Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2007). TWISTED. New York: Speak. ISBN 9780142411841
2. Plot Summary
Tyler has always been a good student until the summer before his senior year he decides to spray paint the school. Of course he is caught and arrested. Tyler ends up working with the custodial staff of the school and being assigned a probation officer. "Mandatory community service the judge said (1). "Girls would look straight at me and never see the writhing masculine beast hidden inside my hundred thirty-five pounds of veal-white-man-flesh. So at the end of my junior year, I decide to do something bold" (9). Now everyone is noticing him, even his crush. "Bethany was the Alpha Female of George Washington High-the most beautiful, the most popular, the queen bee. She was also the daughter of my dad's boss, and the sister of the guy who had been making my life hell for years" (8). Tyler's life is changing and his senior year is going to be an adventure of a lifetime.
3. Critical Analysis
The setting of the story takes place in a suburban community. That is composed of middle class and upper class society that can be related to any town or city. The plot of the story is self vs. self. Tyler the main character is conflicted throughout the story trying to make the right decisions to be a good person. He tells the story as it plays out with a boyish style that intrigues the reader. "I was working forty feet above the ground, breathing in sulfur fumes from Satan's vomitorium, for free" (1). The typical influences of his family and the peer pressure from high school pressure him to what decisions he should make. "Meet my mother: pet photographer, cake baker, nice lady who smells of gin" (6). The plot is believable, but takes many twists and turns that are totally unexpected. The reader does not want to put down the book once they start reading. The characterizations in the book is excellent. The reader feels the emotions and turmoil the character faces with every turn of the page. "Maybe my family had joined the witness protection program in exchange for testifying about what a loser I was" (27). Tyler's thoughts and actions are common to most teenage boys. "But there I was in front of one of my mother's cakes (my sainted, blessed mother) and a pretty girl and my stomach had shut down" (38). The character is believable with both positive and negative qualities. "A lot of kids would tell you that being taken away in a squad car was the coolest thing I had ever done" (45). The reader will learn to care about all of his qualities has he works to redeem himself through the book to do the right thing. "It gave me choice. I could become the new Lord of Darkness myself, or I could take a gamble and be reincarnated. I chose wisely" (250). The theme of the story growing up and learning who we are is universal to audiences of all ages. Everyone has problems and reading this story will help young adults and adults realize that they can do the right thing. The reader is left with a wonderful experience that they will never forget.
4. Review Excerpts
BOOKLIST: "The dialogue occasionally has the cliched feel of a teen movie ("Party's over." "We're just getting started. And I don't remember inviting you"). What works well here is the frank, on-target humor ("I was a zit on the butt of the student body"), the taut pacing, and the small moments, recounted in Tyler's first-person voice, that illuminate his emotional anguish. Writing for the first time from a male perspective, Anderson skillfully explores identity and power struggles that all young people will recognize."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Teenage concerns with sex, alcohol, grades, and family are all tackled with honesty and candor. Once again, Anderson's taut, confident writing will cause this story to linger long after the book is set down."
5. Connections
Excellent novel for a book club. The author talks about many issues that teens are faced with while growing up and at the end of the book is a reading group guide.
Other books about growing up:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. SPEAK. ISBN9780142414736
Asher, Jay. THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. ISBN9781595141880
Green, John. PAPER TOWNS. ISBN 9780142414934
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