Teen Angst? Naaah: A Quasi-Autobiography (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Ned Vizzini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A collection of 30 essays written by the author from age 15 to 17 shares his impressions of school, sports, cool people, boring people, friends, family, money, music, and obsessions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first book, 19-year-old Vizzini recounts his comical and intelligent, if not particularly penetrating experiences as a teenager coming of age in New York City. The first section covers highlights from junior high school, followed by one section each for his four years at Stuyvesant High School. Each showcases such universal and humiliating hurdles as vacationing with parents and preparing for the prom. Readers get a real sense of Vizzini through his stories (one especially insightful chapter describes his painstaking preparations for the high school admissions test) and some clever marginalia (e.g., "I'm skinny now, but over 50 percent of American men end up overweight, so I'll probably be fat later on"). He's gifted but gawky, adventurous yet filled with anxiety. Most of all, he shows a real talent for self-deprecating humor ("Being a cheap and petty person, I was shocked at how expensive the modern prom is"). However, some essays that could have meaning for many readers fall short on the follow-through: for example, the author talks about filling out a college application, but never discusses how he made his final decision about where to attend. Chapters about buying a Nintendo system or attempting to produce a video for cable access television are entertaining, but don't pack much punch. Readers will likely laugh at Vizzini's awkward antics, but may not find them particularly memorable. Ages 13-up. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-The author, who is described as being a little on the geeky side and not too suave with girls, recorded his high school experiences between the ages of 15 and 18. These essays, originally published in the New York Press and New York Times Magazine, now appear in this compilation. Vignettes do not necessarily lend themselves to a straightforward plot, so the fiercely intelligent and introspective Vizzini concentrates on style rather than action. His wonderfully sardonic voice, like Daniel Pinkwater's in The Education of Robert Nifkin (Farrar, 1998), suggests a wisdom beyond his years. "The teen world is full of second prizes. Nobody wants to hurt our self-esteem." His timely scenarios include a Nintendo obsession, Magic cards, a visit to ABC's The View, and singular incidents with marijuana and alcohol. Echoing The Wonder Years, Vizzini's adult self comments on his high school self by way of sidebars, which sometimes include Web addresses for more information. He comments on his lame attempt to sleep with his girlfriend during his senior year, "I felt so bad about being high-pressure that I became no-pressure, never discussing it, never bringing it up." Black-and-white cartoons interspersed throughout the text give the book a "zine" feel. This surefire title is bright, insightful, and thoroughly charming.
Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 232 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613353331
• ISBN-13: 978-0613353335
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #893,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teen Angst?, April 23, 2005

By 

Sandra (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Angst? Naaah . . . A Quasi-autobiography (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book the summer before I started high school at Stuyvesant in Manhattan, which happens to be the school that Ned went to (go Stuy!). His book was very accurate and insightful about the school, and I was able to relate to some things he felt. Even though he graduated when I was still in elementary school, things have stayed the same. Things like the Magic Card gang on the 6th floor are still real for my grade. It was a funny read and I literally couldn't put it down until I finished.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let The Yellow Cover Fool You, August 28, 2000

By 

George P. (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Angst? Naaah: A Quasi-Autobiography (Paperback)

Inside the hideous yellow cover you will find a treasure trove of insightful wit on painful reality. Best of all, there's no poetic garbage about protagonist Ned "becoming a man" as there is in every other movie, tele-movie, and Wonder Years episode about High School. Instead Ned Vizzini chooses to focus on real life as a New York Teen, and all the comedy, stress, and, yes, maturation (no matter how slight)that comes with it. With the yellow cover, you won't exactly achieve the brooding intellectual look in the halls, but you could always gift-wrap it with dark wrapping paper, or better yet, wrap it in a Subway map to show the book's true NYC colors.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining Read, March 25, 2005

By 

kate opal "somewhere" (nycity) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Angst? Naaah . . . A Quasi-autobiography (Mass Market Paperback)

The author reflects on his youth in this collection of short stories. Teenage memories written with style and humor kept me from putting this book down.