that was rampant in those days. It is horrifying knowing that once again American citizens could so easily turn against their neighbors and friends. This is a thought provoking work and one that should not be missed. Parallels can be drawn from this book to our current society.

I was not sure what to expect when I picked up this book but I am very glad I did. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes reading a novel that has substance and an ending that is bittersweet and not predictable.