Customer Reviews

Simon Says

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even in kindergarten, Charles knew that he didn't want to play Simon Says. He didn't want to do what somebody named Simon said. He wanted to be himself. If it was a choice of playing Simon Says or standing in the corner, he stood in the corner. Charles is a sophomore in high school now, and he is still determined that he will not play Simon Says.

But people have always been dissatisfied with who Charles is. His life is full of Simons telling him to be different. Don't use his left hand; don't paint pictures that make them feel uncomfortable; make them proud of him; study for the right kind of job. The more he uses his paintings to show people how he feels, the more they hate him. They make fun of him, tear up his class assignments, and call him names. Teachers harass him, and his parents are ashamed of him.

That's why Charles wants to meet Graeme. When Graeme was a freshman at Whitman High School for the Arts, he wrote a book, The Eye of the Storm, that was published and made people sit up and blink. Charles knew as soon as he read it that he had to go to Whitman, too, and meet Graeme. Here was somebody who knew all about the Simon Says games people play, and yet he obviously never played them himself. Charles knows that he can learn from Graeme how to be himself without playing the game, either.

But Graeme is not what Charles expected him to be. Graeme is a senior at Whitman now, and he hasn't written another book since his first one. Graeme himself doesn't know why. Nor does he know why he's a disappointment to Charles. What does Charles want from him? The relationship between the two boys becomes more and more complicated, until it erupts in a storm that will change them both forever.

The themes of this book are desperately thought-provoking --- Always be yourself, because the alternative can be deadly. But to be yourself, you have to know who you are. And what we are in any given moment is not the whole truth of us. It can be more terrible to live than to die, but death takes away everything. And Simon Says might be a game we all play, even when we don't want to.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

I couldn't believe this book! It's so TRUE! I opened it Saturday morning and I couldn't stop reading until I finished it that afternoon. It just sucked me into Charles's world. I felt like I was part Charles and part Graeme, and like I wished I could be more like Adrian even though I didn't like him at all at first. But these guys were so REAL to me!

I thought I was the only guy who had these thoughts and these fears and was struggling with these issues. But this book says it all. It's okay to be different. It's okay to tell your parents you can't be the person they expect you to be - they might even accept you as you are. Or maybe they won't. The book doesn't promise any happy endings, but it's honest.

All I can say is that every teen, whether you're into painting or writing or music, or whether you're a jock or a geek or a Goth or WHOEVER you are, you have to read this book!! I feel different after reading it, and you will too.

While I enjoyed the story and the insight into the creative mind and process, I was thoroughly annoyed by the theme. Constantly repeated, over and over again. Simon says this, Simon says that. I got what the author was saying about conformity and being true to yourself, but I didn't need to be reminded every page. The repetition robbed the idea of its dramatic weight.

I did like the matter of fact depiction of gay characters. I'm heartened to see this becoming more common in YA literature.

This book is pretty good. It delves deep into metaphores and life according to a somewhat depressed and jaded teen. It explores the psycology of someone who is tired of faking their way through life and it's a very "heavy" book to read. I wouldn't recommend it for light readers.

Over all it sparked my interest and kept me drawn to it. The main character has a dark quality that seems a little too adult for a teen book but comes to a cosmic understanding by the end. The last third of the book might scare you, but the ending will surprise you and make you feel better about the main character.

This is my favorite book. Period. I couldn't take my eyes off the pages once I started reading. I would stay awake all night during the summer reading it until I could no longer keep my eyes open. The deepness of every word Charles said amazed me. It made me consider things in way I've never even thought of. The book made me think, "Is my life this way? Do I do this?"

This is also one of the only books that I've ever been able to feel like I was in. I cried when Charles was hurtful to Adrian and I was angered when Rachel kissed Charles back. And at the end of the book, I was sad that it was over. So much so that I mailed the author to talk to her about the book. Her nice replied contented me, but I still continue to read the book all the time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to challenge the 'traditional' ways of thinking. But I would also recommend that you read this book word by word, so soak up everything the book has to offer.

Charles learned early on to hide his artwork. He is incredibly talented; his ability is far above anyone else he knows, but his art makes people uncomfortable. It makes them feel like they have something to live up to, and that feeling alienates them from Charles. So Charles keeps his artwork hidden. He tries to learn how to be normal, how to fit in with the crowd, how to play the games of Simon Says he seems to see going on all around him, where one person tells everyone else how to behave.

