Wednesday, August 3, 2011

When We Were Young by Jason Jepson (book review)

When We Were Young is an intense, and often humorous fictional narrative following the life of Jonah, a young man from a small town in Virginia, who experiences his first taste of freedom in the real world. Told in a first-person narrative, the reader is allowed access to all of Jonah’s thoughts and feelings.
The work begins with Jonah in high school, shortly after the Columbine massacre. Because of the way he looks—shaved head, nontraditional-type clothing—Jonah is worried about being labeled as a troublemaker and being suspended from school. After the massacre, Jonah somehow feels more comfortable because, in this tense environment, everyone is suddenly being listened to, even those who look or act differently.
Although the book opens when the main character is in his last year of high school, he is just beginning to “find” himself. Similar to Kerouac’s On The Road, the reader follows the character through high school graduation, a trip to New York City, the summer between high school and college, and into the first semester of college and beyond. Jonah, and the reader as well, experience love and loss, long drunken nights, success and failure. When Jonah’s friends move on—to college, marriage, kids, etc.—the reader wonders if Jonah ever will.
When We Were Young effectively captures the emotions of a character who feels stifled by his surroundings in a small, conservative, southern town. When We Were Young takes the reader on a journey unique to Jonah, but a rite experienced by all generations.


MY REVIEW
I think this book is well written  and is a super easy and quick read. Now this is not what I would usually read and unfortunately this book was not my cup of tea. I mean I am sure some of you may like it but I just had a hard time to stay into it..Don't get me wrong it was good but not for me. If you want to know more about this book or want to purchase you can do so at Jason Jepson's website.

I give this 3 out of 5


* I was given a  ebook copy of this book  for free for my honest review.

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