Customer Reviews

Stoner & Spaz

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Relatively early on in my career as a "children's" bookbuyer I had the great fortune to participate in a day-long workshop discussing "teen" literature. The experts from whom I was to learn that day were Michael Cart and Richard Jackson. Between them, they made several points that have stuck with me as I define and evaluate young adult literature. Among the words of wisdom that day were:

Adolescents create and re-create themselves on a daily basis as they search for their identity. Good teen literature frequently provides characters whose roles teen readers can try on vicariously as if they were cloaks. Good teen literature frequently poses more questions than it provides answers.

That day's presentations were the inspiration for my creating a separate young adult section--after a week of quoting the experts I was given the okay to purchase and shelve those books away from the kids' stuff, in the process becoming the "children's and young adult" buyer. This division, of course, is the rule rather than the exception in bookstores and libraries today.

STONER AND SPAZ, set in LA, is the latest, perfect example of what young adult fiction is all about.

In addition, STONER AND SPAZ is a book that pays homage to film the way SEEK does to radio.

Ben (Spaz) Bancroft, a teen "cinefile" whose aloofness is the result of his self-consciousness over his dragging an arm and a leg due to cerebral palsy, tells us the story of his entanglement with Colleen (Stoner) Minou, who is as engaging, witty, and tough as Mona Lisa Vito, Marisa Tomei's character in My Cousin Vinnie. Colleen's boyfriend, Ed, is studying to be a drug lord. Early on, as Ben waits to hand over the report on THE GREAT GATSBY for which Colleen has hit him up, he gives us a look at Ed in action:

"Waiting there I feel, I don't know anthropological, I guess. I just need a pair of binoculars and a field guide to watch Ed Dorn in his black jeans and black T-shirt make the rounds, moving from the gangstas in their huge pants through the Mexican tough guys and into the Asian kung-fu fighters. Each clique has a different handshake, and Ed knows them all. He knows which girl's hand to grab and rub over his shaved head, which brother to joke with, which guy's Pepsi to snatch and take a sip of, which one to lean into and whisper. Colleen walks a few steps behind. She wears knee-high silver boots and looks like someone from a different galaxy."

When Colleen catches up with Ben, he mentions to her:

"'I was watching Ed in action. He's like Louis the Fourteenth,' I said, 'moving through the gardens at Versailles dispensing favors.'"

"'Louis better watch his ass,' says Colleen. 'This is Ed's turf.'"

Ben has been raised by his grandmother, who dresses him in prep garb and who meets Colleen when she invites herself for a ride home in Grandma's Cadillac and then endears herself to Grandma by immediately puking out the window. Ben has never given Grandma a bit of trouble before. She cannot understand his growing involvement with Colleen:

"'What is it exactly that you see in her? Besides the narcotics, she's so profane and...' She thinks for a few seconds. "So badly decorated.'"

What Ben sees in Colleen is that she treats his condition so honestly and matter-of-factly. In turn, he makes her feel like a high school kid, which is in such contrast to the scary world of drugs, clubs, and thugs in which she's immersed. And while this is a uniquely descriptive and extremely fun story, it is no fairy tale. When it's over we're left heavy on the side of unanswered questions. I was also left with a profound sadness for having to end my relationship with two characters I came so quickly to like and care so much about--Stoner and Spaz. ...

This is a story about an unusual friendship between a lonely physically handicapped "spaz" whose grandmother makes him wear $70 Brooks Brothers shirts to school and a "stoner" party girl who'll "get high and do anything."

Ron Koertge knows how people -- especially kids -- talk and, for me, hearing his characters' voices is the best part of any Koertge book.

Ben (the "spaz" of the title, he is afflicted with cerebral palsy) is smart, funny, and charming, and when Colleen (the "stoner") tells him that half the girls in her rehab group want to be his girlfriend, I couldn't help but think, "If I were in high school, I'd wanna be his girlfriend too!"

Colleen is also smart -- a fact that shines through her druggy haze -- as well as tough and fascinating. It's easy to see why Ben is drawn to her.

I love the characterization of Ben's proper, uptight grandmother. She's prim without ever being a stereotype.

