Customer Reviews

Head Case

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I bought this book when it came out, and it remains one of my favorite contemporary YA novels. Frank Marder makes one terrible mistake--driving while drunk--and must live with the consequences: Two people dead, and Frank paralyzed from the neck down. In fact, he considers himself only "a head." The story rings with authenticity, probably because of the author's experience working as a physical therapist with patients such as Frank. And Frank is portrayed as a real, living-breathing teenage boy. The story is gritty and powerful but also leavened with humor and infused with hope. Highly recommended for teenagers and their parents. School groups should not be put off by the realistic portrayal of teen drinking (a minimal part of the story) and, in fact, should use this book as an engaging and effective tool for discussion.

Full disclosure: The author is a close friend of mine, but as a journalist and former member of the National Book Critics Circle, I would never review a book favorably if I didn't really like it. YA books are my passion, and there are plenty of great ones to promote. This is one of them.

I have to say that it's quite different to read a book when you personally know the author. First, as I was reading, I heard the words in the author's voice. Second, I knew of some of the events that must have inspired certain scenes in the book, and wondered how other scenes were conceived.

"Head Case," is about the harsh reality of a teenage boy, Frank, who very unfortunately drives drunk with his girlfriend, and gets into an accident with dire consequences. Not only does he have to spend the rest of his life as a quadriplegic, but must also live with the guilt of killing two people. While the book takes place over a relatively short period of time, the reader understands that Frank, completely dependent on those around him, will have to live with his mistake forever, as will his parents. The incredible hardships are difficult and painful to imagine, but even someone in Frank's nightmarish predicament can make a positive contribution to society. So, ultimately, the book is about redemption, together with serving as a cautionary tale.

It will be personally exciting for me to see Sarah Aronson's future work which, perhaps, might deal with less bleak subjects. "Head Case" is a very promising start.

Frank Marder lost control.

First of his car, then of his body. Now he's stuck -- trapped inside a body that's failed him. He can't move his legs. He can't move his arms. As a "head," it seems all Frank can do is think.

Unfortunately, thinking is the last thing a guy who killed two people wants to do.

HEAD CASE follows the post-rehab life of a quadriplegic in his first weeks home after a devastating drunk driving accident resulting in the death of his girlfriend and of a man he'd never met. Frank not only has to deal with the fact that he'll never walk or feed himself again, but that the whole town hates him and thinks he should be in jail.

Little do they know, he already is.

A scary, thought-provoking glimpse at life without control.

Reviewed by: Julie M. Prince

Head Case is more than an examination of a tragically imprisoned paraplegic. Despite what the author states on the book's jacket, she does indeed take the reader inside a young man's tortured mind and the reader temporarily occupies the chair in which the boy (Frank) is permanently welded. It is gut wrenching and emotional. Just as a white man can never really know what it is to be black, so none of us can truly understand the hell in which people like Frank exist. We can pity and encourage and smile in their faces, but we can never feel what it's like to be unable to feel. Sarah Aronson accomplishes the impossible. And all the while she rivets our attention as Frank struggles to live in a world which doesn't understand, is quick to blame, and anxious to condemn. The last page of the book (with a totally unexpected surprise) jolts the reader into an awareness that the simplest yet most powerful tools in the human arsenal remain compassion and love. It's a difficult book to put down, and one that will live with the reader a long long time.

Sarah Aronson's book was painful to read at times but I'm so glad I did read it. Although it is written mainly for teens, most adults would be touched by this story of a good person living with the tragic consequences of a bad mistake. The ending really got to me - it was the definition of bittersweet.