Customer Reviews

Ironman

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a high school teacher, I teach this book to my juniors. Or perhaps I should say we read and enjoy it together. Chris Crutcher uses humor and straight talk to present a variety of issues facing kids today, love, divorce, child abuse, managing anger, even finding out someone you care about is homosexual. I find I am able to discuss these issues with my students using the book as a springboard. One of my students said, "This is the best book I have ever read. The kids in the book talk like us and feel like us." Another student said she laughed out loud when reading it at home. The other reviews presented the plot, I just wanted you to know what my teens thought of the book. I will warn you there is a small amount of strong language in the book, if you are considering using it in the classroom or buying it for your teenager. I have read all of Crutcher's books, and feel he is one of the best young adult authors ever.

In a choice novel assignment given by my junior english teacher, I chose to read "Ironman", written by Chris Crutcher. The main character, Bo Brewster, is having a difficult time dealing with his family life as well as his football coach. Bo can come off to some people as a "hot head" or a "quitter", but I view him as a teenager that faces many of the same problems that many student athletes, or just regular teenagers face in real life. Bo takes the smart way of dealing with his anger, and enrolls in an anger management class before school to avoid being expelled, and to make himself a better human being. Some people believe in the expression, "Things happen for a reason." Well, in Bo's situation, I believe things did happen for a reason in this story. While going to the anger management classes, a man by the name of Mr. Nak becomes what I like to think of as Bo's mentor. He sees what makes Bo aggravated, and shares his life stories with Bo to show him that he isn't the only one who goes through rough times during his life. The book titled "Ironman" is an excellent book that should be required for teenagers to read because while we may think everyone lives the perfect life, we all go through challenging experiences that can be related with Bo. We just have to open our eyes and be willing to accept the guidence from others just as Bo did to make ourselves better human beings.

Title: Ironman
Author: Chris Crutcher
Classification: Young Adult
Plot: Bo, who is the main character, is having trouble with his family and he is anger managment, which is a class to help him with his anger problems. While in anger managment he meets a girl named Shelly who completely changes his life. He is traning to be in Yukon Jacks, a triatholon race, and is trying to beat his competition Wyrack.
Comparison: This book is kind of like "Stotan" It has basically the same genre. In each of the books schools have a group of kids competing is some sort of sporting event. The characters in both books went to a big race to compete in was swimming or a triatholon. In "Ironman" Bo writes to Larry King, a tv host, telling him what is going on in his life or the problems that he is facing.
Personal Reaction: This book, "Ironman," really touched me. It just shows the different life styles people live in. Such as Bo's. His parents are divorced, he is anger managment,he has problems with his dad, and also has trouble getting along with friends at school. Shelly, who is Bo's girlfriend cares for him. Bo has never really had anyone this close to him before. It touches me because just one person completley changed the way he looks at things. I think because of Shelly Bo continued and worked really hard to compete in Yukon Jacks. On page 165 shelly, Bo's girlfriend is giving Bo his valentine she said "She had never considered loving anybody before....." To me that is showing how much Shelly really cares for Bo, and how important he is in her life. Those words on the card could have changed the way he looks at life. He realized that there is someone that really cares for him. To me this book his very touching.
Reaction: This book is a great book. I loved it. It relates to some kids that I know. Some people though could get offended because it is about someone that is anger managment, and this kid that is having trouble with his dad. The language at time is pretty horific which could potentionally be a draw back.

What a terrific book!
I started this book and almost abandoned it unread, because the first three chapters were sort of disjointed and uninteresting. The "letters to Larry" parts seemed distracting. But, I had previously read another book by Chris Crutcher, and so hung in there.
About the fourth chapter, everything came together. Letters to Larry were a nice additional reflection. The plot is interesting and well-done.
Each character is well-defined, and is "seen" through multiple points of view. Teens (and adults) reading this book will have a renewed ability to think about others in their totality -- to consider how that person got his/her behavior, and to look at others' points of view.
I believe this book will be beneficial to all teens, and especially those who are having trouble controlling their anger, or are going through difficulties or abuse in their lives -- particularly difficulties with parents and authority figures. The author, through his characters, offers advice on how to deal with anger problems.
I highly recommend this book for those in the appropriate age levels.

I had the pleasure of listening to this book on tape recently. The narrative was enhanced by having one reader narrate Bo's letters to Larry King and another reader narrate the other parts of the story. It worked very well and brought the listener into Bo's thoughts and feelings about growing up as a teenager in a dysfunctional family.

Not having been a teenager for many years (but having 2 of my own), I found it to be honest and realistic. There are so many instances of rage in today's world -- Anger Management class seems to be a great form of therapy for high school students who can't control their rage. While Bo doesn't quite show his rage in a physically destructive way, his life is enhanced by the people and mentors he meets while attending Anger Management.

Highly recommend this book.

I am an English teacher, and I believe that this is an excellent book. I use it for an 8th grade class. It allows them to confront issues in a safe environment; the book has a cast of realistic characters (not everyone has a Brady Bunch life). It is important for students to have the opportunity to talk about abuse, adolescent sex, homosexuality, and the like. They need to be able to take a stance on the issues. If a teacher used the book to push and agenda it would be different, but if kids are encouraged to use it as a catalyst to speak with parents and THINK it is wonderful.

