Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Paranoid Park
by
Blake Nelson (Goodreads Author)
It was an accident. He didn't mean to kill the security guard with his skateboard - it was self-defense. But there's no one to back up his story. No one even knows he was at Paranoid Park. Should he confess, or can he get away with it? It's an ethical question no one should have to answer.
Writing more intensely than ever before, Blake Nelson delivers a film noir in book fo...more
Writing more intensely than ever before, Blake Nelson delivers a film noir in book fo...more
Paperback, 180 pages
Published
February 28th 2008
by Puffin
(first published September 21st 2006)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,163)
Imagine killing someone and having to deal with it for the rest of your life. How do you think you would feel? Well in the book Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson this kid(never say his name) has the courage to go to a park by himself when his friend Jared decides to go get laid.
When he goes to the park he meets new people which lead him into trouble. When he finds out that he accidentally killed a security guard he is really terrified. He is freaking out, he is clueless. The main character's name i...more
When he goes to the park he meets new people which lead him into trouble. When he finds out that he accidentally killed a security guard he is really terrified. He is freaking out, he is clueless. The main character's name i...more
I heard about this from Fresh Air, during an interview with the author of this now-movie. It's an epistolary novel of unsent letters, similar to confessions in a diary. The protagonist, a high school boy, accidentally participated in the death of a railyard security guard after visiting the infamous Paranoid skate park in Portland. He spends the rest of the novel paranoid about the results of his actions, questioning his guilt/innocence, who he can trust, and how this will effect the rest of his...more
1 like
·
like
· see review
Nov 18, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
If you dare visit Paranoid Park in Portland, Oregon, you will find the Streeters and the Preps. In Blake Nelson's new novel, PARANOID PARK, the reader enters the dark side of the skate park world along with the main character, who happens to be one of the Preps.
Paranoid Park is the nickname for an old skate park being used by the less desirable Streeters. While visiting the park, the main character is dared to jump a train car wit...more
If you dare visit Paranoid Park in Portland, Oregon, you will find the Streeters and the Preps. In Blake Nelson's new novel, PARANOID PARK, the reader enters the dark side of the skate park world along with the main character, who happens to be one of the Preps.
Paranoid Park is the nickname for an old skate park being used by the less desirable Streeters. While visiting the park, the main character is dared to jump a train car wit...more
1 like
·
like
· see review
Ad un giovane americano di sedici anni, amante dello skate succede qualcosa d'irreparabile ed inizia a scrivere un diario per sgravarsi del peso che hanno le cose non dette, le tragedie non spiegabili a voce, i silenzi sotto il peso del senso di colpa.
Ho trovato dei buoni spunti di riflessione per pensare a ciò che può accadere nella testa di un adolescente, per interpretare certi momenti "così" che tutti i giovani prima o poi attraversano. Si nota che il libro è scritto da un adulto che tenta...more
Ho trovato dei buoni spunti di riflessione per pensare a ciò che può accadere nella testa di un adolescente, per interpretare certi momenti "così" che tutti i giovani prima o poi attraversano. Si nota che il libro è scritto da un adulto che tenta...more
In short : a gripping story. I love how the main character remains anonymous, I find this heightens the reader's empathy with this young man trapped into a dilemma : to give oneself up or to remain silent. The author does not bring a definite answer and lets the reader make his choice. A powerful read.
Full review (in French)
http://callioprofs.com/CallioWiki/ind...
Ce livre commence comme une confession. Celle d’un adolescent anonyme, envoyant des lettres à une jeune fille avec laquelle il entreti...more
Full review (in French)
http://callioprofs.com/CallioWiki/ind...
