The #1 New York Times bestseller now in paperback.
For 16-year-old Sam, life is about to get extremely complicated. He and his... read full description
For 16-year-old Sam, life is about to get extremely complicated. He and his... read full description
reviews
Oct 19, 2007
Brian
rated it: 
English author Nick Hornby has dutifully produced ‘vox populi’ fiction about contemporary men struggling to grow up, cope, and accept responsibility for the better part of fifteen years. Often these males are self-absorbed, id-driven, and change themselves for others. Readers respond with great enthusiasm; men read them as how-to manuals. His latest offering, Slam, follows the same formula – but it’s written in the sprawling vocabulary and context of a teenager.
Hornby’s writing style More...
Hornby’s writing style More...
Jan 18, 2008
Ian
rated it: 
I wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading Nick Hornby’s ‘Slam’, his first teenage novel. It was nineteen years since I was last a teenager and even then I think I was probably too old for the term to really stick. However this was a novel by Nick Hornby whose ‘High Fidelity’ is my favourite novel; whose ‘Fever Pitch’ is my favourite memoir; I think you get the idea, I like Nick Hornby, I don’t however like teenagers. Anyway there was nothing for it, I had to roll up my sleeves, grit my te
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Nov 23, 2007
Chris
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Just before he turned 16, Sam's life was going pretty well. His mother - who was only 16 years old herself when she had Sam - just dumped her terrible boyfriend, his teachers began encouraging him to seriously consider studying graphic design in college, and his skateboarding skills were slowly but surely improving after years of practice at the local skatepark in his working-class London neighborhood. He even met a really cute girl named Alicia at a party his mum dragged him to, and they began
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Dec 17, 2008
Inge
rated it: 
I'm a big Nick Hornby fan but this was crap. Crapity crap crap crap - probably didn't help that i was pregnant when i read it - its main character is a teenage boy who gets his girlfriend pregnant and has a fit with his leg in the air then legs it. It uses a very annoying bollocks plot thing as well, and i can't remember the proper term so you won't know what i mean unless you read it but i seriously don't recommend you do but if you choose to you can have my copy cause i stupidly bought mine -
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Oct 20, 2009
Anna
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Anna Valdez
Period 5/6
Slam
Nick Honrby
pages:309
September 30, 2009
Book Rating:8
The person who change the most in the beginning thru the end it was Sam. Because in the beginning he was all interested in the skating and he always wanted to be with his friends. He didn't put attention to his parents and he wasn't a good guy. When he really change was when he met this girl named Alicia.
Alicia was a had a major importance because she was now Sam's More...
Period 5/6
Slam
Nick Honrby
pages:309
September 30, 2009
Book Rating:8
The person who change the most in the beginning thru the end it was Sam. Because in the beginning he was all interested in the skating and he always wanted to be with his friends. He didn't put attention to his parents and he wasn't a good guy. When he really change was when he met this girl named Alicia.
Alicia was a had a major importance because she was now Sam's More...
Aug 17, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com
Sam figures that his life is going pretty well. He's doing all right in school, he gets along with his mom, he has a great girlfriend, and is getting good at skateboarding. He has aspirations of attending college, unlike his mom, who had to drop out of school when she became pregnant with him.
But all of his dreams come crashing down when his girlfriend, Alicia, tells him that she's pregnant. And she has no intention o More...
Sam figures that his life is going pretty well. He's doing all right in school, he gets along with his mom, he has a great girlfriend, and is getting good at skateboarding. He has aspirations of attending college, unlike his mom, who had to drop out of school when she became pregnant with him.
But all of his dreams come crashing down when his girlfriend, Alicia, tells him that she's pregnant. And she has no intention o More...
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Jun 21, 2008
Tim
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I think I'd read a Nick Hornby Novel even if it were just his characters reading ads from a phone book. Part of it is the cool way that those Brits sound when they talk about anything, but the voices of a Hornby character will stay with you for a while. His Narrator in this book, Sam, like the narrators of High Fidelity and About A Boy, has many chuckalicious turns of phrase. But few writers are going to attempt the first person narrative if they can't manage to handle one distinctive voice.
