Sprout (Audible Audio Edition) Dale Peck Ted Coluca Jr Audible Studios Books
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Sprout Bradford has a secret. It's not what you think he'll tell you he's gay. He'll tell you about his dads drinking and his mother's death. The green fingerprints everywhere tell you when he last dyed his hair. But neither the reader nor Sprout are prepared for what happens when Sprout suddenly finds he's had a more profound effect on the lives around him than he ever thought possible. Sprout is both hilarious and gripping; a story of one boy at odds with the expected.
Sprout (Audible Audio Edition) Dale Peck Ted Coluca Jr Audible Studios Books
I sat with a longtime acquaintance on the train the other day; he handles YA novels for a major publisher. When I brought up a couple of my favorite YA authors (both reviewed here)who focus on gay teens, he dismissed gay books as "usually bad." A gay man dismissing gay-themed YA books as bad--without actually knowing either of the authors' work. I could have slugged him. But he's otherwise a nice guy, so I let it pass.Having just finished Dale Peck's "Sprout," recommended to me by a friend on AfterElton's gay lit forum, I'm thinking I should have slugged my friend after all.
Before starting to write this, I read the worst reviews of "Sprout" here. I see why those reviewers were displeased, but I hasten to say they missed the point. "Sprout" is a double-edged (or, perhaps, two-sided) story. It starts out surprisingly light-hearted, and laugh-out-loud funny. It takes a very unhappy subject and turns it into a picaresque adventure of a broken man and his confused and damaged son setting off to create a new life. Or, possibly, the story of a budding novelist who is helped to discover his talent by a quirky and damaged midwestern school teacher.
But, as one complaining reviewer wrote, midway through the book things take a darker turn, and the emotional pain beneath the laughter comes rising to the surface. And with it comes love, which in turn reveals more pain. But far from putting me off, this shift in tone simply pulled me into Daniel Bradford's world more fully. It helped me understand that the strength this boy was showing was real, but also that it masked wounds that had scarred over without healing. The pain at the end of the story, which left me weeping and exhilarated at the same time, shows us that Sprout is going to be fine; that he will, after all, heal. It is not just the story of a man emerging from the hurting soul of a boy; but the emergence of a writer with a story to tell and the experience to bring it to life.
Peck's writing is very good, beautiful in many places. There is nothing non-adult about this book, nothing that a sophisticated grown-up reader wouldn't enjoy. Unless of course, he just dislikes kids. I have two teenagers, so how could I help but love this?
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Sprout (Audible Audio Edition) Dale Peck Ted Coluca Jr Audible Studios Books Reviews
Every once in a long time there comes along a piece of literature that alters your view of the world. I am overjoyed to say that this is one of them. This is a modern day "Catcher in the Rye" in all of its joys and sorrows of discovery of llife. Never have I ever read anything as personal and moving as this. It brought me to a place that was completely unexpected. The main character tells of his journey in the first person, a teen age individualist with all of the wide eyed acceptance of life with its joys and sorrows, but with the wisdom of a much older and wiser person. Daniel, or Sprout as he prefers to be called is a young high school student who dyes his hair green. And although he never completely gives the entire reasoning behind this action, one must wonder if it is just his way of saying "Hey, World, Here I am. I want to tell my story" Sprout has an inspired gift for writing. It is the one thing that he has that makes him so completely special. He has other talents, one being. In the manner in which he observes his world. There is so much he has to say, and he does, completely capturing the reader's heart and mind. Dale Peck's command of the English language is a good part of what makes this book so good.
I found a little of myself in Sprout, too. By the way, he's gay. But it does not define who he is. I don't believe that there are words enough to describe him. He speaks to the reader in such a way that I don't think I've encountered since I first read "Catcher in the Rye" and It captured my mind and heart. I laughed and cried and felt true emotion for his circumstances. As a narrator, he weaves his way through an impossible maze of twists and turns in his young life, and always makes you really feel as if you are there with him, by his side, holding his hand, as he speaks directly to your soul.
I am reminded of the film by Dore' Schary titled "The Boy With Green Hair". In that film the main character is a boy who is an American war orphan whose hair turns a bright green overnight. The reason is ultimately reveled to him when he finds out that the green hair is a symbol. It is a reminder to all people that one of the cruelties of war is that it makes orphans of the innocent children all over the world who lose parents in needless and heinous conflicts. That analogy is fitting here. Sprout is gay. But he is a human being and therefore needs to be loved and deserves a chance to grow to take his place in the world like everyone else. His hair becomes a reminder to people to be tolerant and accepting of all those who are "different".