Ce livre commence comme une confession. Celle d’un adolescent anonyme, envoyant des lettres à une jeune fille avec laquelle il entreti...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It's extremely rare that I read a book in one day, let alone in one sitting, but Paranoid Park had me gripped from the first page. I read this primarily because I wanted to watch the Gus Van Sant film, but always prefer to read a book before seeing the film adaptation. I knew the basic background - a teenage skater accidentally kills a security guard;
When the train finally released him - ripping the collar off his coat - it left him sprawled over the track. He lay there, unmoving for a whole sec...more
When the train finally released him - ripping the collar off his coat - it left him sprawled over the track. He lay there, unmoving for a whole sec...more
2 likes
·
like
· see review
This is a YA novel, so I wasn't expecting highbrow literature when I picked it up. I was mainly interested in reading the book before seeing the movie. But I was really surprised by how much I liked this book, and how well it's written. It takes one single moment (in this case, an accidental murder), and discusses the aftermath in a universal and somehow specific way, relating it to larger themes (identity, divorce, high school, authority). Some great passages:
"But it was too late now. And losin...more
"But it was too late now. And losin...more
Paranoid Park was a really interesting novel, and a fast read. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it first, I don't know much about skateboarding, but it really pulled me in after the first ten pages or so. The thing that I liked most about this novel is the way that Nelson wrote it. The short and choppy chapters and sentences made the reader feel the same anxiety that Alex was feeling. He also paced the action just right so that as soon as your interest in one crisis wavered, another one was...more
Written as a series of letters or journal entries for an unknown person, Paranoid Park is the story of a young skateboarder from Portland, Oregon dealing with the normal issues of adolescence- his parents are getting divorced, he’s a senior with some serious choices ahead of him, he has a new girlfriend, but he also is part of an unsolved death which may or may not be considered murder.
The typical feeling of adolescence, that feeling of going through something by yourself without anyone to talk...more
The typical feeling of adolescence, that feeling of going through something by yourself without anyone to talk...more
I can not find my review so I hope this isn't a duplicate.
This book offers lots of topics for conversation about family, friends, trust, the law, school.
I wonder who we go to when we need to confide the awfulness of our lives? How do we sort out the bad from the really bad when we're kids. In retrospect, my dilemmas were of limited consequence; I certainly didn't kill anyone, yet I had things I wanted to tell. Looking back from my adult perspective I see that really these were small, yet I dwel...more
This book offers lots of topics for conversation about family, friends, trust, the law, school.
I wonder who we go to when we need to confide the awfulness of our lives? How do we sort out the bad from the really bad when we're kids. In retrospect, my dilemmas were of limited consequence; I certainly didn't kill anyone, yet I had things I wanted to tell. Looking back from my adult perspective I see that really these were small, yet I dwel...more
Well a fairly good book and I also enjoyed the Gus Van Sant movie. A fine adaptation.
the book would probably appeal to many young people today because of the references to the skater subculture and because honestly it is quite cool. Portland is a fine backdrop for this dramatic tale where some young kids accidentally get themselves into serious trouble - or rather cause a problem - because they were doing what some kids do, goofing around.
The one issue with the story I have is that the serious...more
the book would probably appeal to many young people today because of the references to the skater subculture and because honestly it is quite cool. Portland is a fine backdrop for this dramatic tale where some young kids accidentally get themselves into serious trouble - or rather cause a problem - because they were doing what some kids do, goofing around.
The one issue with the story I have is that the serious...more
Jan 07, 2010
Clinton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Clinton by:
My English Teacher
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
this book is about a boy who is a skater and finds himself in a problem when he go's to paranoid park by himself to skate because his friend jarred went out of town. when he go's he mets some exposed people meaning crazy and does anyhting with their life.if u want to find out more about it then go pick it up in the libary
Oh, man. Wow. This book is suffocating. It so vividly captured what it might be like to be a good person, caught up in something so terrible, something that is yours and yours alone, that you can't share with anyone. You feel the weight and isolation of this truly terrible secret and what it must be like to force yourself through the day-to-day in the mean time. Just wondering if this poor kid will ever get out from under it. It is so good and so grim and so real, which is what made it so terrif...more
Apr 15, 2010
Laura
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-literature,
fiction
The unnamed narrator (no, he's not named Alex -- that's the name he was given for the movie, so those of you who keep saying, "Alex, the narrator" and what have you -- well, guess what, you just tipped your hand and I'm going to tell your teachers on all of you, so FEAR ME) accidentally kills a security guard in a train yard and has to live with the aftermath.
