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Hero-Type

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kevin Ross, Kross to his friends, is all over the news these days. It started when he saved Leah Muldoon, his secret crush of two years, from a serial rapist and murderer. Kross plays it cool by telling everyone he was just in the right place at the right time, but everyone in Brookdale is so proud of him. Signs all over town rave about his courage. The mayor has given him both the key to the city and a sweet deal on his first car, complete with two Support Our Troops magnetic ribbons. And that's when it all falls apart. Kevin's Dad, a former military man himself, tells Kevin to get rid of the ribbons, but unfortunately a photographer catches Kevin throwing the ribbons away. Kross is still getting lots of media attention, but this time it's not for being a hero.

If ever there was a literary character that deserved to go postal, it's Kevin Ross. He truly is the poster child for dysfunctional teens everywhere. For starters, when he tells people he was in the right place at the right time to save Leah, it's true, but that's because he's basically been stalking her for two years. And sure, it's his Dad who tells him to get rid of the ribbons, but Kevin is too nervous to ask his father about his own time in the military. He knows that his father's discharge from the army seems to have made him a bit mental, but he'd rather tip toe around the subject than talk to his Dad about it. Oh, and Kevin's parents are divorced because of his father's fragile mental state, and now his mother lives thousands of miles away in California with her partner, Rita, and Kevin's younger brother. Add to all of this that Kevin is kind of short and skinny, has major pizza face, has very few friends, and lives in a basement apartment cluttered with all the junk his Pop picks up along his garbage route, and a rampage would certainly not be out of the question. With so many issues swirling around Kevin's persona, Kevin could easily become the creepy guy you hope you don't have to sit by on the bus or get stuck with as a lab partner. He could easily become a serial killer himself, but Kevin is smart, funny, and about as all-American as you can get. Life in Brookdale, Maryland is not easy for Kevin, but each day he gets up, goes to school, faces his opponents, and along the way learns to accept a little help from a few friends. I'd say that's pretty heroic, wouldn't you?

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Kevin Ross, known as Kross to his friends, has been called a hero in his hometown and beyond. But can the seemingly innocent decision to remove a couple of magnetic ribbons from the back of his ugly, brown used car catapult his hero status to that of hated enemy? You bet it can!

Kevin happened to be at the right place at the wrong time for a serial killer called The Surgeon. For potential teen victim and classmate Leah, it was a case of the right place at the right time. Since saving Leah from certain death, Kevin can't look anywhere in town without seeing his name and hers linked on "thank you" signs and congratulations of all kinds. People can't seem to be able to do enough for Kevin, and they watch anxiously as he appears on TV and waits to collect a reward for his heroism.

All this praise and excitement is confusing for Kevin. He has long had a crush on Leah and relishes the attention she is now giving him; however, there are several secrets in Kevin's life that cast a shadow on all this positive attention. One secret is his father's mysterious military history in the Gulf War. Even when Kevin's mother still lived with them, the subject of his father's military service was off limits. The other secret is Kevin's own guilt for some event that actually placed him with Leah in the alley at the time of the killer's attack.

On the day Kevin pulled into the driveway with his new, used car, his father angrily demanded that the "support our troops" ribbons be removed immediately. When Kevin innocently explains that the local car dealer had slapped them on as he drove out of the used car lot, his father still insists they need to go. Unfortunately for Kevin, a news reporter still following the local hero witnesses the removal of the ribbons. This news is interpreted as "un-patriotic" behavior, and it unleashes the fury of a town proud of its patriot values.

As Kevin battles the public, who days before spoke of his heroic deed, he learns more about his parents' divorce, his mother's decision to move to California, and his father's struggles in the Gulf War. Readers can watch as Kevin learns the true meaning of patriotism and the freedoms we all take for granted. His story is especially intriguing in this time of political turmoil and tension.

