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What
Reviewers
are Saying About this Book
Colin Neenan. THICK. Brown Barn Books, April 2006.
Nick is thick. That’s what they call him when they make fun of his
slowness, his difficulty in understanding how things work at home, school,
and work. Nick is in jail for shooting someone, and he tells the story of
this shooting from the inside of his cell, reflecting on the incidents
that led to it. As the story unfolds, Nick shows one character after
another who has the potential to become the victim of the shooting. Which
person that Nick loves will it be? (M/H/RR). Using a
powerfully-understated narrative voice, Neenan delves convincingly into
the mind of a young man who is trying to sort out the world and while
trying to do the right thing. A must read for reluctant readers, who will
enjoy the quick pace and lucid prose. The Alan Review (Assembly
on Literature for Adolescents)
THICK—Children’s Literature Review, May 2006
At his lawyer's urging, Nick writes the story of his accidental killing
of his friend, Alice, which occurred while his father was trying to
wrestle the gun from him. Nick is well aware of his disabilities, despite
the best efforts of his sister Hope and teacher Mrs. Brown. His alcoholic
father, a despicable character the reader later discovers drove his mother
to commit suicide, reinforces Nick's poor self-concept by constantly
badgering him and calling him "Thick." The book's essential elements--an
identified special education teen, a dysfunctional family, an alcoholic
and abusive parent, a classmate bully, a young woman who faults her own
behavior for encouraging her boyfriend's physical abuse, and a mother who
commits suicide--make this a gripping story. Although these components may
seem unlikely to coalesce in one person's life, they do blend
together to create a realistic, short, and fast-paced story that will grab
students from page one (which ends "Real blood with a real blood smell. I
did not know blood would smell."). With a low Fry reading level of 4th
grade, this book is guaranteed to be popular with teens. Teachers can use
it as a read-aloud or for whole class instruction, especially with
students who have reading and learning difficulties. Teachers and
librarians are cautioned to read it themselves before using or
recommending it, as content may be too sensitive for some young people to
handle. With this caveat, Thick is highly recommended. Reviewed
by Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ph.D., Dept. of Special Education, Johns Hopkins
University. Copyright May 2006 Children's Literature
NEENAN, Colin. Thick. 126p. Brown Barn Books.
2006. pap.$6.95.ISBN 0-9746481-9-1.LC2005935278.
Gr 9 Up—Nick, 17, is in a holding cell awaiting trial and
telling his lawyer what happened. He begins with his admission of guilt:
he killed someone. The identity of the victim isn’t revealed until the
final pages, but the author sustains suspense with Nick’s short, simple
recap of recent events. He is in a special-education program at his high
school. His alcoholic father verbally abuses him every chance he gets, and
calls him stupid and “thick.” The teen meets Alice and her boyfriend, who
physically abuses her. Between helping his 18-year-old sister keep her
plans to go to college a secret from her father, being tormented by a
bully at school, and trying to help Alice escape her boyfriend, Nick
begins to crack. With an intense emotional climax, he finds himself armed
with a gun and facing all of his hopes and fears. The chapters are
short—some are only a paragraph or two—and the action never stops, making
the book ideal for reluctant readers. The narrative is conversational and
easy to read. Even though readers know the outcome in the first few pages,
they will want to know more about Nick and the answer to the ultimate
question: Who did he kill?—Delia Carruthers, Sunset Ridge Middle
School, West Jordan, UT
A well written,
authentic and very moving story about a teenaged boy, domestic violence,
and the all too real tragedy of guns."
-- Anthony Land, Chief of Police,
Weston, CT. ba |
Excerpt from
Thick
The police car was already loud on our street when I
got outside.
I cut across our small backyard, my legs shaky, my
head dizzy. It was dark and I tripped over weeds where Mom's garden had
been.
The siren was screaming now, the police car stopping
out front, red lights swinging by, and I jumped for the fence to the train
tracks, leapt over the fence like I was a criminal they were going to
catch. I couldn't hold onto the top like I was supposed to, though, and I
landed on the little steep hill and started sliding fast.
Started sliding fast toward the top of the wall, the
wall with the train tracks down below.
A train was roaring past down there racing toward New
York City.
I clutched and clawed at anything, trying to slow
down, but there was nothing but trash that had been blown there for
years...
I was very glad to be alive.
Very glad I was still there to stop things from
happening ever again.... |