Another very fine, well-written YA from Blake Nelson. Nelson maintains tension throughout while still deftly examining the moral issues su...more
Another very fine, well-written YA from Blake Nelson. Nelson maintains tension throughout while still deftly examining the moral issues su...more
1 like
·
like
· see review
Paranoid Park: I liked it, but I certainly didn't love it. You can't deny it's gritty, realistic tone. Unfortunately, due to the some of the more graphic scenes, this isn't a novel that I'd be 100% comfortable book-talking enthusiastically. Granted, I think those graphic moments are necessary to the "authenticity" of the story, but it might be a little too much for some of my 7th graders. I've got to admit that I'm a bit disappointed that I can't recommend this book with great gusto, because I d...more
Fast-paced, convincing. In some ways I wanted more resolution at the end. But at the same time I think it's an interesting thought to imagine the young narrator in the future as someone who has never truly revealed his secret. Also, I visited Portland for the first time this past summer, and it was fun to read this book actually knowing some of the landmarks that the author references. (Not to mention that I ordered my copy of this book--autographed--from Powell's!)
I'm a Blake Nelson devotee. No...more
I'm a Blake Nelson devotee. No...more
Jul 01, 2011
Sandra Strange
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
not-recommended
Narrator and protagonist of this novel is a skater with remote parents and few friends, so he chooses to walk on the edge with a "streeter" to his "prep." He gets into a flight that leaves an authority dead--mostly by accident. The rest of the book is his trying to escape consequences of his actions and still get through the guilt and bad feelings and fear his experience brings him. The language is foul and crude about women and sex, the attitude is amoral--probably truly reflecting language and...more
I really appreciated the simplicity of this plot line. There are a couple of subplots, but they seriously pale and merely demonstrate the ramifications of the central line - that of a teen dealing with the guilt of commiting manslaughter. I kept expecting the plot to explode and become this whole other monster, but the author is wise in keeping his focus pointed. It's a wrenching, angsty but quick read with lots of guy appeal. I will book talk this to the next high school kids I get ahold of. Sp...more
I found this story to be not as exciting as I would have liked but still a decent book. A very quick read for me and overall not bad but I've read better.
It's basically the story of an insecure teenage skater boy who is suffering from the guilt of having accidentally murdered a guard at a railway track. He was follow along with his 'cooler' friend when everything went wrong and they caused the death. The guilt of his actions eats him up inside & makes him feel completely alone as if he cann...more
It's basically the story of an insecure teenage skater boy who is suffering from the guilt of having accidentally murdered a guard at a railway track. He was follow along with his 'cooler' friend when everything went wrong and they caused the death. The guilt of his actions eats him up inside & makes him feel completely alone as if he cann...more
This book was a little on my good side. I really like this book because it had a good side and a bad side to it. When the boy didnt know what to do people tried to help but he just kept messing himself over by talking about it and being nervous.Also the characters were amazing the author had a way with making the characters up. I would reconmend this book to my friends and family members. Also i would love to read more books by this author. I rate this book a 8 because the way it was set up. It...more
Why can't I find a YA book with a main character that's a skater and actually focus on stakeboarding throughout the novel? Slam is really about a baby-daddy. Skate is really about a runaway. Paranoid Park is really about guilt, and the author's attempt to write a modern-day version of Crime and Punishment. How many ways can you stress that the main character feels guilty about what he did? Apparently quite a few. Nelson, the author, understood Dostoyevsky's focus on the effects of guilt but miss...more
The two best quotes in the book?
"Maybe I could meet a girl somewhere, a Canadian girl. I could live behind her house and we could get married and change our names and... I don't know what... grow vegetables, listen to Bright Eyes, hang out in hammocks..."
"Part of the problem was momentum. It was hard to stop a lie once it got going. Also, layers of other things built up over time. Secrets had a way of getting buried under the every day routines of life. And once they were deep underground, they...more
"Maybe I could meet a girl somewhere, a Canadian girl. I could live behind her house and we could get married and change our names and... I don't know what... grow vegetables, listen to Bright Eyes, hang out in hammocks..."