Author Barry Lyga clearly demonstrates the division that can be created by different interpretations of what it means to support one's patriot beliefs.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Kevin is a hero. He saved a popular girl, Leah, from getting raped and murdered, and if that wasn't good enough, the person he saved her from is a serial killer. So, Kevin went from a fool that tried to not really get noticed to the center of attention. In school, everyone wants to be his friend and sit next to him. He is even given a pretty good deal on a car from the mayor of the town, who also owns the car dealership. Only, Kevin doesn't feel like a hero. Actually, he is keeping a secret that makes him feel worse every time his heroism is brought up. To make matters worse, a local reporter catches him throwing away two magnetic patriotic ribbons off of the back of his car when Kevin's father tells him to. This reporter turns Kevin into a villain. Kevin is all of a sudden everyone's enemy because they believe that he is not patriotic. Instead of coming clean and just saying that his dad made him do it, Kevin takes hold of this new image and brings about a debate about free speech. Not only does Kevin have to deal with this new villain treatment, but he also has to deal with the secret that he is keeping, and his mom wants him to move to California away from his dad.

I usually like Barry Lyga, but I just did not get into this book. There were too many issues that were happening at one time and I don't believe that any of them were written well enough for me to grip onto and struggle through with the main character. Lyga may have shared what was going on, but it was not done in a way that I cared about. I think part of the problem is that I just never really cared about Kevin. I could relate to him from time to time, but he wasn't a character that I liked. The challenges that Kevin goes through in order to find his identity and what is important to him are not gripping. The secret that he struggles with is easy to figure out within a few pages of the story and it probably turns me off to the character as a whole. All in all, I really think that Lyga was trying to do too much with this novel and because of that he barely scratches the surface of each topic making this book shallow and not worth the extended amount of time it took me to read it.

I gave it a 2/5 stars. I finished it and it was written by a great author, but I don't recommend it and I would not read it again.

"Young people speaking their minds, getting so much resistance from behind." -- Stephen Stills with Buffalo Springfield, 1967

Kevin Ross, known as Kross wears a double yoke. He wears the yokes of hero and good example because he saved a classmate's life when she was being attacked in an alley. His town of Brookdale, Maryland goes wild honoring him and local businesses promote his heroic act. One greasy spoon offers him free meals for life. His classmate Leah, whom he saved makes a cameo appearance in "Goth Girl Rising."

Kevin lives with his divorced father, a Gulf War veteran who won't discuss his military past. Equally taboo are the topics of Kevin's mother, who left with Kevin's younger brother for her partner in California. Kevin was given the option of who he wanted to live with and he chose to stay in Brookdale. Hard times and a financial downturn forced Kevin and his father to move from their comfortable brownstone into a modest apartment with one bedroom. Kevin's father, a sanitation worker spends most of his hours on the job and leaves for work in the wee hours of the morning.

Indeed, Kevin's father is so adamant about his military past that he makes Kevin remove two magnetic ribbons from his car. The car, which was a gift from the mayor/town used car dealer came adorned with two ribbons emblazoned with "Support the Troops." Apoplectic with rage, the boy's father makes him remove the ribbons. Kevin was caught on film and sadly, many of the townspeople turn against him. Instead of reporters jockeying to interview him for his heroism, they are determined to bring him down for "hating America." One reporter even threatens to expose Kevin's father in the local paper and makes good on his threat.

Going from hero to zero is a hard and long fall for Kevin. His friends, the Council of Fools (a motley crew of fun loving kids who go to bat for each other and throw in some pranks along the way) come through for him. An interesting assortment of characters, the 5 boys (including Kevin) and one girl make a good story even better. Had this story taken place in 1967, they might have been the Merry Pranksters.

Kevin is a very reluctant hero. He does not like the fanfare and public display. He also knows that his secret crush on Leah, whom he later describes as "not the hottest," as she is "too plump" with "a crooked face" and boy, she can at the very least, do something about her hair. Even so, he is attracted to her like a moth to a flame. In fact, so great is his feeling of guilt that he feels he can never disclose why he was in the alley when the killer nicknamed the Surgeon attacked her at syringe point.

