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10th Grade
by Joseph Weisberg
272 pages
(2002, Random House)
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Reviews
Kliatt
May 1, 2003
By Nancy Zachary
Hutch Falls, New Jersey, is the suburban backdrop for the first-person narrative of Jeremy Reskin, high school sophomore, soccer player, and authentic teen voice. We meet Jeremy's clan and are treated to intimate details like sister Claire's first period and Dad's passion for reading, noting the use of the verb "krepitating." We're off to an adolescent's obsession with human anatomy and his desires for sexual encounters. Foul language and irreverent slang seem age-appropriate, as does the absence of respect for grammar and punctuation. In dialogue, the most annoying example of this is Jeremy's use of "1" to mean "one." I can appreciate his clever use of terms like VTS (very true statements) and the constant references to current music, movies and the vernacular, placing this book in the right now, year 2000.
Whether readers are looking back at 10th grade or are enrolled in the second year of high school today, the humorous and poignant observations in this story ring true. I like Jeremy's misguided tours: of the mall which his dad calls a "vacuum cleaner for money," the porn shops, and the visit to New York City, where they find themselves standing opposite the World Trade Center. I feel for Jeremy's misunderstanding of his schoolwork and the females in his life, but both are crucial to moving the plot and watching our hero mature. 10th Grade has its dramatic and serious moments, like the lives of its participants, and high school readers will enjoy and identify with this funny tale. |
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Praise for An Ordinary Spy:
"Great read, stunningly realistic."
— Ted Price, former Deputy Director for Operations, CIA
"In two words: A masterpiece. An intelligent spy thriller."
— Gary Shteyngart
"I have never read an espionage novel with quite the sense of authenticity Joe Weisberg achieves in An Ordinary Spy."
— Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha
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