"Part of the problem was momentum. It was hard to stop a lie once it got going. Also, layers of other things built up over time. Secrets had a way of getting buried under the every day routines of life. And once they were deep underground, they...more
Sep 03, 2009
Angeluismanzueta
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009-summer-reading-books
a 16 year old teen, alex accidently causes a death of a sercurity guard he wants to call the police but he cant he tries to tell an adult but he still can't, he cant seem to decide anything but then when a cop comes to school he decides to tell the truth or not.
i would relate this book to the afterlife because in the afterlife he was killed but this book he is killing someone just that there is a murdering in the book.
i would rate this book 5 stars because it has murdering mystery and thriller i...more
i would relate this book to the afterlife because in the afterlife he was killed but this book he is killing someone just that there is a murdering in the book.
i would rate this book 5 stars because it has murdering mystery and thriller i...more
Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson
Speak (Penguin Group), 2006. 180 pages. 978-0-14-241156-8. Y.A
Think of this book as a murder scene or a mysterty. The main character is a skateboarder and his best friends name is Jared. The book takes place in Portland, Oregon. This book consists of three letters to whomever is reading it. The Book revolves around the "crazy" skate park named, "Paranoid Park". This name came about mostly because the park was not necessarily safe to be there by your lonesome. The ma...more
Speak (Penguin Group), 2006. 180 pages. 978-0-14-241156-8. Y.A
Think of this book as a murder scene or a mysterty. The main character is a skateboarder and his best friends name is Jared. The book takes place in Portland, Oregon. This book consists of three letters to whomever is reading it. The Book revolves around the "crazy" skate park named, "Paranoid Park". This name came about mostly because the park was not necessarily safe to be there by your lonesome. The ma...more
Wrong place, Wrong time, someone ends up dead… One mistake and nothing will ever be the same again, your world is turned upside-down in an instant. If you call the cops, you could be charged with murder, but you’re just a kid… it was an accident and there are no witnesses... What would you do?
In PARANOID PARK a 16 year old skater kid in Portland gets himself mixed up in a very serious situation and finds he has no one he trusts enough to turn to for help. Author Blake Nelson does an excellent jo...more
In PARANOID PARK a 16 year old skater kid in Portland gets himself mixed up in a very serious situation and finds he has no one he trusts enough to turn to for help. Author Blake Nelson does an excellent jo...more
Mar 29, 2008
BCL Teen Librarians
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
realistic-fiction,
thrillers-and-adventure
Paranoid Park is a clandestine hardcore skate park located under the Eastside Bridge in Portland. When the narrator decides to check it out for a night of edgy skating, events culminate in him hopping a train with a "streeter" and nearly getting nabbed by a security guard. Rather than go quietly, he panics and cracks the guard over the head with his board, causing the man to fall, then be pulled along and run over by a passing train. Suddenly, his conscience and paranoia become his own worst ene...more
I thought this was a pretty good book because it really shows how one accident can change your life. After accidentally causing the death of a security guard, the main character Alex tries to cover it up. I thought the author did a good job in writing the story because he makes you feel as if you were Alex. He includes a lot of his inner feelings and emotions that really allow the reader to get a sense of what's going on. By doing this, at times I got really lost in the book and felt like I was...more
This is a really quick read - I read the whole thing over one lunch hour. The language is straightforward and the story moves quickly. However, it felt sort of incomplete. Obviously this isn't a story where you expect a neat resolution, but this felt like the author got bored or wasn't sure what to do next, so the book just ends abruptly. Regardless, this is a great example of a high-low book with tons of appeal for reluctant readers, especially teen guys. I'm curious to see the movie, too.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, Oregon. He began his writing career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine.
His first novel GIRL was originally serialized in SASSY magazine and was made into a film staring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.
His novel PARANOID PARK won the prestigious International Grinzane Literary Award and was made into a film by Gus Van Sant.
His latest novel RECOVERY ROA...more
More about Blake Nelson...
His first novel GIRL was originally serialized in SASSY magazine and was made into a film staring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.
His novel PARANOID PARK won the prestigious International Grinzane Literary Award and was made into a film by Gus Van Sant.
His latest novel RECOVERY ROA...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“É o que têm os segredos, acabam por nos enlouquecer. Mas enlouquecem-nos mesmo. Isolam-nos dos outros. Separam-nos da nossa tribo. Acabam por nos destruir. A não ser que uma pessoa seja forte. A não ser que uma pessoa seja muito, muito forte.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
Jan 24, 2012 03:31pm
Jan 25, 2012 06:50pm