Kevin's ribbon removal causes a maelestrom of Archie Bunker patriotism of the "America, love it or leave it" ilk. In an interesting twist, South Brook High's principal Dr. Goethe, whom readers of Barry Lyga's works are familar with in other books arrange for Kevin to debate another student with whom he clashed. Two debates were aired - the first prior to South Brook's first period class and the second some days later. Kevin presents his arguments in a brilliant, logical fashion. His friends, the Fools came up with a brilliant way to help support Kevin's statements. He danced verbal and logical rings around his opponent, who presented his case quite well. "Nobody's right if everybody's wrong." -- Buffalo Springfield, 1967

The debates and the Fools' silent input further illustrate that loving America is not limited to waving flags, wearing symbols and serving in the military. Kevin makes an excellent point when he says that the ribbons and other symbols "are more for us" than the troops. Making suggestions such as sending care packages and providing support for the returning troops were good ones that speak to a different way of expressing patriotism. Showing concern for one's fellow human beings and standing by one's convictions are good ways of expressing one's beliefs in a nonjudgmental and nonthreatening and nonviolent way. Readers are treated to lessons in civics and history in this extraordinary book.

Luckily, one kind teacher lends Kevin her support and to say his arguments and presentation were brilliant would be a vast understatement. Barry Lyga is a genius. It is as simple as that. His characters, plots, cameo appearances of familiar characters and curveballs make for very worthwhile reading.

Buffalo Springfield's early 1967 anti-war classic, "For What It's Worth" could easily be the soundtrack of this book.

Kevin Ross doesn't think he's a hero. He just happened to be in an alley near the library when Leah was almost raped and murdered by a notorious serial killer, The Surgeon. True, Kevin did attack the assailant from behind and hold him until the police came. Sure, his life is forever changed, with the media camped out everywhere and reporters looking to interview him. But he doesn't want anyone to know what he was doing in that alley in the first place.

To say that Kevin is unpopular is putting it mildly. His friends call themselves the Council of Fools, complete with their own Charter, and have nicknames like Jedi, Tit and Speedo. Flip and his girlfriend Fam are the ringleaders, and all meet in the janitor's office with a secret key when they're cutting classes. They do mischief around the school, like breaking into the grades database and improving athletes' marks --- things that make no sense.

Life at home is not much better. Kevin's parents divorced, and his mother took his brother Jesse to California to live with her new girlfriend. His father has a secret military past from the first Gulf War that no one can ever talk about, and as he works most nights, there is not much chance to talk to him anyway.

Notoriety gets to Kevin at school. It's great that Leah is noticing him and inviting him to her party, but he's still uncomfortable in the spotlight. It's not just his severe acne, or the fact that none of Leah's friends have ever spoken to him before. It's that he no longer knows who he is.

The Mayor gives Kevin a "key" to the town, and with it, a used car from his lot. He puts magnetic ribbons on the vehicle supporting the military, but Kevin's father demands that he take them off, saying they are useless symbols that do not help the troops in any way. That act gets photographed and put in the paper, and suddenly Kevin goes from hero to loser. Everyone wants to know why he doesn't support the military, or why he is "un-American."

Kevin knows that supporting the military is about more than putting magnets on cars, and he starts asking teachers, the administration and other students to think about the meaning of rituals. He begins to research how people really support the troops, and when a popular, handsome student debates back, Kevin sees how image can gloss over words and meaning.

Similar to the plot in Avi's NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Kevin's ideas and debate ignite huge reaction in the school and town. The Council of Fools intends to pull some large-scale pranks to make points, but that grows beyond Kevin's plan and control.

Just as he begins to question rituals that no one else does, Kevin explores who he is and why he does things. For the first time, he asks his father about his past and his mother about her move. Then he asks himself who he was and who he wants to be in the future.

HERO-TYPE takes an unpopular boy from instant popularity to maturity. This is a great book for discussion and consideration, which is just what Kevin would have wanted.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

This book was great and is for anyone who loves a great mystery. It came in great condition and I was satisfied with the days it was at my doorstep.

