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A review by lorathelibrarian
Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
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.