Who the Man - Hardcover

Lynch, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0066239389 ISBN 13: 9780066239385

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

Earl got big.
Or, rather,
big got Earl.

Earl Pryor is the biggest thirteen-year-old anyone ever saw. He's taller than a lot of grown-ups. He's got a hairy chest. He shaves. High school kids ask him to buy them beer.

Everyone thinks Earl's so tough, such a troublemaker, such a man. They come to him looking for a fight. And Earl will fight them. But he's not so tough: He loves his mom, loves his dad. Still, a man's got to take care of himself. He's got to make people respect him. If Earl's dad has taught him anything, he's taught him that.

When Earl gets suspended from school for a week for fighting, he figures he'll fill up the days somehow. But a lot can happen in a week. His family is falling apart. Everything he counted on is falling apart, and Earl's still learning what it really means to be a man.

About this title

About the Author:

Chris Lynch is the Printz Honor Award-winning author of several highly acclaimed young adult novels, including Freewill, Gold Dust, Iceman, Gypsy Davy, and Shadowboxer, all ALA Best Books for Young Adults. He is also the author of Extreme Elvin, Whitechurch, and All The Old Haunts. He holds an M.A. from the writing program at Emerson College. He mentors aspiring writers and continues to work on new literary projects. He lives in Boston and in Scotland.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-At 13, Earl is bigger and physically more mature than the other kids in his school, and he doesn't hesitate to use violence to handle conflicts. His tough-talking father actually eggs him on and encourages him to take care of himself. The novel follows a week in the boy's life after he has been suspended from school for fighting. In a rhythmic first-person narration, Lynch gets inside the head of the type of student who exists in many schools-the misunderstood kid whose confusion and anger gets him pegged as a brute and a bully, yet hidden beneath are layers of sensitivity, vulnerability, and loneliness. Readers are privy to Earl's confused thoughts about his parents, religion, his one friend, and an older girl on whom he has a crush. During that same week, he shows the first inklings of a new understanding of the world, learning that most situations are not black and white, and right and wrong are not defined in terms of absolutes. Things come to a head when Earl spots his father with another woman. In a conclusion that seems somewhat hurried and jumps ahead in time, he is last seen adjusting to his parents' divorce and is beginning to understand himself better. While there isn't much story here, the novel successfully captures the nuances of Earl's character, and is superbly written.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0066239389
• ISBN 13: 9780066239385
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192