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101st out of 1,143 books
—
5,759 voters
You Don't Know Me
by
David Klass
John ("My father named me after a toilet!") wrestles with the certainty that no one really knows him not in his miserable home, and certainly not at school. It's true that no one can guess his hidden thoughts, which are hilarious, razor-sharp observations about lust, love, tubas, algebra, everything. And then there's his home: his father ran off years ago, so he's being ra...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
August 1st 2002
by HarperTempest
(first published 2001)
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Oct 15, 2010
Valerie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Valerie by:
Cara
Shelves:
male-protagonist,
realistic-fiction
A strange thing happened not too long ago that involved this book. I was browsing around Barnes & Nobles looking for new books to read when a (I'm assuming) teen couple skirted around me, keeping their held hands intact. I didn't give them much more of a thought until the girl picked up this book and asked her boyfriend excitedly, "Have you read this book?" After he told her he hadn't the girl said, "You have to read it. It shows how much douches parents can be." I got no such inclination fr...more
John you should have told Mr. Steenwilly in the first place and make up a plan to get rid of the man who is not your father. How can you just sit there and absorb the fact that that abusive monster was going to marry your mother. Running away wasn't in fact the best option. Think of your tired mother who's first priority was you all along. But I understand how you felt about not telling her. I understand what would have happened if she did not believe you. I also think you should have told the w...more
You Don't Know Me is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, sometimes perplexing novel about a teenage boy struggling to deal with his mother's abusive boyfriend, a crush on a girl unworthy of his love and a number of other issues many teenagers could probably relate to or at least understand. The story was littered with some of the most the-glass-is-completely-empty pessimism I've seen in any book in recent memory, but I tried to take it with a grain of salt, seeing how the author probably use...more
Level One:
What doesn't John like about his step-dad? John's step-dad abuses him.
When is the only time John's step-dad abuses him? When John's mother isn't around, his step-dad abuses hits him, and tells him not to tell his mom, or else he'll "really have it."
Who offers to help John with his home problems? Mr. Steenwilly is concerned with Johns well-being, and offered to help if there was any home problems, which John denied there was any.
Level Two:
Why does John's step-dad abuse him? John's step-...more
What doesn't John like about his step-dad? John's step-dad abuses him.
When is the only time John's step-dad abuses him? When John's mother isn't around, his step-dad abuses hits him, and tells him not to tell his mom, or else he'll "really have it."
Who offers to help John with his home problems? Mr. Steenwilly is concerned with Johns well-being, and offered to help if there was any home problems, which John denied there was any.
Level Two:
Why does John's step-dad abuse him? John's step-...more
The very first page caught my eye. The author, David Klass wrote in first person narration where John, the protagonist talked to the audience. The way the author wrote made me see what type of person John was and made me more attached to the story. John has an abusive father, who he calls "not my father" and he is friends with this bully and a nerd. He has a crush on this girl name Glory Halleluja. He takes her out on a date, but he is very insecure throughout the book about himself. This book i...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is about a geeky boy named John. He is in the band at his school and he has a crush on the most popular girl at school, named Glory Hallelujah. And he has a terrible home life. He does not feel like he has much talent, and does not feel the best about himself. A lot of the conflict in this book takes place between him and his dad, and him and others at school.
I thought the book was good because a good lesson of the book was to not judge people without truly knowing them. I thought th...more
I thought the book was good because a good lesson of the book was to not judge people without truly knowing them. I thought th...more
"You don't know me" is a rather sad story about a boy named John who through this book tells the reader about his life. When looking from the outside in, you might see 14-year-old John as lonely, depressed, kid with few to no friends. But when you get to know him there is actually something very dark to his story and the way he acts. His mother’s live-in boyfriend is abusing John. John is a very easy character to feel sorry for due to his daily endeavors. One thing that I loved about this book w...more
Title: You Don't Know Me
Author: David Glass
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Number of Pages: 284
Summary: You Don't Know Me is a story about the life of a young boy named John. John has a depressing story to tell about how he has lived. Throughout the book, he seems disconnected from the world. He has his own interpretation of everyday objects. He thinks his tuba is a frog and he believes that his kitchen is certainly not a kitchen. His whole life his messed up. His mothers boyfriend abuses him and tells...more
Author: David Glass
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Number of Pages: 284
Summary: You Don't Know Me is a story about the life of a young boy named John. John has a depressing story to tell about how he has lived. Throughout the book, he seems disconnected from the world. He has his own interpretation of everyday objects. He thinks his tuba is a frog and he believes that his kitchen is certainly not a kitchen. His whole life his messed up. His mothers boyfriend abuses him and tells...more
May 14, 2012
Daquane Brown
added it
"You Don't Know Me" was a great book to read because of how the reader wrote it and the events that began in the book was very interesting to read. "You Don't Know Me" is about a boy named John, John is 14 and goes to school like an average kid and gets the same education, but every thing about John is not the same as any average student. John's different is far worst than any other kid, John fears if he will live the next day or not. John feels this way because he is being abused by his mother'...more
I rated this book with 2 stars because I didn’t think it was an amazing book, but I didn’t think it was horrible. Plus, I don’t like any books, so 3 stars are probably the most that I can give any book. I think that people who enjoy reading books will like it. It isn’t too boring and it makes you think kind of deep on some things. Another reason I gave it 3 stars, is because the way some things are wording is difficult. Some people might have trouble understanding or even relating to the usage o...more
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I gave it this rating because it was a pretty good book with a pretty message but it wasn't the best book in the world. This would not be a book that is good for everyone you would probably have to like realistic fiction to really enjoy this book because it is very much a book about a teenager's life and how he feels about the world around him. Strength's of this book is the book has a really good plot that I think a lot of young people can relate to themselves or someone that they know at schoo...more
"why did you give this Fantastic and Beautiful story only three stars instead of five? Dont you like it? Was it to much for you? What's wrong with you, you slime-covered, ugly-"
Hi. My name is Vincent. That was an example of what your critique on my review of the book "You Don't Know Me" by David Klass.
