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laura_m_j's review
5.0
I really liked this book and may just sit down and read it again. I will also read all of his books again this summer. Teachers could do an entire class on this book alone.
I thought the novellas tied together very well through themes - first amendment rights, bigotry, prejudice, you name it! The characters were so strong! I loved them all.
The Psychologist observations added a nice touch of humor.
I thought the novellas tied together very well through themes - first amendment rights, bigotry, prejudice, you name it! The characters were so strong! I loved them all.
The Psychologist observations added a nice touch of humor.
readwithpassion's review
4.0
Chris Crutcher is, in my opinion, one of the best young adult authors out there. His books appeal to every type of kid. I loved this book. It was different than I expected. I thought it was going to be about an anger management class. Instead, it links the stories from Crutcher's previous novels. The reader does not need to have read these novels to understand the characters, as this novel can stand alone. The novel is separated into three stories, each pairing two characters. The only reason I gave four stars instead of five was because I became very invested in the characters, and the stories ended too soon for me. I felt like I was reading three novellas, and, selfishly, I wanted more.
A preview of some of the characters:
Sarah Byrnes was burned by her father when she was three. She has a scar on her face and doesn't feel beautiful. Her mother abandoned her, leaving her with her abusive father.
Angus Bethune is overweight and lacks self-confidence. His parents are each in a public, homosexual relationship with another partner.
Montana West is adopted, and she is tired of dealing with her arrogant, right-fighting father. Her parents have decided to give up on her younger sister, who is also adopted, because she is defiant.
Trey Chase's parents died. He is mixed race and very handsome.
Marcus James is black, gay, and living in the inland Northwest, where he is not accepted. Some of the school football players hang a pink noose on his locker.
Matt Miller is a devout Christian, and is tired of the way other Christians look down upon the homosexual population.
The stories are all connected in that they are all concerned with anger: how we deal with it and how others respond to it.
I highly recommend this book.
A preview of some of the characters:
Sarah Byrnes was burned by her father when she was three. She has a scar on her face and doesn't feel beautiful. Her mother abandoned her, leaving her with her abusive father.
Angus Bethune is overweight and lacks self-confidence. His parents are each in a public, homosexual relationship with another partner.
Montana West is adopted, and she is tired of dealing with her arrogant, right-fighting father. Her parents have decided to give up on her younger sister, who is also adopted, because she is defiant.
Trey Chase's parents died. He is mixed race and very handsome.
Marcus James is black, gay, and living in the inland Northwest, where he is not accepted. Some of the school football players hang a pink noose on his locker.
Matt Miller is a devout Christian, and is tired of the way other Christians look down upon the homosexual population.
The stories are all connected in that they are all concerned with anger: how we deal with it and how others respond to it.
I highly recommend this book.
allmadhere106's review
4.0
I pretty much love everything that Crutcher does. Here, he provides a work of fiction which features several of his previously used characters such as Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes. In this novel, the characters meet up at an "angry management" group and then their respective stories move forward from there. It's split up into three novellas that are both fast paced and easily reminiscent of Crutcher's other work. A very fun read.
lorathelibrarian's review
4.0
I once had a children's lit professor that saw me reading Whale Talk in the hallway. She said that she loved Crutcher's books, but Whale Talk seemed to go a bit overboard and every "issue" was in the story. At the time I couldn't agree because I was completely wrapped up in TJ's story. However, once I picked up Angry Management I kept hearing my professor's words in my head. This book is packed with issues that teenagers deal with from the difficult (abusive family, racism, abandonment, etc) to the things that every teenager deals with (self-esteem). I LOVE Crutcher's books and I don't want to sound like I'm excusing this "packing" technique he has, but I feel the need to explain it.
Angry Management is three novellas about teens in a counseling group, and they are all connected by the group leader (who profiles each kid). As I was reading the leaders sections I could almost hear Crutcher reading it to me, knowing he got all of this from his experiences as a counselor.
What sets this book apart from other short stories is that each of these novellas is a continuation of one of Crutcher's other books or a melding of his famous characters. The first has Sarah Brynes meeting Angus. It was delightful. The second pairs Montana West and Trey Chase (but I can't remember where they appear in Crutcher's past works) The third is set in TJ's (Whale Talk) high school a few years after he has left.
This book did not disappoint. It almost read like fanfiction with all the wonderful characters meeting and interacting. I loved that each of the novellas could stand on their own, but were also somehow connected. I would recommend this to anyone who's a fan of Crutcher. To those who have never read his work, stop and before you read Angry Management pick up Whale Talk and Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes, at lease.