As Ben and Colleen become friends, they help each other to see themselves more clearly. Colleen says Ben's wasted, atrophied arm is not so bad. Ben says Colleen's "ice-cream habit" is hurting her more than she realizes.

And so Ben attempts to get to know more people at school, and Colleen checks into a rehab program. As they "stand up and fall down, stand up and fall down," as their friend Marcie says, which one of them will remain standing? Can their strange friendship survive?

Check out this fast read to find out.

Stoner & Spaz takes some surprising turns in a genre that too often relies on heavy-handed cliches to make a point. Teen drug literature often relies on stock characters (the abusive father, the defiant teen, the street kid, the clueless adult) and standard plot mechanisms (teen led astray by evil peers, teen tricked into trying drugs then swiftly becoming an addict) to drive home the point that drugs are bad. This book breaks through the stereotypes beginning with the narrator, Ben, a 16 year old boy with cerebral palsy who is remarkably intelligent, sensitive and self-aware, although something of a social misfit because of his self-consciousness about his condition. He is being raised by his wealthy, conservative, proper grandmother following the suicide of his father and the abandonment by his mother. The grandmother's character too is nicely drawn; although she is strict and conservative, she is also understanding and shrewd. In fact, this is perhaps the most refreshing thing about this book- it does not pit the adults against the teens. Decent, funny and cool adults share equal time with the younger characters and give more dimension than is usually found in this type of book.
The drugged out girl, Colleen (the "stoner") is on a fast track to disaster, flirting with bad company, marijuana, cocaine and cynicism. But she has a sense of humor and an unflinching way of dealing openly with Ben's condition that ultimately rescues him from the isolation with which he has surrounded himself. Although Colleen has a bad reputation because of her drug habits and her promiscuity, she brings a certain notoriety and cachet to Ben that he's never experienced- suddenly, the other kids are interested in him. An understanding adult opens a creative channel for him to explore this new world, and, in the course of this short novel, he learns much about himself, his peers and growing up.
The story is fast-paced, quick reading, and delivers the right message without being sanctimonious. It is very refreshing to have a main character with cerebral palsy who deals so openly with his condition and how it impacts his daily existence. The bits about everyday events such as getting dressed or climbing in a car are descriptive without being self-pitying or bathetic. Also surprising but refreshing is that Ben's brief marijuana experimentation does not lead to the usual drug addiction and death. The issues in this book are leavened with humor, compassion and hope- all of which are refreshing (and rare) in this genre.

This was an amazing book, I don't believe I've ever enjoyed reading as much as I did with this book. I'm not someone who pleasure reads a lot, but I truthfully enoyed reading this book, and heard from a friend it was good. It was on our school summer reading list so I picked it up. I read it all in one day, which isn't too much of a big deal since it's pretty short. However I felt, the book was great, and I don't agree with what a few other people are saying. One person said it wasn't realistic, that the main girl Coleen never suffered withdrawls are anything... but comon in the end she winds up being pretty much the way she started. And someone else said that there was to much cursing, however without the swearing would it have accurately portrayed the world i live in? I will admit that my review may be a little biased because I am 15, and I go through all the things these teens went through, but i actually think thats great. The writer did a great job of showing what a lot of teens go through, and anyone that thinks the book was over the top or overexagerated needs to go take a trip to their nearest highschool. The last thing i wanted to address, and what I felt was the best part of the book, the ending: someone said it was half-assed. Truth is it was perfect, the ending was sort of happy but at the same time it was sorta sad, but definitly very realistic. It kind of made me sad, because I have a friend that seems so much like Coleen, and truth is our relationship kinda did the same thing. Overall one of my favorite books ever.

I have CP like the main boy in the book (though nowhere near as severe, you can hardly tell I have it) and I thought it was an excellent portrayal of the everyday challenges people with CP and other movement disabilities face when trying to fit in with "normal" people

"Stoner and Spaz" is about a romance between 2 oddities, Ben Bancroft, a boy with spastic CP and Colleen Minou, a young druggie. Ben is very insecure within himself and mostly just mooches around at the movies rather than face the jeers and taunts of his fellow peers. It is not until Colleen comes into his life that he attempts to go about the usual social activities of a 16 yr old boy. With Colleen he smokes, drinks, goes to dances and has sex. This book is an excellent read which makes the reader cry, laugh and gasp all at once. I highly recommend it.