And no, I didn't like it.
The story is the tale of a young boy named John, who narates everything he sees and does in this story. What I hate about it is, he really plays on the fact that the only...more
Hi. My name is Vincent. That was an example of what your critique on my review of the book "You Don't Know Me" by David Klass.
And no, I didn't like it.
The story is the tale of a young boy named John, who narates everything he sees and does in this story. What I hate about it is, he really plays on the fact that the only...more
I rated it 4 stars because this book is different and interesting. You really get into John’s head (Main Character) and how he deals with his problems on a normal basis. Some strengths of this book are its pretty good plot, you get to really know John, and the humor in this book is pretty amusing. The Weaknesses is that it may be confusing for some readers because the way the author plays out John’s words. He contradicts himself a lot such as saying “A house, but not a house.” And etcetera. Anot...more
Firstly, teens books with titles like this are just asking to be read. Angst!
Sometimes when I begin a book, I wonder if I'll be able to get through it. Usually, if I persevere, I'll eventually find the book enjoyable more or less. With You Don't Know Me, I was very glad that I kept reading.
You Don't Know Me begins as a letter of sorts to John's mom. The mom has a horrible live-in boyfriend that John can't stand and who causes much of the conflict in the book. Her obliviousness to the disfunction...more
Sometimes when I begin a book, I wonder if I'll be able to get through it. Usually, if I persevere, I'll eventually find the book enjoyable more or less. With You Don't Know Me, I was very glad that I kept reading.
You Don't Know Me begins as a letter of sorts to John's mom. The mom has a horrible live-in boyfriend that John can't stand and who causes much of the conflict in the book. Her obliviousness to the disfunction...more
Klass successfully takes on the heavy topic of abusive parents in You Don't Know Me. The 14-year-old main character John narrates this powerful book with a razor-sharp wit, jarring the reader from a comfortable detachment by making frequent, accusatory use of the word "you" and telling stories that the reader realizes only a few pages later are untrue fantasies. John's biological father abandoned John and John's mother when John was a baby; now John's mom works wearying double shifts at a local...more
In the beginning when I started reading, I couldn't stand this book. Not at all. But then I kept reading and the pages kept flipping. The truth is, I couldn't STOP reading.
All of the sudden I connected with the book so much. I felt like I knew the character and what he was going through in his point of view, like I felt the pain and desire he was feeling at the time. And when I think about it closely, I kind of did feel the way he was feeling. Literally.
It brought back memories of problems tha...more
All of the sudden I connected with the book so much. I felt like I knew the character and what he was going through in his point of view, like I felt the pain and desire he was feeling at the time. And when I think about it closely, I kind of did feel the way he was feeling. Literally.
It brought back memories of problems tha...more
i just finished reading the book you dont know me by david klass and this book was about a boy named john. john is just like most teens, he goes to school, he has friends, he likes the most popular girl, ect. but, what people dont know is he gets abbused by his soon to be stepfather and john is too scared to even tell anyone including his own mother. he thinks that evryone doesnt care about him and he thinks if he doesn tell someone they wont do anything about it because their lives are more im...more
This book is about a fourteen year old boy named John. This book is about what he is like and what his life is like. John is abused by his soon to be stepfather. John is very smart but sometimes makes dumb decisions. John is a weird kid but he is also a smart, responsible kid.