Kevin' doesn't think he's much of a hero. The whole town considers him one, though, since he saved a girl from his school from being kidnapped by "The Surgeon," a brutal serial killer and rapist. Sometimes the attention is nice, since his dad barely pays attention to him at home and it's not like he's the most popular guy or the handsomest guy in school - he's far from it. Kevin told everyone that he was just at the right place at the right time, which, in a way he was. But the truth is there is more to that night, and the secret reason that he was there to save the girl - Leah, the unwitting object of his affection - is less than honorable, perhaps even perverse. So when the town stops worshiping Kevin and starts treating him like the villain he really is, it wouldn't bother him so much, except that they still don't know his secret. They're up in arms over the "Support the Troops" magnets that he refuses to put on his car. And it's not even that Kevin doesn't support th troops - he just believes in free speech, and he doesn't think that putting magnets on your car does very much for the soldiers fighting overseas. So Kevin starts a debate, one he is sure to lose. Meanwhile his friends, the self-appointed "Council of Fools" are pulling some politically-inspired pranks all over town. But when the local paper starts publishing less than flattering stories about Kevin's dad, and the Council starts to lose perspective, Kevin sees that proving his point about free speech is more important than he could have imagined. And so is confronting the ugly truth about the night that he saved Leah.

Lyga's presentation of some very relevant issues is engaging and fast-paced. The character of Kevin, despite all of his flaws (the darker of which come to light over the course of the novel) is sympathetic and his problems aren't unlike those of most teenagers - he isn't in with the in crowd, his self-image is terrible, and he has trouble at home. As Kevin narrates the story, while sometimes the reader is acknowledged in a way that nearly pulls him away from the fiction at hand, it is done with a skillful conversational tone that is easy to fall into. Hero-Type is an important book, one that should be considered for high school libraries across the country.

Kevin is a hero. He saved Leah from a notorious kidnapper/rapist/murderer known as "The Surgeon." Everyone loves Kevin. They even give him a key to the city.

Unfortunately Kevin finds out that Hero-Worship doesn't last very long. A reporter snaps a picture of Kevin throwing away some "Support Our Troops" ribbons. That one mistake ends Kevin's Hero status.

Everyone assumes that Kevin is anti-America now. The rest of the story is then taken up with the issue of Freedom of Speech. Kevin maintains that he is patriotic but he doesn't need to plaster that patriotism all over his car or be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance just because everyone else is doing it. His point being that everyone should think for themselves and not just be a follower.

Barry Lyga has some very thought-provoking scenes in this book. I would be careful who I recommended this book too though because of the language and sexual references.

Hero Type
By Barry Lyga
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin company
# of Pager: 290
Age Rating: +13
My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:
Everyone is treating Kevin as a hero. He was in the right place and the right time and he saved a girl from being murdered. Only Kevin knows though, why he was able to save her. Things get even more complicated when Kevin is seen removing two patriotic "Support the Troops" ribbons from his car bumper. Now the town that lauded him as a hero turns on him, calling him unpatriotic. Kevin, who hadn't thought much about it up to then, becomes politcially engaged, suddenly questioning what exactly supporting the troops or even saying the pledge of allegiance every day means.

Review:
I thought that this book would be one of those light boy-wants-to-be-a-hero book, but it's not. Hero Type is a story that had somethings in that made me think about things like what is freedom and america and other things.
It was complex and very well-written and powerful.(and I now understand why the nice-looking people almost alway win.) You should read this book!
I give it 4 stars

Enjoy! :D:D:D:D

If you're a fan of Lyga's books you won't be disappointed by this one. It may not get the attention that The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Boy Toy, or Goth Girl Rising gets, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's any lesser of a story. It has all the things that Lyga does best: real, complex, characters, unashamed honesty, and plot lines that while simple, really make you think, not only about what the characters are facing, but about the greater issues the story is spotlighting. Lyga's honest depiction of teenage life may turn some parents off to this book, but he handles those issues with a delicacy and grace that shows them for what they are without glorifying or glamorizing them. Not only did I read it in one day (I couldn't put it down) but I fully intend to read it again and hope very much that he might consider a sequel. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a deep, thought provoking story where the character's flaws are embraced as much as their assets.