Angry Management is three novellas about teens in a counseling group, and they are all connected by the group leader (who profiles each kid). As I was reading the leaders sections I could almost hear Crutcher reading it to me, knowing he got all of this from his experiences as a counselor.
What sets this book apart from other short stories is that each of these novellas is a continuation of one of Crutcher's other books or a melding of his famous characters. The first has Sarah Brynes meeting Angus. It was delightful. The second pairs Montana West and Trey Chase (but I can't remember where they appear in Crutcher's past works) The third is set in TJ's (Whale Talk) high school a few years after he has left.
This book did not disappoint. It almost read like fanfiction with all the wonderful characters meeting and interacting. I loved that each of the novellas could stand on their own, but were also somehow connected. I would recommend this to anyone who's a fan of Crutcher. To those who have never read his work, stop and before you read Angry Management pick up Whale Talk and Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes, at lease.
dlberglund's review
4.0
There are other people on Goodreads who have written excellent reviews of this book, so many that I was tempted to "Like" a whole slew of them and call it quits on writing my own. For any of my friends who actually read my reviews, though, here is my take.
Angry Management is really a set of three short stories tied together with the premise that Mr. Nak is leading an anger management group for teens in rural northern Idaho/southeastern Washington. Each of the three stories tells about 2 kids in the anger management group, the schools they go to, and a conflict they face. Most of the characters appeared in some form in another of Crutcher's books; some of them I hadn't read and now would like to, to see their original context.
Overall, I liked the book a great deal. The first story, about Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes, was good, heartbreaking. The second story (about Montana Wild and Trey somebody) didn't ring true for me. The "bad guys" in the story were only 2 dimensional, and made me more frustrated than anything else. This story, on its own, was the piece of Crutcher writing I have liked least of anything of his I have read.
The third story, however, was excellent. (I won't say perfect--other reviewers have pointed out some flaws--but it was excellent.) Marcus James and Matt Miller are endearing, struggling high schoolers. The overall plot, with its dual bigotry, was riveting. Maybe it seems extreme to some, but I believed in Marcus. I have to let go of my hate for the town a little, but this story is worth the read. Unless you are an obsessive Crutcher fan, I actually think it might be better if you HAVEN'T read Whale Talk, which is the seed for this story.
Angry Management is really a set of three short stories tied together with the premise that Mr. Nak is leading an anger management group for teens in rural northern Idaho/southeastern Washington. Each of the three stories tells about 2 kids in the anger management group, the schools they go to, and a conflict they face. Most of the characters appeared in some form in another of Crutcher's books; some of them I hadn't read and now would like to, to see their original context.
Overall, I liked the book a great deal. The first story, about Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes, was good, heartbreaking. The second story (about Montana Wild and Trey somebody) didn't ring true for me. The "bad guys" in the story were only 2 dimensional, and made me more frustrated than anything else. This story, on its own, was the piece of Crutcher writing I have liked least of anything of his I have read.
The third story, however, was excellent. (I won't say perfect--other reviewers have pointed out some flaws--but it was excellent.) Marcus James and Matt Miller are endearing, struggling high schoolers. The overall plot, with its dual bigotry, was riveting. Maybe it seems extreme to some, but I believed in Marcus. I have to let go of my hate for the town a little, but this story is worth the read. Unless you are an obsessive Crutcher fan, I actually think it might be better if you HAVEN'T read Whale Talk, which is the seed for this story.
sandylovesbooks's review
5.0
Can I add more stars for this book? I would give it a 10 star rating. This was such a powerful book. Three short stories. The first was very good but the second and third stories were more than amazing.
It is a SC Young Adult Award Nominee book and parents and students should read it and then talk to each other about it. This book was brought to my attention because a father of a student in another county in SC wanted to ban it. That made me want to read it more. Go to the authors website and you can read up on that issue.
Read this book you won't regret it.
It is a SC Young Adult Award Nominee book and parents and students should read it and then talk to each other about it. This book was brought to my attention because a father of a student in another county in SC wanted to ban it. That made me want to read it more. Go to the authors website and you can read up on that issue.
Read this book you won't regret it.
penalew's review
5.0
Just like the first time I met Sarah Byrnes, I stayed up till I read it all the way through.
jshorton's review
4.0
All things Chris Crutcher are awesome. These short stories that interconnect his characters from previous novels into an anger management class blew me away. Wow.