This book is incredibly funny a real down to earth example of the teenage drama and romance we sometimes suffer through. The book is about a stoned-out chick named Collen that stumbles upon geeky-little Ben, after their encounter Ben seems to suddenly fall for this girl and tries to get her attention, he wants only to be with her but it doesnt seem to want to turn out that way for Ben. With an overly protective grandmother that tries to ignore Bens CP or at least tries to act as if everything is normal (like nothing wrong with Ben even though there is), it seems like Ben wont have his way with the careless young youth Colleen. In my opinion this is a kick ass book, I totally fell for it the plot and the comedy, oh the comedy.

This book is wonderful. Being a individual with cerebral palsy myself I personally relate to ben and put myself in his poistion in almost every scene. This novel captures the uncertainty of love itself let alone the akwardness of love involving someone who is disabled. This is the most human story I have read involving people with CP. It gave me hope that there is a person out there for everyone even if they do seem a bit unconventional. I love this book and so will anyone who picks it up.

Koertge has a knack for capturing the bare essense of his characters. Ben and Colleen are so real you'll be able to taste them. Driven by clean and very true dialogue, "Stoner and Spaz" won't let you go. Read it. Then read it again.

Most every buddy movie or novel imaginable pairs two people who are vastly different and puts them in close quarters, usually a situation neither party really wants to be in. They end up learning from one another, since their personalities, interests and strengths are complementary to one another. Often times there is a "straight" one--meaning one who follows the rules, and is on a straight and narrow path in life. Then, there is a wild and zany one, who has a zest for life that is both annoying at times to our straight man but ultimately infectious, instructive, and life-altering.

While "Stoner and Spaz" does tend to follow this basic framework, the characters are very real and likeable. Ben is a high school loner who suffers from cerebral palsy, while Colleen is a drug addict who happens to attend the same school. They happen to meet in a movie theater, and immediately their strange relationship begins. Author Ron Koertge has a real flair for convincing dialogue, especially between teenage characters. He doesn't shy away from the F-bomb just for the sake of admission into the young adult canon. While parallels can be made to other young adult novels such as "Freak the Mighty," "Bridge to Terabithia," and perhaps "Stargirl," what Koertge has created is a believable, raw portrait of two vastly different people coming together and emerging totally different in the end.

My only complaint is that some of the characters and their actions seem perhaps a bit implausible, like Colleen's popular, well-built boyfriend who could easily pummel Ben but instead shows unlikely restraint. Despite this and some other sugar-coated scenes of implausibility, most of this book rings true and doesn't shy away from difficult subjects.

As a middle school teacher, I was disappointed that such a well-written novel simply could not be adopted by my conservative school district, given the language, the sex, and the drug usage, but I think that high-schoolers would enjoy this quick, truthful read.

This book is about a boy named Ben who has cerebral palsy. He lives with his over protected grandmother because his dad died and his mom ran away. One day he goes into the Rialto Theater and he meets Colleen, a drug addict from his school. After that Ben and Colleen make a friendship. Colleen treats Ben as if he was normal and he starts to fall in love with her. When Ben meets the new neighbor, Marcie she gives him a camera and helps him start a documentary about school and the truth about it. Colleen and Ben then sort of become boyfriend and girlfriend, but never really called each other that. Then with Colleen's drug problem, she finds herself into the hospital. The day of Ben's movie, he finds Colleen buzzed with drugs when she was trying to quit her problem. From there Ben realizes Colleen will never change
The parts of the book I really liked were how the author really told it how it is and how life is really like for teenagers with certain problems. I also liked how the author added what people with C.P. really go through. For example how hard it was for Ben to put his clothes on. I like how the author defiantly showed what each characters personalities were like. Each of the characters all a different personalities, Such as Ben wasn't anything like Molly or Marcie or Colleen. They were all unique. I love how funny the book was! It made me laugh a lot.
Some things I didn't like were how at the end it just left you hanging. You didn't know what was in store for Ben's future. I also didn't like how many times cuss words were said in this book but I understand it went with the certain characters personalities.
I think that anyone who likes to know what things are like for someone with a certain problem or disorder should read this book. Anyone who likes funny books or dramatic comedies would love this book!