But this story of Sprout is much, much more than that. It is the most intimate story of a young man's coming to find himself and his place in the world. The way that the author uses the language of youth is one of the most compelling examples of writing that I have come across. Sprout never sees himself as a victim. Life is what it is. He creates a world for himself when he needs it most. He is a character that will remain in your heart and soul long after you finish reading this wonderful gem of a novel. This book is deserving of publicity in order that it may be read by people of all ages. IT IS A STORY THAT NEEDS A LARGE AUDIENCE SO THAT IT MAY BE FULLY APPRECIATED FOR WHAT IT IS. A GENUINE AMERICAN CLASSIC THAT WILL REMAIN RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT LITERATURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THIS IS A 10 STAR RATING IF THERE EVER WAS ONE. MOVE OVER J. D. SALINGER! FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE AUTHOR MAKES ME THINK THAT HE DOES NOT REALIZE HOW GOOD THIS BOOK REALLY IS.
I've read a lot of YA lit, including a lot of gay YA lit, and this book is very much 50/50 for me. On one hand, the writer doesn't make the entire book about the fact that the character is gay. He has a lot else going on in his life, and the well-rounded realities of the characters is appreciated. On the other hand, Peck just tries to hard to make this literature. The obsession with the dictionary is just plain irritating. The book gets off to an incredibly slow start. Too much time is spent developing the relationship with his teacher, Mrs. Miller. Much of this detail was probably necessary for him in writing the story, but should have been edited out before we had to read the story. It was superfluous character building. Less is more. I almost quit the book a few chapters in, but I was glad I hung on. The second half of the book is excellent. The attempts at dramatic irony would be a nice touch -- if he didn't find it so necessary to actually point out the irony. That just makes it feel like the audience is dumb, which I don't appreciate. Finally, if Peck is so concerned with audience interpretation that he actually points out the irony, then why the heck does he think the depressing cliffhanger ending is appropriate? It wasn't interesting. It didn't add literary merit. It was just irritating. And empty. Very much empty.
I firmly feel that YA lit plays a role in the LGBT movement, and that role is along the lines of the "It Gets Better" project. This book DOESN'T make me believe that it "It Gets Better." If I were a gay teen reading this book, it would terrify me by confirming that many of my fears about being gay were true. That sucks.
I sat with a longtime acquaintance on the train the other day; he handles YA novels for a major publisher. When I brought up a couple of my favorite YA authors (both reviewed here)who focus on gay teens, he dismissed gay books as "usually bad." A gay man dismissing gay-themed YA books as bad--without actually knowing either of the authors' work. I could have slugged him. But he's otherwise a nice guy, so I let it pass.
Having just finished Dale Peck's "Sprout," recommended to me by a friend on AfterElton's gay lit forum, I'm thinking I should have slugged my friend after all.
Before starting to write this, I read the worst reviews of "Sprout" here. I see why those reviewers were displeased, but I hasten to say they missed the point. "Sprout" is a double-edged (or, perhaps, two-sided) story. It starts out surprisingly light-hearted, and laugh-out-loud funny. It takes a very unhappy subject and turns it into a picaresque adventure of a broken man and his confused and damaged son setting off to create a new life. Or, possibly, the story of a budding novelist who is helped to discover his talent by a quirky and damaged midwestern school teacher.
But, as one complaining reviewer wrote, midway through the book things take a darker turn, and the emotional pain beneath the laughter comes rising to the surface. And with it comes love, which in turn reveals more pain. But far from putting me off, this shift in tone simply pulled me into Daniel Bradford's world more fully. It helped me understand that the strength this boy was showing was real, but also that it masked wounds that had scarred over without healing. The pain at the end of the story, which left me weeping and exhilarated at the same time, shows us that Sprout is going to be fine; that he will, after all, heal. It is not just the story of a man emerging from the hurting soul of a boy; but the emergence of a writer with a story to tell and the experience to bring it to life.
Peck's writing is very good, beautiful in many places. There is nothing non-adult about this book, nothing that a sophisticated grown-up reader wouldn't enjoy. Unless of course, he just dislikes kids. I have two teenagers, so how could I help but love this?
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