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3rd out of 5 books
—
4 voters
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am
Ben has always had it pretty easy--with no acting experience, he landed the lead in his high school musical, and he's dating the prettiest girl in school. Haunted by memories of 9/11, he makes the decision to enlist in the army--with devastating consequences. Somehow nobody ever thought Ben would be one of the soldiers affected, but after his convoy gets caught in an explo...more
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published
February 7th 2012
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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This book is the 2013 Schneider Family Book Award Teen winner. It has its ups and downs.
The very likable Ben Bright has a terrific senior year of high school with his best friend Niko and his gorgeous girlfriend Ariela. It's a shock to his liberal family and friends that he decides to enlist in the army (post 9/11) rather than going straight to college. The book is divided into sections: Before, During, and After. The Before chapters are done well. The During chapters are the smallest section,...more
The very likable Ben Bright has a terrific senior year of high school with his best friend Niko and his gorgeous girlfriend Ariela. It's a shock to his liberal family and friends that he decides to enlist in the army (post 9/11) rather than going straight to college. The book is divided into sections: Before, During, and After. The Before chapters are done well. The During chapters are the smallest section,...more
Senior Ben Bright has it all--intelligence, good looks, a great voice, a beautiful girlfriend Ariela, a close friend Niko, and a tight-knit family; all think he is headed to college and a career on Broadway, but Ben has different ideas. His pride in and love of his country and his sense of duty lead him to enlist. Three months after graduation, he's in Iraq, where he is soon injured by an IED. The resulting TBI (traumatic brain injury) and year-long "recovery" impact all in different ways. Ben m...more
Why I picked it up: Within the YALSA challenge, I’m trying to read at least one from every award/list. This is the only book on the list for the Schneider Family Book Award, so I needed it.
High school senior Ben Bright is exactly that: bright, with a bright future. He has a long-term girlfriend, a family who supports him, and is quite smart & talented. When he decides to enlist in the Army instead of going to college, he does so almost sneakily so that no one can talk him out of it. While in...more
High school senior Ben Bright is exactly that: bright, with a bright future. He has a long-term girlfriend, a family who supports him, and is quite smart & talented. When he decides to enlist in the Army instead of going to college, he does so almost sneakily so that no one can talk him out of it. While in...more
You know what sounds like an awesome storyline for a book?
“Teen goes to Iraq, is caught in an explosion, loses his memory, and must fight to regain his identity.”
Amazing, right? All brutal and socially relevant and whatnot!
Which is why I was so, so so so sad to discover that I could not care at all about anything that transpired in Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am.
The text suffered from a serious case of Show Me Don’t Tell Me, Dammit, to the point that all of the parts of the narrative that m...more
“Teen goes to Iraq, is caught in an explosion, loses his memory, and must fight to regain his identity.”
Amazing, right? All brutal and socially relevant and whatnot!
Which is why I was so, so so so sad to discover that I could not care at all about anything that transpired in Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am.
The text suffered from a serious case of Show Me Don’t Tell Me, Dammit, to the point that all of the parts of the narrative that m...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Feb 08, 2013
Sally Kruger
added it
SOMEBODY, PLEASE TELL ME WHO I AM by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis is the recent winner of the Schneider Family Book Award. It was an excellent choice!
High school senior Ben Bright surprises everyone when he decides to postpone college to enlist in the reserves. He is determined to serve his country so his family and fiance reluctantly support his decision. Not expecting immediate deployment, he heads off to boot camp.
Ben does get an Iraq assignment right out of boot camp. He assures his family...more
High school senior Ben Bright surprises everyone when he decides to postpone college to enlist in the reserves. He is determined to serve his country so his family and fiance reluctantly support his decision. Not expecting immediate deployment, he heads off to boot camp.
Ben does get an Iraq assignment right out of boot camp. He assures his family...more
From the publisher:
Ben lives a charmed life - effortlessly landing the lead in the high school musical, dating the prettiest girl in school. When he decides to enlist in the army, no one thinks he'll be in read danger. But his decision has devastating consequences: His convoy get caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is - or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben pe...more
Ben lives a charmed life - effortlessly landing the lead in the high school musical, dating the prettiest girl in school. When he decides to enlist in the army, no one thinks he'll be in read danger. But his decision has devastating consequences: His convoy get caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is - or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben pe...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Harry Mazer has a talent for looking at the affects of war on young people, and his newest novel does just that. Ben Bright has the potential for a great future in the theater. He is in love with his high school sweetheart. He also feels a great deal for his country and feels obligated to sign up to join the reserves to help in this time of war. As you can imagine, his friends and family are worried about him and the dangers he will face. Unfortunately, their worries are not for naught as Ben is...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Ben Bright is about to graduate from high school. He's an accomplished student, a talented actor/singer, dedicated boyfriend and brother. He's got everything going for him, except for the fact that he has yet to explain to all his loved ones that he's about enlist in the US Army.
