Dear Life, You Suck (306 Pages)

I recently purchased this book for two reasons, 1) It got a really good write up in the Wall St Journal, and 2) The young girl in the book store who is the resident YA expert highly recommended it. Two good reasons, and I did enjoy it, however, I got a little tired of the swearing coming from Cricket's mouth. Perhaps it's because it brought back memories of my own youngest teenager's foul mouth for way too long. Cricket Cherpin has had a lousy life, and I can well imagine that he has more than enough to swear about.  His mother and father were horrible people who never should have had a child. His father, a drug dealer once took his young son on a drug deal. The deal turned sour and the customers kept telling the father to turn over the drugs and the money. Te father refused. Now every time he took Cricket on a drug run, he had him put the drugs in his socks and pants. When the druggies couldn't get what they wanted, one of them took a knife and sliced Cricket's face. His comment when explaining this towards the end of the book was, "He chose drugs over me." Author Scott Bladgen has crafted a character who is complicated for many reasons. Cricket is one angry, young man. Always in trouble, yet the reader is cheering for him. Much of the trouble he gets into, is understandable as he can no longer "turn the other cheek." If you can get past the swearing, this is a wonderful coming of age book.