Asylum for Nightface [Library Binding]

Bruce Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996

A deeply spiritual teen, Zimmerman is driving his parents to distraction with his faultless behavior as they try to tempt their son into delinquent behavior, until they find religion during a trip to Jamaica and decide that their son must be a boy saint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More surreal then Brooks's What Hearts?, this philosophical novel does not court mass appeal. Initially, readers may have trouble making connections between the 14-year-old narrator's rambling thoughts about chessboard patterns, images of Christ and comic book collectibles. Those willing to follow the author's winding path, however, will find the nonsequiturs do eventually mesh as the central conflict emerges. The crux of the matter: the sudden transformation of the main character's radical, hash-smoking parents, who undergo a spiritual awakening during a vacation in Jamaica. Mesmerized (or brainwashed) by a charismatic minister, they return home seeking forgiveness from their straight-laced son, Zimmerman. If Zimmerman is skeptical of his parents' overflow of love and admiration, he is downright flabbergasted by their intention to publicly proclaim him a "living saint." Some readers may be put off by the author's satirical depiction of born-again Christians, but others will applaud his attempt to challenge fundamentalism and conventional morality. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10?Adolescence is often a time of experimentation and rebellion, but 14-year-old Zimmerman has spent the better part of his teen years embracing a higher authority?God. The serious, deeply spiritual young man's successful, sophisticated, and self-indulgent parents are concerned about his "bleached lifestyle" and do their best to try to get him to loosen up, until they go off on a Caribbean vacation and come back as newborn Christians themselves. Unlike their son's religious awakening, the adults' transformation comes not from looking within, but rather through the efforts of a designer guru, Luke Mark John. Worse than the new converts' rote proclamations, joyous outbursts, and apologies for past behavior is the fact that Pastor John, a man who bills himself as Christ's avatar, has plans for Zimmerman to lead young followers to the sect. The boy orchestrates his own fall from grace by the theft of a valuable collectible superhero card. This quirky philosophical novel has much to commend it, but there are some less successful elements. Zimmerman is a complex and compelling character who offers pointed perceptions and humorous insights into his peers' behavior and parental angst. Unfortunately, potentially interesting secondary characters are never fully developed. The flashbacks to the card's creator, whose story parallels Zimmerman's first-person narrative, appear without transition, and even though everything is eventually tied together, there is a great deal of potential for confusion. Overall, though, Brooks provides a provocative look at love, acceptance, and the search for asylum.?Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 135 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060270616
• ISBN-13: 978-0060270612
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,789,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this is one of the books that got me reading in the first place, April 13, 2008

By 

Dominic Giafagleone "lovefro" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asylum for Nightface (Laura Geringer Books) (Paperback)

I found this book at my Libary and i liked it because of the title. skimmed a few pages and decied to check it out
this book is great but i can never find it anywhere!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow...just, wow, October 25, 2002

By 

Synia (Bristol, IN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asylum for Nightface (Laura Geringer Books) (Paperback)

When I came across this book in our school library I picked it up simply for the neato cover. okay, so I DO tend to judge a book by it's cover, but this is one case where it turned out for the better. This book has very thought provoking stuff and I love the way it's written. Plus, I got to pick up a shiney little ryhme, Swede-On-A-Bead, TeeHee. I'll shut up now, since this is acually a very good book and by having an idiot like me review it would probably only discourage potential readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asylum for a Nightface, January 27, 2001

By 

Janelle "janelle767" (AB, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asylum for Nightface (Laura Geringer Books) (Paperback)

Despite the ratings the book has been given, this is one of my favorite books by Brooks. Like all of his books, you need to dig a little deeper for the real, hidden meaning. It doesn't hit the point it is trying to make- on purpose. You have to find the point yourself. Don't get this book if you don't enjoy having to think about it after. It explores the lives of teenagers, but presents itself in such a fasion that you don't realize it at first. A wonderful book, will always be one of my favorites.