Boot camp gives way to deployment, everyone's worst fear. While on a routine mission, Ben's vehicle rolls over an IED, leaving all of its passengers with life-threatening injuries. Ben receives a massive brain injury th...more
Boot camp gives way to deployment, everyone's worst fear. While on a routine mission, Ben's vehicle rolls over an IED, leaving all of its passengers with life-threatening injuries. Ben receives a massive brain injury th...more
This book was really close to home for me because I have many very close friends that are in the armed forces. So when I got this book in the mail I was very hesitant on reading it. I knew that this was going to be very hard for me to read, but I am really glad that I did.
Ben wants to be different. He wants to do something that everyone he knows is not doing. He signed up for the army. To normal people this might be something that everyone does, but to this family this really doesn't happen. His...more
Ben wants to be different. He wants to do something that everyone he knows is not doing. He signed up for the army. To normal people this might be something that everyone does, but to this family this really doesn't happen. His...more
This was a heartwrenching book for me. I worked at our local VA clinic and got to know my PTSD guys really well. Most of them were Vietnam vets with a couple of older guys from the Korean war and a couple of younger kids from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was heartbreaking to realize that these guys lives have been completely and totally ruined by what they experienced at war. It made me angry to think that we send these kids over there into hell and then expect them to come home and be "normal." Wel...more
Ben, a high school senior who has everything going for him, including a great girlfriend, the lead in the school musical, a loving family, and a loyal best friend, does the unthinkable -- he enlists in the army and is sent to fight in Iraq. This short book is targeted to reluctant high school boys, though I think they'll struggle with it as much as I did. Ben suffers a traumatic brain injury, and most of the novel is about his recovery and his loved ones' reactions to it. Mazer has just packed t...more
A highly realistic tale of a senior in high school who is bright and a gifted actor--and chooses to join the military reserves, to the shock of friends, family, and his girlfriend.
The characters are among the most three-dimensional and true to life I've seen in a YA novel, the parents as well as teens. In a brief but fully described section of this short novel, the authors pull no punches about the realities of military life and service in Iraq.
Harrowing and heartbreaking, but hope is never co...more
The characters are among the most three-dimensional and true to life I've seen in a YA novel, the parents as well as teens. In a brief but fully described section of this short novel, the authors pull no punches about the realities of military life and service in Iraq.
Harrowing and heartbreaking, but hope is never co...more
This book was pretty good considering it's written on a topic that isn't one of my favourites. I only read it because it showed up under "Autism-Fiction" on the library's site. The autistic character, Chris, was not important to the plot until near the end. I was highly offended by one character's claim that autistic people "don't feel anything toward other people." Of course, the character who said this was going through a rough situation and immediately apologized. Also, Chris was lower-functi...more
Everyone expects Ben to go to college or to pursue an acting career when he graduates from high school, so they're pretty surprised and upset when they find out that he's enlisted in the army instead. As his girlfriend Ariela and best friend Niko try to come to terms with what that means, Ben is injured in Iraq and comes home with a brain injury. Unable to remember anyone or even communicate clearly, Ben is trying to get his life back, while those around him are trying to hold onto hope.
This sho...more
This sho...more
This book is about a talented high schooler who had it all. Talent in acting and singing, wonderful friends and family, and a great girlfriend. He in lists in the Army and heads off to boot camp. He ends up going to Iraq and gets hit by a roadside bomb. This attack left Ben with a brain injury that changed his and his family lives forever.
Another side is that Ben's brother is Autistic, which brought a lot of wonderful addition to the story. His brother is the first person Ben really remembers.
I...more
Another side is that Ben's brother is Autistic, which brought a lot of wonderful addition to the story. His brother is the first person Ben really remembers.