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Nov 26, 2007
Abby
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Wow, this book was ATROCIOUS. It's like Nick Hornby sat down and thought of all the worst cliches about teen books and then decided he could write a teen novel. The main character is a teenage skater who's so obsessed with Tony Hawk that he dialogues with the Tony Hawk poster above his bed on a nightly basis. He asks the poster questions about life, and the poster responds with parts of Tony Hawk's autobiography that the kid has memorized from reading so many times. I didn't buy it -- c'mon, Ton
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Oct 29, 2007
Brian
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This is Nick Hornby 's first Young Adult novel. I am a fan of Hornby's earlier books such as "About a Boy, "High Fidelity," and "How to be Good." However, I read this as part of a library science class I'm taking.
It was a very well written novel. It's interesting how the protagonist here is not much different from the men in Hornby's other books except for the fact that he is 15 in this book. It just goes to show that men, if left to their own devices, More...
It was a very well written novel. It's interesting how the protagonist here is not much different from the men in Hornby's other books except for the fact that he is 15 in this book. It just goes to show that men, if left to their own devices, More...
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Jan 28, 2009
Susan
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The unusual, somewhat fantastical twist worked into the storyline (I won't give it away) may alienate readers expecting something a little grittier, but for those who don't mind a little quirkiness, this book manages to hold on to a ring of truth for all that. It's hard not to get pulled into this story. Sam, an average skater kid finally hits has a run of great luck and dates someone a little out of his league only to find out that he's going to be a new dad once the flirtation has run its cour
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Nov 06, 2007
Danimal
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Someone - maybe Greil Marcus? - once said something to the effect of "I'd listen to a record of Bob Dylan reading the phone book." Well, I used to feel that way about Nick Hornby. I love his writing so much that I figured I'd read his children's books, his cookbooks, his YA fiction. Well, scratch the latter, for sure.
Yes, he gets inside his teenage hero's head and he captures the way teenagers probably think. But what's the fun in that? I loved his other books because they More...
Yes, he gets inside his teenage hero's head and he captures the way teenagers probably think. But what's the fun in that? I loved his other books because they More...
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Mar 23, 2009
Isabelle
rated it:
You can always count on Nick Hornby ("About a Boy," "High Fidelity," "A Long Way Down," etc.) for an easy, witty read. "Slam" is written from the POV of a 16-18-year old boy in London whose only care in the world is skateboarding until he finds himself in an adult situation. Not Hornby's best, but I do think it's impressive how well he captures the voice and cluelessness of a teenager.
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Mar 05, 2009
i like how he knocks her up as soon as they meet. Thats funny. and yeah i dont like skateboarding so i cant really relate to the character but i can in tha way that he likes girls sooo, i dont really know what u want me to write lawton but this is about as good as it gets.
Dec 02, 2007
Stacey
rated it:
I was surprised when I saw this in the bookstore--I had no idea Hornby had a new novel out. Once I got home, I realized I probably hadn't heard because Slam is being marketed as a young adult novel. I love love love High Fidelty, and thought About a Boy was excellent but not perfect. And although I've found all his other novels deeply flawed, I keep buying them as soon as they come out. This is probably a three star novel, but I gave it four because I finished it in one day (when I should have b
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Dec 31, 2007
Valerie
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I loved the voice of Slam. I thought it was so fresh, and I can see how it would appeal to teens as well as adults.
This book deals with teen pregnancy and its aftermath in a way that's real - it's not just another morality tale for teens in which their lives are completely destroyed by premarital sex.
You get to go along with 16-year-old Sam as his (and his girlfriend's) lives are turned upside-down by her pregnancy. You get to experience her labor and the birth of their More...
This book deals with teen pregnancy and its aftermath in a way that's real - it's not just another morality tale for teens in which their lives are completely destroyed by premarital sex.
You get to go along with 16-year-old Sam as his (and his girlfriend's) lives are turned upside-down by her pregnancy. You get to experience her labor and the birth of their More...
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May 10, 2011
Sonia
rated it:
A volte prenderei i traduttori dei titoli e gli fartei un bell'interrogatorio per fargli confessare il perchè di quella scelta.
Ma che c'azzecca "tutto per una ragazza" con questa storia???
Senza parole. </p>
Ma che c'azzecca "tutto per una ragazza" con questa storia???
