As a junior high student in 8th grade English class, this American classic was one of my favorite books. Of course, at the time I had no way of appreciating that a young woman just a few years older that I was at the time had written this masterpiece. She wrote from first-hand knowledge of life on the streets and her ability to capture teen angst, the desire to fit in, and the pain of isolation was unlike anything I’d ever read before.
Decades later, I am still moved by the story. How terrible it must be to live a life of posturing at all times. And yet, on some level, we all posture in our day to day lives. We act tough for our kids, we act professional for our bosses, we act distant and aloof from those we pass on the streets. In many ways, we are not to dissimilar from the boys in this book who strive to be treated like men.
I suppose, even after all these years, I still relate to the characters in this book. While, I’ve yet to hide out in an abandoned church, participate in a gang fight, or sneak into a drive-inn, I’m young and there’s still time.
If it’s been 30-years since you picked up this short but excellent novel, I’d invite you to pay the $6 on Amazon and secure a copy for your own book shelf. You won’t regret it.