I...more
Anything I think to write about this book turns about to be about what was missing. The character starts out fairly well fleshed out, but I felt he was never very clear about why he chose to join the reserves, odd considering he went against all his family and friends to do so. There was only one scene from Iraq, a place that obviously plays a pivotal role in Ben's life and the story. Once Ben returns to the US, the jumps in time are too long, so much must be happening in the mean time. And fina...more
I like that this book gives kids the opportunity to explore some important issues and difficult realities, especially the difficulties of dealing with traumatic brain injury not just on the patient, but also on everyone around them. However, I was hoping for more. I felt like the book kind of just skimmed the surface of what Ben and his family were going through and there was not enough depth in any of the characters or their situations to allow me to really invest in them or ultimately care abo...more
After graduating high school, Ben Bright decides to join the army and heads overseas to fight for his country. When an IED explodes and he gets caught in the blast, he ends up in a hospital bed without memories, speech or motor skills. Snapshots of daily life give the reader insights into the reactions of Ben's family and friends, as well as his internal struggle to regain his memories. Short and to the point, Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I am could be a story of any boy off to war, and those wh...more
Ben enlists in the army, is shipped off the Middle East, and returns home wounded. He has a traumatic brain injury, and he's experiencing difficulty remembering things as well as difficulty speaking and doing all the things he used to be able to do. This story chronicles his family and friends' reaction to his return.
I'm not a fan of war stories, but I did enjoy this one. The best part about this book is that it won a Schneider award, presumably because one of Ben's brothers has autism, and I th...more
I'm not a fan of war stories, but I did enjoy this one. The best part about this book is that it won a Schneider award, presumably because one of Ben's brothers has autism, and I th...more
This was a fast read and should appeal to reluctant readers and/or those who prefer realistic fiction on current topics. A good fictional intro to traumatic brain injuries and the effects of war on the soldiers and family and friends. The story could have used some more fleshing out for me though. There was a lot here but nothing too in depth. At first I thought the brother with autism was perhaps just another issue the authors decided to toss in, but the relationship of the brothers proved to b...more
Engaging, tight novel shows the before, during, and after of one high schooler who enlists in the U.S. military: his reasoning for enlisting, his most crucial experience serving, and the aftermath of that tragedy.
This isn't every soldier's story -- it doesn't sum up the issue, nor does it try to. It's not completely pro or against serving -- although with the events it depicts, it does aim for serious pondering and soul-searching on the topic.
Add to that a plot that balances multiple characters,...more
This isn't every soldier's story -- it doesn't sum up the issue, nor does it try to. It's not completely pro or against serving -- although with the events it depicts, it does aim for serious pondering and soul-searching on the topic.
Add to that a plot that balances multiple characters,...more
Great cover on this quick read about Ben Bright (who initially resembles a certain Glee character) who decides to defy expectations and enlist instead of heading to college. When he suffers a traumatic brain injury, we're treated to glimses into the experience of the family, friends, and fiance who are struggling to cope with his condition. We also take brief dips into Ben's fractured consciousness. The skips along the 18-month timeline may keep the reader from connecting too deeply with the ind...more
This is a very real, very sad book about one very talented young man who follows his sense of patriotism and enlists in the army after high school, much to the consternation of his friends, parents and girlfriend. When he suffers a traumatic brain injury and is sent home, not only is Ben's life changed forever, but everyone who cares about him also must adjust to "a new reality". Probably should be required reading for every young person before they enlist. Very short and easy to read, although...more
Ben was a senior in high school and loved to act and sing. But unknown to anyone, instead of attending college, he decided to enlist in the reserves. He kept telling everyone that he would not be going to war. But he did. And he was seriously wounded by a roadside IED. The story documents his struggle to overcome traumatic brain injury and how his family and friends dealt with it. The resulting end, came a little too quickly, and just a little too patand convenient. The story is worth the read a...more
I read this for a review in the newsletter I edit; it won the Schneider Family Book Award in the teen category. The annual award is given to an author or illustrator of a book that includes the disability experience of a character. Now I will read the children and middle school books.
Summary fom the ALA site:
“Ben surprises everyone by enlisting in the army after his high school graduation. When his convoy is caught in an IED explosion, Ben suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI), resulting in mem...more
Summary fom the ALA site:
“Ben surprises everyone by enlisting in the army after his high school graduation. When his convoy is caught in an IED explosion, Ben suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI), resulting in mem...more
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Harry Mazer is an American author of books for children and young adults, acclaimed for his 'realistic' novels. He has written twenty-two novels, including The Solid Gold Kid, The Island Keeper, Heroes Don't Run, and Snow Bound, which was adapted as an NBC After school special, as well as one work of poetry and a few short stories.
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