Senza parole. </p>
Ok. Con Hornby ho un rapporto controverso: devo sempre leggere tutti i suoi romanzi ma credo che me ne sia piaciuto veramente solo uno: Alta Fedeltà. Gli altri sono leggibili, anche carini, ma niente di eccezionale. Però li devo leggere, come se mi facesse piacere leggere qual
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Mar 01, 2009
Mark
rated it:
I always enjoyed Nick Hornby's stuff and was glad he decided to venture into the realm of YA. Although I wasn't thrilled with this book overall, its still a well written work that was worth the run through.
Sam is a decent main character and his narrative voice and reactions to what happens to him in the plot seem genuine. The biggest thing about him though that I couldn't get passed was his complete lack of friends. Besides Rabbit, who he never pretends to like, he has absolutely no More...
Sam is a decent main character and his narrative voice and reactions to what happens to him in the plot seem genuine. The biggest thing about him though that I couldn't get passed was his complete lack of friends. Besides Rabbit, who he never pretends to like, he has absolutely no More...
Feb 18, 2009
4Q 4P J
Slam is my selection for a sports-oriented Best Book for Young Adults. The main character Sam is 15 years-old and an avid skater. He idolizes skater Tony Hawk, and relates his book “Hawk- Occupation: Skateboarder” to his own life. The best gift he ever received was a poster of Tony Hawk, which was given to him by his mother. The poster on the wall quickly becomes his confidant, someone to share with and talk to. “Tony Hawk” provides responses and advice in return, all in More...
Slam is my selection for a sports-oriented Best Book for Young Adults. The main character Sam is 15 years-old and an avid skater. He idolizes skater Tony Hawk, and relates his book “Hawk- Occupation: Skateboarder” to his own life. The best gift he ever received was a poster of Tony Hawk, which was given to him by his mother. The poster on the wall quickly becomes his confidant, someone to share with and talk to. “Tony Hawk” provides responses and advice in return, all in More...
Jan 20, 2009
Thomas
rated it:
The book Slam by: Nick Hornby is about a boy named Sam who is 16 years old and lives with his mother. Sam’s mother gave birth to Sam when she was 16 and puts a lot of pressure on Sam to not make that mistake. He loves to skateboard and has a poster of Tony Hawk who he talks to when he has a problem.
Sam never had a real girlfriend, but he wanted one only if she didn’t interfere with his skating that he loved so much. His mother had a party to go to and brought Sam along with her were he met More...
Sam never had a real girlfriend, but he wanted one only if she didn’t interfere with his skating that he loved so much. His mother had a party to go to and brought Sam along with her were he met More...
Jan 19, 2009
Linda
rated it:
Sam loves skateboarding and it consumes his life until he meets Alicia. For a few weeks everything is wonderful, in their short, but intense, love affair. They break off the relationship just as quickly as it started, then – Slam! – Sam finds out Alicia is pregnant. Sam tries to escape from the situation, as any teen boy might, but he eventually does with the help of his hero, Tony Hawk. Sam finds himself transported into the future and it is skateboard champion Tony Hawk who gives Sam advice. B
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Jan 11, 2009
Jaemi
rated it:
Sam Jones has some plans for his life. Mainly, be the first in the family to go to college, and not to impregnate anyone while still in his teens. While his grades aren't stellar, they're not bad, and his Art teacher recently recommended he study Art & design after school. He's single, and spends most of his time skating (on a board) so all in all, his plans seem to be going all right. He worries, every now and then, whether it will all really turn out all right, but who doesn't? Pretty much, he
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Jan 08, 2012
Rachael
rated it:
I love Nick Hornby. He never fails to make me laugh out loud like a mad woman. All of his characters just get to me and I find myself loving them even if they aren't doing the smartest or most decent things.
Sam's mother had him when she was 16 and he has planned on a different life than that. When a teacher takes him aside and suggests that he study design in college, he is excited to finally have an idea of what he wants to do. Him and his mother are close and part of that seems t More...
Sam's mother had him when she was 16 and he has planned on a different life than that. When a teacher takes him aside and suggests that he study design in college, he is excited to finally have an idea of what he wants to do. Him and his mother are close and part of that seems t More...
