Many adult fiction writers have turned to the Young Adult market. In many cases they are not well suited to this. I'm delighted to be able to say that Grisham has been quite successful in writing for adolescents. His main character, Theodore Boone, is quite believable and engaging. The character development makes it quite believable that he would be a "kid lawyer" (his parents are both lawyers). Theodore makes good decisions about what sorts of legal advising he is capable of offering and appropriately calls for adult help when the legal issues or "threat level" are beyond him. I appreciate YA authors who include adults in roles that show adolescents that an adult can be supportive and that sometimes they are necessary.
The plot twists in the novel are fairly typical Grisham. In this book issues of undocumented workers and their relationships with the legal system are explored. Grisham does a good job of presenting both sides of the issue in a realistic way. (There is also, of course, a murder--the undocumented worker are not to blame!)
I found Grisham's understanding of adolescents unusually perceptive. He is able to create a believable "gifted" young lawyer while retaining believable characteristics. His portrayal of other adolescents and the school context was "right on."
I will probably be reading subsequent books in the series.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Zombie Fallout, by Mark Tufo
This came to me as a "Book Bub" promotion (an email promotion that sends a listing of free/inexpensive ebooks). I picked it up on a whim, I've been reading a lot of paranormal fantasy lately. I was pleasantly surprised. Turfo's narrator has a most refreshing voice that makes the zombie apocalypse presented in this series of books new and different from the typical grim zombie story.
Michael Talbot is a flawed, unemployed, suburban ex-Marine, survivalist who finds himself one of the few in his affluent gated-community up to the challenges of a zombie pandemic. He has children whom he loves, a best friend a few miles away, and a petite wife who is surprisingly tough. Together they meet the challenges of a zombie take-over and help their community defend their lives and homes.
Throughout the book I was laughing and thoroughly enjoyed Talbot's sarcastic, immature, but self-aware narration. He has a bull-dog devotion to his friends and family that ultimately force him into to the unwilling role of hero.
I shared this book with my 23 year-old son. He has since read the other five titles in the series. (I have not.) He tells me that the first title is the best, but it's worth noting that he took the time from video game play and general semi-adult hi-jinx to read the entire series.
Generally the content has been aimed at an adult audience, but I would be quite comfortable recommending it to older teens. It would make for a very interesting comparative analysis of voice. I can see putting this together with WWZ and other zombie literature to complete a careful analysis of voice, mood, and tone.
Michael Talbot is a flawed, unemployed, suburban ex-Marine, survivalist who finds himself one of the few in his affluent gated-community up to the challenges of a zombie pandemic. He has children whom he loves, a best friend a few miles away, and a petite wife who is surprisingly tough. Together they meet the challenges of a zombie take-over and help their community defend their lives and homes.
Throughout the book I was laughing and thoroughly enjoyed Talbot's sarcastic, immature, but self-aware narration. He has a bull-dog devotion to his friends and family that ultimately force him into to the unwilling role of hero.
I shared this book with my 23 year-old son. He has since read the other five titles in the series. (I have not.) He tells me that the first title is the best, but it's worth noting that he took the time from video game play and general semi-adult hi-jinx to read the entire series.
Generally the content has been aimed at an adult audience, but I would be quite comfortable recommending it to older teens. It would make for a very interesting comparative analysis of voice. I can see putting this together with WWZ and other zombie literature to complete a careful analysis of voice, mood, and tone.
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