Deadline

This, like a number of other books I have read recently, left me feeling conflicted. The story idea was compelling - 18-year old Ben Wolf learns he is dying of a rare blood disease and decides not to seek treatment and not to tell anyone in order to have as normal a senior year as possible. I loved the coach; every person should have a man like this in his or her life. But there was an awful lot of drama and way too many odd coincidences for a town as small as Trout, Idaho, was reputed to be. Rather than let events develop naturally, the author seemed to be throwing as much at Ben, and thus the reader, as possible. Yes, all of those things truly happen, but is one 18-year old boy likely to be privy to all this information that has been hidden for years? The events seemed forced in order to make the author's point rather than real. There are teachers like Mr. Lambeer, but he took a lot more lip in his classroom than any teacher ever should.The story has great promise and provides lots of food for thought. There's plenty of foul language, which is pretty typical of teenagers, but the casual attitude toward sex annoyed me. I appreciate the lack of explicit details, but I would think if you knew you were dying, you'd have more important things on your mind than whether or not you can get laid.I can picture a sanitized version of this providing an excellent classroom discussion, but can't really recommend it in its present state. I think Mr. Crutcher could have made his same points, probably made them more strongly, had he toned it down a bit.

As an English teacher, I am always trying to find books that will appeal to students that might not be invested in reading. As I was reading, I mentioned the name of this book to some of the boys in my class and told them that it has a lot to do with football and working on a team. This book will surely appeal to boys that love athletics because a great deal of it is about Ben's journey as a first-time football player. The story has a bit of a complicated romance, family issues, as well as a great brotherly bond. I think this could keep anyone entwined in the plot. On top of that, there are quite a few twists where I would think I knew what would happen and then something would swing it a different way. This is truly a great YA book to add to a classroom library.Note: There are a few pretty hard hitting themes in this book (i.e. sexual assault, death and suicide, etc.). This would be a good one to discuss as a student reads.

If I had stopped after the first third or half, I might have scored this three stars. The tone of the book was so light and almost sassy while the topic was much more serious. If a boy learns he's going to die by the end of his senior year of a disease, it seems he'd be a little more introspective or somber at times. He also had absolutely zero hints of the disease, no fatigue, nothing. It was hard for me to get attached to him or imagine the story was real. I was also getting strong "preachy" vibes from the author concerning his belief system, which is not the same as mine. I like it better when authors throw it out there and let their readers do the thinking.But the second half made up for it. Several powerful events snag you to start thinking about some pretty big issues, like the power and importance of the truth, survival after abuse, how sometimes bad people can't really help that they are bad--and we can forgive them... I could have given this four stars, the average of the 3 and 5, but the second half really overrode the 3.I'm a high school English teacher, and I love YA literature. I think this would be a great book for many boys because there is a lot of football, especially in the first third, to get them hooked. It's so hard to find books for boys, so I'm happy to have another one to recommend enthusiastically.

This had the makings of a really good book with a character taking risks he wouldn't have otherwise. Ben is a strong character and dictates how to live with death. The author seemed most at ease writing the football scenes which put the reader right in Ben's head. Then he throws in so many distractions, the point of the story is lost.There are too many issues tackled in addition to dying at 18: cover-up of Catholic priest child abuse, alcoholism, bipolar disorder, incest, a second child abuse, bullying, medical confidentiality, and the Vietnam war. The issue Ben chooses to tackle is racism. The author assumes that everyone in an all white town in Idaho is a bigot and that Malcolm X (who died almost 50 years ago in 1965)is the most relevant black figure to expose this bigotry. I found the premise that everyone was prejudiced against people of color (Native Americans, African Americans, but apparently not Asian Americans) objectionable.The book uses very dated references. No current issues like the two Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, terrorism,and LGBT rights are included. I live in New York, but I don't think Idaho is 50 years behind the rest of the US.

I'm not even remotely a young adult, but I enjoy reading Chris Crutcher's books. I think they're excellent for teens because they tell a real story--including some not so nice parts of life--with humor thrown in to make it fun. The humor is so important--that's what gets us through the crappy parts of life. Deadline is about Ben Wolf, who finds out that he has a terminal illness. He decides to keep it a secret so that he can live his final year of life without people feeling sorry for him and without medical intervention that may make him unable to do the things he wants to do. The novel makes you think about how you would live your life if you knew your time was limited and what things in life are ultimately important. Mr. Crutcher's work appeals especially to young people who love athletics, but I think any teen (or open minded adult like me!) would find this novel a real page turner.

I'm an emotional wreck right now having just finished Deadline, so I'll keep this short. This is a well written and thought provoking book, and I loved Ben to pieces. Definitely one of the best books I've read recently. Just be sure to have your tissues at the ready.

Excellent