Then Charles reads a book, an exceptional book that seems to expose the games people play. This book shows him exactly what he has been thinking for so long, and he is shocked that someone would dare to share this piece of writing with the world. Even more shocking is that the person sharing the writing was an adolescent--a freshman at Whitman, a specialized boarding school for the arts. Charles needs to meet the author, Graeme Brandt, and find out from him the secret to taking something so personal and being able to share it with so many people without fear. Maybe Graeme will tell Charles the secret that will allow him to share his artwork with the world.

When Charles finally does meet Graeme, though, he is not the person Charles expected he would be. Could someone like Graeme really have written this book that changed Charles' whole life? Could he have written it without even realizing what he was doing?

The characters in this book were very vivid. I felt like I knew Charles and Adrian and Graeme, and I liked the relationships that formed among them. I also liked that homosexuality was a pretty big aspect of this book, but it wasn't treated like it was anything shocking; it was just accepted as no big deal.

I thought the teachers at this school were far too clueless to be believed, though. As guardians of high school students at a boarding school, they should have been much more aware than they were.

This book is by far an excellent read. Elaine really describes the charectars so that you feel almost as if your part of the story. You can't stop thinking about the book until you've read it cover to cover, and then you still have it on your mind. When my mom got this book for me i was afraid it was just another "recommended" book for teens that was fake and was stripped of content. But from the moment i opened it I knew that this book was deffinetly anything but. I recommend this book to any teen that may be experiencing any feelings of reject or feeling they just don't fit in or belong. Also, of course, i recommend it to anyone that wants a good read. This book is full of surprises and you never totally figure it out until the bitter end.

fantastic! I read it in one night, I love the combined issues of sexually and the teenage struggle against conformity. The angst is layed on so thick you can almost taste it. No matter how old you are you should read this book (i'm in 11th grade)! It also would make an excellent book for a decison makeing type class for those who are entering high school.

I was very excited when I bought this book. I love young adult literature and have always related to the themes of social alienation and conformity. But the unrelenting angst was just too much to bear. Through the whole novel the protagonist was nothing but "oh woe is me, no one will ever understand me, why do I even try." I understand feeling this way at times, especially in one's youth, but I kept waiting for him to learn something, toughen up a bit, SOMETHING. I kept reading because the introduction and foreshadowing piqued my interest and I wanted to see how it ended, but it was a nauseating read. The frequent italicized comments in the parantheses were unnecessary, and kept hindering my reading; I felt like the author was pounding me over the head with the extra meanings and deeper insights into the characters. I didn't even feel for any of these characters; in fact, as I read I thought, "Is THIS how I sounded in high school? No wonder so few people wanted to be around me!" I do give the book two stars instead of one, however, because of it's important reflections on conformity and doing what others expect of you. I think teens will be able to relate to that, and it's something that's true of a lot of adults, too. Overall, though, I thought the book laid on the angst way too thick.

This is the only book I have ever read that accurately depicted the inner life of the creative person. Is it hyperbolic? Yes - because the inner life is hyperbolic. Is it metaphoric? Yes - because psychological truth is best portrayed metaphorically. Is it uncomfortable? Damn straight. I felt as if I were watching Elaine Alphin, the author (and a personal friend; nothing less but total honesty will do in discussing this book) stand in Times Squre, douse herself in gasoline, and light a match. I have neither the courage nor the stamina to write a book like this.

Ironically, the reasons this extraordinarily honest book has been overlooked for awards and tepidly received by professional critics are clearly delineated in the book. Nobody wants to know. If you don't want it to be true, don't look at it and shoot the messenger. Heaven forfend that anyone take on the Rachel role and edit the world into something better! As the three previous reviews show, however, adolescents recognize their world. But will they do anything about it? Or will they grow up and convince themselve they were overreacting?

On bad days I'm Charles, feeling pressured to be Graeme. On amazingly excellent days I get to be Adrian. Most of the time I'm holding on, putting the inner Rachel in charge and hoping for the best.

Elaine's told us the truth. It's up to the rest of us to act on that truth.