Like "Rash" this book is about a teenager named Bo with anger management problems. As this is set in the present (or near enough), after he quits the football team in a dispute with his coach and English teacher, Bo is forced to take an anger management class, run by the school, or be suspended. Bo's father, with whom he has clashed before, considers his son a quitter, but Bo has the goal of competing in a triathlon, and is in training. He is angry, but some of the adults he deals with are enough to make anyone, teen or not, upset.

In the class, run by a Japanese American cowboy, Mr. Nak, Bo meets other students with problems equally or more serious as his own, including the girl who becomes his girlfriend, Shelly. Like the movie "The Breakfast Club" the teens open up and come to terms with their feelings about abusive parents and not always understanding peers.

The only thing I disliked was the switching between first and third person. It made it hard to stay absorbed in the "flow" of the narrative.

Recommended.

i was given this book as a present from my librarian aunt when i was about 14 or so. i read it all in one sitting and read it about 3 more times that same week - two things i never do. the fact that the story isn't flawless is in part thanks to the beauty of crutcher's style which fits this story particularly well. his ability to throw in life lessons and make them work in the book's setting is amazing and the lessons have stuck with me over the years (i'm 24 now). i cannot emphasize enough how much this book meant to me as i was growing up, and even now as an adult. i would highly recommend this book as a gift for younger teens, and adults as well. a great read that gives you something to think about.

Title: Ironman

Author: Chris Crutcher

A Young Adult Book

Summary-Young Beuregard Brewster must overcome adversity to win his dream event-the Yukon Jacks. He can't do it alone, but he doesn't have to, as he befriends many along the way. In the end, hard work and dedication pays off as he fulfills his goal.

Comparison-Ironman plays out like many of Crutcher's other books. The main character is somewhat of a hothead, and because of that, he is demeaned by authority. His teacher sees him as a quitter and a fungus on society, and nothing Bo does seems to convince him otherwise. Bo is therefore doomed to be prejudiced and is deemed a "quitter" because of his failure to commit. The resentment and mistreatment of authority, evident in this book as well as many of his other books, is always something the main character needs to overcome.
The book will play out like a typical athletic movie or book, with the main character realizing his dream of becoming a star athlete. Like all star athletes, he works diligently and is driven by the internal passion that one must possess to be successful. He thrives on passion, and he forges this passion into success.
Some people may steer away from Crutcher because of this recurring theme(standing against authority) while others will revel in it. If you like sports books and books based on the teenage lifestyle, then give this book a chance. On the other hand, if you find the adolescent life of young Bo Brewster unappealing, this may be one of the books you should steer away from. No book is for everybody.

Personal Reaction-Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid description Crutcher uses when he describes Bo's lifestyle. He doesn't give the main character a completely one sided, happy life. He gives the main character a realistic feel that the common reader can relate to, which is a good thing. He also gives the main character a nice set of interesting conflicts to overcome, which he does quite well.
The unique way that the main character meets and interacts with the Anger Management will especially catch the reader off guard. At first the reader is made to fear the different assortment of individuals, but then Crutcher throws a monkey wrench into this perspective and the group becomes endearing to the reader. The reader will laugh at the happy times explained in the book, and you will weep like a willow when you hear the tragic tale of Mr. Nak. The reader will grow to love the group, and if the reader can come that far into the book, then the book has hooked them.
Maybe I just like happy endings too much. The ending, while definitely on a positive note, doesn't leave you with a complete warm feeling inside that you usually get. Rather, it leaves you with a confused feeling and leaves quite a lot to the imagination(not always a bad thing). Some people resent ambiguity, and if you are one of these people then the book may not be worth your time. The book contains some very mature themes, such is the burdern of a teenage life. This kind of book may not be suitable for the younger readers, and if you're looking for a good book by this author anyway I recommend "Stotan" by Chris Crutcher. However, again, if you like books about sports and the normal life of a normal teenager, then this book deserves a chance.
And if the reader gives this book a chance, I can almost guarantee some satisfaction. The satisfaction of a good book, the satisfaction of a positive romance, or the satisfaction of success...
"Larry King theme music fades, and Bo Brewster, laughing like a maniac, grabs a banana and his goggles from Shelly, takes a long swig of Shuja's Gatorade, pulls the plug on the earphones as he drops the tune belt to the dirt, sails the Stotan hat toward his father-standing near the shore beside Keith Redmond-and charges into the Columbia River in pursuit of Ian Wyrack, who's about to fall five hundred green ones into debt"-p. 175 of "Ironman"
So if you want to read about the amazing feats of Bo Brewster, the "Ironman", then this book is for you.

My first Crutcher book was Stotan!, but Ironman is definitely my favorite of all of his books. Crutcher really knows how to accuately portray a tennagers mind, and make the reader sympathize with Bo. Although I usually don't like books with males as main characters, but Chris Crutchers books, especially Ironman is one of my all time favorite books!