If you haven't read Chris Crutcher, do. His books are controversial, but I believe that's why they're special. They address taboo topics like abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, rape, sex, homosexuality... aspects of life that whether we like it or not are present in some way in many of our students' lives.
As a former public school teacher and a family therapist, Crutcher's inspiration for many of his stories come from his experiences with kids who he has met throughout his career of 30 + years. These stories are for kids. They're about kids.
I could never use this book as a whole novel for the whole class. Call me chicken, but I'm no dummy. I would go down hook, line, and sinker if any parents opted to challenge my use of this text in the classroom - and I have no doubt some would. For me, Crutcher's novels are powerful gifts for students who are mature enough to handle them. Some of those students will be able to relate personally to the struggles of Crutcher's characters. Other students could appreciate the opportunity to grapple with realistic events that don't provide a black-and-white answer.
This particular book addresses topics such as popularity, integrity, guilt, and the self-perpetuating cycle of abuse. Our main character is T.J., and he is a well-adjusted, confident high school senior who defies any system that reeks of the good ol' boy tradition. My one beef with this book is just how confident T.J. is. I can't say I have met many high school seniors, or even many 30-year-olds for that matter, with his unwavering confidence and moral compass. Anyway, T.J. with the help of his English teacher creates a rag-tag team of misfits for the new swimming program at his high school. The story shows how these high school outcasts, all for various reasons, overcome differences to form a formidable, albeit losing, team.
I am in search of a school-appropriate Chris Crutcher book because I think his books would be ideal for teaching kids about archetype in a relevant way. In college, I read several Crutcher books for one of my adolescent literature classes, and I plan to re-read them to determine classroom appropriateness. If you have any Chris Crutcher suggestions, please leave them, and if you're interested in reading some of his books, check out the ALA Best Book for Young Adults List. Nearly all of his books made the list... although they can't make the classroom.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.9:
Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
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