Title: Athletic Shorts
Author: Chris Crutcher
Summary: Crutcher is at his best with this collection of six sports-related short stories. Crutcher’s heroes are clever and entertaining and he doesn’t shy away from presenting serious, and occasionally controversial, topics such as homophobia, body image, father-son discord, sexism, death, racism, disabilites and AIDS.
Who will like this book?: Those who like controversial books featuring real-life situations in all their rawness. Also, while Crutcher almost always features sports in his writing, his stories hold definite appeal to those who are not athletically inclined. Crutcher’s heros are those people who stand-up for what is right and usually don’t quite fit in with the norm.
If you like this, try this: Other Crutcher books, such as Whale Talk, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and The Sledding Hill.
Recommended by: Jen, Branch Teen Librarian