The Crazy Horse Electric Game - Hardcover

Crutcher, Chris

3.88

1,086 ratings by Goodreads

9780688066833: The Crazy Horse Electric Game

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688066836 ISBN 13: 9780688066833

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1987

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A freak accident in his sixteenth year leaves star athlete Willie Weaver without his once-marvelous physical talents. Betrayed by his father, his girl, and his body, he goes on the run, ending up penniless and terrified on the treacherous streets of Oakland, California.

The Crazy Horse Electric Game is the rugged, sometimes humorous, story of Willie's two-year fight back in a world of street toughs and pimps, and in a magical school aptly dubbedd One More Last Chance High -- where he finds that human dignity comes in a wide assortment of shapes and colors.

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About the Author:

Chris Crutcher grew up in Cascade, Idaho, and now lives in Spokane, Washington. He is the critically acclaimed author of six novels and a collection of short stories for teenagers, all chosen as ALA Best Books. In 2000, he was awarded the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Drawing on his experience as an athlete, teacher, family therapist, and child protection specialist, he unflinchingly writes about real and often-ignored issues that face teenagers today.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 8 Up The title refers to the game for the Eastern Montana American Legion baseball championship, as the star pitcher, Willie Weaver, leads his team against the powerful squad from Crazy Horse Electric. But the emphasis of the novel shifts quickly away from baseball after Willie suffers a head injury in a water skiing accident. Unable to accept the loss of his athletic prowess, the pity of others, and his parents' troubled marriage, Willie runs away and ends up in the inner city of Oakland, California. After being beaten and robbed by a gang, Willie is rescued by a black bus driver/pimp, who enrolls Willie in a school for troubled youths. Thanks to the understanding staff of the school, Willie regains his mental and physical abilities and his self-confidence. He returns home to Montana, however, to learn that there is no longer a place for him in the lives of those he left. If nothing else, Crutcher manages to cram many of the most popular themes of young adult novels into this book, as Willie faces the crib death of his sister, divorce, drugs, sexual feelings, gang violence, mental handicaps, physical handicaps, prostitution, child beating, and more. Willie's present-tense narration is annoying, and does not work well for this story that covers several years. The author is best in the effective description of Willie's effort to recover from his injury. But this is the best that can be said for a novel that often seems contrived. Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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