Dec 29, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
Slam is a very appropriate title for this horrible book. I wanted to slam my head into a wall, as I was reading this terrible story. Nick Hornby, the author, adds an element of fantasy to his realistic fiction plot, and ruins his attempt at realistic fiction. Not only does he do it once, but also then later in the story he does it again, which makes it even worse. The story is about a boy named Sam. He is a normal boy living in England. His life is suddenly turned upside down when he gets his gi
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Nov 21, 2011
Eli
rated it:
Author, Nick Hornby demonstrates masterful writing and complexity in his book, Slam. The book Slam is a young-adult, fiction novel on the hardships of teenage relationships. The major themes in this book all relate to the struggle and journey of a somewhat naïve and scared teenage boy who is growing up faster than he wants to.
The novel takes place in the middle-class of London, England in present time. The main character is a fifteen-year-old boy named Sam Jones. When Sam meets More...
The novel takes place in the middle-class of London, England in present time. The main character is a fifteen-year-old boy named Sam Jones. When Sam meets More...
Nov 17, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
In this Novel set in the present, Sam is a 16-year-old British skateboarder had a life that was starting to turn out well for him. His mother dumped her terrible boyfriend, and he had a gorgeous girlfriend named Alicia, but most of all, a poster Sam's favorite skater, Tony hawk (nickname TH) had conversations and gave him great advice daily . After he impregnates Alicia, TH made Sam have a dream that whizzed him into the future showing Sam how things would eventually turn out with his new son a
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Aug 27, 2011
Dana
rated it:
*NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A LOT OF SPOILERS*
I picked this book up at random at my local library. The synopsis for it was kind of interesting, but it left out a lot of information. For example, the book is about a teen pregnancy. I didn’t get that from the synopsis. Anyway, for the first 3ish chapters, I HATED this book with a passion. It was name-dropping a lot of people, J. K. Rowling, Kate Wincelet, Jennifer Aniston, and most importantly Tony Hawk. The main character Sam IDOLIZES More...
I picked this book up at random at my local library. The synopsis for it was kind of interesting, but it left out a lot of information. For example, the book is about a teen pregnancy. I didn’t get that from the synopsis. Anyway, for the first 3ish chapters, I HATED this book with a passion. It was name-dropping a lot of people, J. K. Rowling, Kate Wincelet, Jennifer Aniston, and most importantly Tony Hawk. The main character Sam IDOLIZES More...
Jul 28, 2011
Roger
rated it:
Just finished reading Slam, the new Nick Hornby book, and his first foray into teenage fiction. To be cynical, it’s as if Nick had said “I’d really like to sell more books. Maybe one way I could do that would be to write something that would be sure to get on school reading lists. Maybe a Catcher in the Rye-lite but with more humour and a single, hot-topic, theme.”
Now for starters, I have to say that theme is one of zero interest to me. (And I won’t spoil it by telling you what it is.) In fact, More...
Now for starters, I have to say that theme is one of zero interest to me. (And I won’t spoil it by telling you what it is.) In fact, More...
Jul 22, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I usually quite enjoy Hornby books and this book was no different except it is considered a "teen" novel. This would be a great read for teens who don't like reading. I bet after they read this book they would want to pick up more from Hornby. Good guy Sam (you know it's good when I actually remember the protags name after I have finished!) gets his girlfriend pregnant and the book is just generally about what he is thinking and feeling. There were some weird chapters where he like fla
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Jul 07, 2011
Joseph
rated it:
I've never found anything written by Nick Hornby to be anything less than fully captivating, even the stuff that's, upon reflection, kind of mediocre, such as the entire last 200 pages or so of "A Long Way Down," book reviews on books I'll never read, etc. So it's no surprise that within 30 minutes of picking up "Slam" I was captivated by the story, sneaking looks at it while crossing streets, walking on crowded sidewalks, and what have you; I read the entire thing in a day.
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Jun 22, 2011
Alexandre
rated it:
I had such high hopes for this book, I really did. Everything else I've read by Nick Hornby has been stellar (About a Boy, High Fidelity, and Juliet, Naked). But this one, well, like the title suggests, fell flat.
The problems with the story start right at the beginning. When establishing the necessary "quirky" trait of the main character, instead of being obsessed with music or just insanely shallow (like the characters in his best work), the main character talks to his Ton More...
The problems with the story start right at the beginning. When establishing the necessary "quirky" trait of the main character, instead of being obsessed with music or just insanely shallow (like the characters in his best work), the main character talks to his Ton More...
