H [Paperback]

Elizabeth Shepard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996

A critically lauded novel traces the troubled inner life of a mentally ill twelve-year-old boy through the letters of his family, father, camp counselors, and psychiatrist, none of whom offers the solace he finds in a stuffed toy. A first novel. Reprint. 12,000 first printing. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?This brief epistolary novel is a dazzling melange of letters written by at least 10 different characters, including the eponymous H, a stuffed toy belonging to Benjamin, 12, a borderline autistic child sent to summer camp to learn social skills. To the adult world, Benjamin is excessively withdrawn. In fact, he lives in a world in which the stuffed H is named Elliot and is one of many Elliots, aliens who reside in "Elliottown." Besides revealing the bizarre complexity of the boy's imagination, the letters contrast sharply with the well-meaning but uncompromising missives from the adults in the his life. Shepard uses each letter to reveal not only information, but also the character of the writer; even the absence of communications is often revealing. The cumulative effect is to explain subtly Benjamin's condition. Teens should be amused by the delightful irony and the mildly satirical camp scenes, and will enjoy the unusual freedom of being allowed to infer character.?Chip Barnett, Rockbridge Regional Library, Lexington, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Shepard's first novel consists of a series of letters that take the reader into the life of mentally disturbed, 12-year-old Benjamin as he goes off to summer camp, burdened with more than the usual homesickness and social concerns. H is a stuffed letter that Benjamin carries about, confides in, and shares an amazing dual life with. The reader learns of the depth of this situation only after reading the section of letters about Benjamin sent between his psychiatrist, camp director, counselors, and parents describing the outward demeanor of this troubled child. More interesting is the section of letters that Benjamin writes to H (and accumulates under his bed) after his parents take the letter home at mid-summer. The final section of letters portrays Benjamin's stay in a hospital and slow recovery under medical supervision. Heartbreaking and illuminating. Denise Perry Donavin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140243895
• ISBN-13: 978-0140243895
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inventive and compelling read!, December 8, 2000

By 

A. Cox "mglory67" (NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: H (Paperback)

Rarely do I find a book that touches me the way this one does. It speaks to all of us who have felt like misfits in a world that cares so much about outward appearance and conformity.

Benjamin, a young boy of 12, is a troubled child who escapes from his reality with his toy, a stuffed letter H he calls Elliot. It seems his toy is his only companion, and the only thing Benjamin allows to share in his imaginative but unbalanced life. Through letters from Benjamin's camp counselors, parents and from Benjamin to Elliot, we find how a lonely young boy adapts when his world is stolen from him. Moving and beautifully written.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oustanding--a poignant triumph and a must-read!, January 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: H (Paperback)

If you choose one book this new year, H should be the one. Brilliant, heart breaking, sacred and profound, this is the book that will change the way you see the world and the way you see yourself. For anyone who has ever felt different from the rest, who has noticed other people who never quite fit in, who recall the 'odd kids' from early school days and wonder what became of them, read H and meet the genius, tragic, timeless words of Benjamin Sherman, who in his illness and madness and beauty really can make the world a slightly kinder place. Like "Ordinary People," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Girl, Interrupted," and "The Catcher in the Rye," "H" deserves a place on your night table!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Moving Book I've Ever Read, September 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: H (Paperback)

This first-time novelist embarked on a brave, wonderful, and successful journey with this extraordinary book, and what a treat it is for the reader. Instead of smug, writerly prose and New York affectation, this highly educated young writer seeps into the soul of a troubled, brilliant, frustrating, loveable young man, and shows us his true gifts...and how they can prevail despite society's obsessive pressure to make him more "normal." A brilliant novel for parents, siblings, or spouses of those misunderstood few--and for all of us who know we're different, and that we matter.