Teach Me (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Carolina is a high-school senior who feels she is too smart and mature for small-town Alabama life. Then she meets Mr. Mann, the new language arts teacher who is obsessed with Emily Dickinson. After she makes him feel at ease in his new job, she feels he is worthy of her attention, and the two begin an intense, clandestine affair, which is consummated on her 18th birthday. The love ends devastatingly for the teen when Mr. Mann suddenly dumps her and quickly marries another woman right before graduation. Carolina finally confides in her best friend, Schuyler, and he helps her try to figure out who Mr. Mann is and why he acted as he did. Nelson's writing is wonderfully eloquent and full of poetic references and wry humor, yet the plot and characters are occasionally chaotic. It is difficult to identify with Carolina, who not only thinks she's better than everyone else, but also goes to extreme lengths to seek revenge on her former lover. Mr. Mann is no more sympathetic. As his mystery unravels, readers discover, along with Carolina, how dull he is. Still, the story is juicy and cautionary without being preachy, which gives it wide teen appeal.–Jane Cronkhite, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. High-school senior Carolina (" Nine") is longing for something, and it appears in the form of her English teacher, Mr. Mann. They dance around each other, until Mr. Mann takes the first step in Nine's direction, and on her eighteenth birthday, they consummate their relationship. Several months later Mr. Mann abruptly ends it, refusing to give a reason. Nine's quest to find out why he has left her becomes manic, leading her to childish, unpredictable, almost dangerous behavior. Nelson treads new territory here, and she does some things remarkably for a first novelist. She eloquently captures both the yearning that comes with loving someone who doesn't seem attainable and the utter despair when the affair ends. The plotting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. There's no reason why Mr. Mann shouldn't reveal his reasons for suddenly marrying someone else, other than to push the action. Moreover, the melodramatic ending, which allows Mr. Mann to be a hero, rings false on several levels. However, teens--who often long for passion themselves--will recognize the fury of it in Nine's story. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (August 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595140840
• ISBN-13: 978-1595140845
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #888,818 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest and sometimes grotesque picture of controversial relationships between teachers and students, October 21, 2005

By	Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

R. A. Nelson's debut novel has certainly caused quite a stir since its publication in September. With its salaciously taboo subject matter (a doomed love affair between teacher and student) and an unrelenting pace that keeps readers gripped until the very last word, TEACH ME approaches the line of what defines groundbreaking, controversial YA fiction --- and barrels right through it. With plenty of passion, intensity and reckless behavior throughout, this tornado of a book illuminates a number of haunting life questions and shocking answers that will gnaw away at readers' consciences long after the final page has been turned.

Seventeen-year-old Carolina "Nine" Livingston is what most adults would call "a good kid." She excels in school, doesn't drink or do drugs, and gets along with her parents. She has one friend (Schuyler Green, a boy) whom she's known since grade school, and spends much of her time thinking about the universe and reading poetry. For most of her life, she has lived a fairly normal existence until the day she locks eyes with Mr. Mann, her English teacher --- the split second when everything changes forever.

From that moment on, Nine and Mr. Mann are inseparable. From the classroom to the bedroom, the two exchange more than their fair share of witty banter and clandestine touches (including Nine's virginity, when she is safely eighteen), until Mr. Mann's decision to end the affair with an abrupt "Everything has to stop." Naturally, Nine is heartbroken --- especially when she finds out that he is getting married to a girl she's never heard of before.

It is at this point that the novel gets interesting, albeit twisted. Aside from the shocking ending that verges on the unbelievable, TEACH ME's premise is not that far-fetched and poses a number of questions that are relevant to teens today. It presents an honest and somewhat grotesque picture of what is possible between a grown man and a young girl (however implausible to some more conservative readers), and illuminates what could happen when that connection gets out of hand.

Nelson's first novel is a mouthful to digest, and one that certainly should be taken seriously both as a crossover work of fiction and as a commentary on what's possible in the world today.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teach Me, December 28, 2005

By	Sarah Freebern (Burlington, VT) - See all my reviews

This is a YA novel that uses language beautifully, but has some issues in terms of plot. The writing is poetic and often hits the nail right on the head in terms of capturing emotions or moments. The relationship between Nine and her teacher is discussed in a very real, honest way, and I liked that Nine's emotions were the main focus of that aspect of the story. It's not afraid to be sexy, but the book is also much more interesting for placing the focus on Nine's bliss and destruction rather than on the nature of her relationship with her teacher (meaning it's not so much an Issue Book as it is a story about this girl's experience). There's some problems with that focus, too. The story is occasionally too melodramatic, and some of the plot points (especially those related to Nine's reactions to events in the story) are really unbelievable or portrayed as less bizarre than they are. That made empathizing with Nine difficult at times, and removed me from the story entirely at others.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. I think it's worth reading, as long as you're willing to suspend disbelief now and then at times when you normally shouldn't have to.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's far, far treasure to surmise, December 5, 2006

By	Anne (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

I suppose I'm unable to give true constructive criticism to this book simply because I love it too much. I was highly dismayed when I read the editorial review saying that Nine was hard to identify with because she thinks she is better than everyone else. I couldn't disagree more.

I was originally drawn to the book because it resonated so deeply with what I feel. The thoughts that I have in my head, I feel that so many people I know will never even get past thinking of day-to-day ideas, and it scares me. Basically, I could identify so deeply with Nine that it scared me. She's not aloof, she's a visionary.

The main reason I love it so much, however, is R.A. Nelson's writing. Aside from telling a beautiful story, there are times when the writing just oozes poetry. I think my favorite line in the book that I can remember now is: "There is not a name for what I'm feeling. There is no description for it. To call it yearning would be like calling an ocean water." I don't know of anybody who hasn't wanted something so much it hurts.

I'm done. Any words I write down here can not match the book. I know I sound like I'm raving mad, but read the book, and maybe you too will discover the sweetest madness there is.