I can make a text to world connection to this book. Lots of children get beat by their fathers and even sometimes their stepfathers. I can relate this book to Precious by Sapphire. Precious suffers from child abuse. Préci...more
I can make a text to world connection to this book. Lots of children get beat by their fathers and even sometimes their stepfathers. I can relate this book to Precious by Sapphire. Precious suffers from child abuse. Préci...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a very good book told from the perspective of a high school boy. It is told in stream-of-consciousness which really allows the reader to get into the character's head. Of course, this means that everything he tells you is biased by his own beliefs which is what makes this story so very interesting; we have no idea what anyone else is thinking, and we don' t know for sure if what he reveals about other characters is true. This adds an extra element to the story that may not be realized un...more
Unfortunately, this book was not exactly what I had hoped for when I took my first glance. I was decently pleased with the fact that throughout the story I was always aware of the main character's thoughts. The story itself is placed inside the mind of a teenage boy, which was what caught my interest to begin with. But, I felt that his thoughts were too dry. Although it can be said that this is good story about some realities of what teenager's face...I couldn't find his tale gripping. At no poi...more
I don't give five stars lightly. This book was phenomenal. David Klass is a true artist.
John struggles. He struggles with his absentee father and his dead-tired mother and his abusive stepfather-to-be. He struggles with his tuba solo in band class and his romantic dreams of Glory Hallelujah. Most of all, David struggles with reality.
That's the most fascinating aspect of Klass's masterpiece: John's narrative. Throughout the novel, John gives ridiculous metaphors: his sleeping frog of a tuba, or...more
John struggles. He struggles with his absentee father and his dead-tired mother and his abusive stepfather-to-be. He struggles with his tuba solo in band class and his romantic dreams of Glory Hallelujah. Most of all, David struggles with reality.
That's the most fascinating aspect of Klass's masterpiece: John's narrative. Throughout the novel, John gives ridiculous metaphors: his sleeping frog of a tuba, or...more
This was a great book! The main character seemed to be having not so good of a life. I like how he tries to make his life seem a little more cheerful than it really is. He uses his humor to "sugar coat" things. John (the main character) has an abusive stepfather. They practically hate each other. This book connects to a movie I watched. Things that happen in people's homes drags outside with them. For instance, if you and your parents just got in an arguement, it's most likely that if you leave...more
I’m taking a YA Lit class this summer and the professor included this book in his suggested reading for old school YA. I went into it not knowing anything about the author or even what genre the book is about. I wanted to be surprised. And I was.
I don’t really know how to accurately articulate how wonderful this book is. As I say about so many other novels, it is not perfect by any means but the writing is so incredible it makes up and then some for the little flaws.
Usually, when I am faced with...more
I don’t really know how to accurately articulate how wonderful this book is. As I say about so many other novels, it is not perfect by any means but the writing is so incredible it makes up and then some for the little flaws.
Usually, when I am faced with...more
John, 14, describes his life, filled with the usual teen miseries: he has a crush on a manipulative, selfish girl, he doesn't get algebra, he has no good friends, and he's ignored at home and school. But he has a bigger problem is that his mom's boyfriend regularly abuses him and John won't speak up for himself. His mother has to leave town to deal with a dying relative, and John is left alone with her abusive boyfriend.
I greatly appreciate this book for its outstanding teen voice. You can feel...more
I greatly appreciate this book for its outstanding teen voice. You can feel...more
This had been recommended to me many times, but something about the cover and the first chapter always put me off. I had no idea it was so funny and quirky and genuinely wonderful. I loved John, the protagonist, so much that I thought I might not be able to read it all the way through - I was too nervous about what was going to happen to him. But I did and I loved everything about it.
i love it! It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. it put a strange picture in my head, lol, as anyone who read it would see, it made me cry at the end, and it was amazing! If i were John, i would have told somebody about the man who is not my father beating me. But maybe its just me (not), great book!
You Don't Know Me by David Klass was a very unique and engaging book. You Don't Know Me was about a fourteen year-old boy who doesn't have many friends, who isn't great at academics, and who has a difficult and unloving environment at home. The voice of this book was very strong and convincing. You Don't Know Me was written in first person. John, the main character, was telling his own story. John thought to himself a lot in the book. For example, when a teacher asked him a question, he just sai...more
The book was interesting. I liked John as a character, though I was more able to connect with his funny side than his troubled teenager one.
John lives with his mom and a step-father he calls "the man who is not my father" and suffers physical abuse by the hand of that man who seems to have taken over his home that is not a home.
(I loved this play of words, though at times it became overwhelming and I simply skipped over it).
He likes a girl in school that seems to have problems of her own (though...more
John lives with his mom and a step-father he calls "the man who is not my father" and suffers physical abuse by the hand of that man who seems to have taken over his home that is not a home.
(I loved this play of words, though at times it became overwhelming and I simply skipped over it).
He likes a girl in school that seems to have problems of her own (though...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Glory Hallelujah" | 3 | 25 | Oct 13, 2011 07:48pm | |
| What's The Name o...: Book about a young boy who is having trouble at home and plays tuba... [s] | 2 | 39 | Sep 28, 2011 10:58am |
David Klass is the author of many young adult novels, including You Don’t Know Me, Dark Angel, and Firestorm (The Caretaker Trilogy). He is also a Hollywood screenwriter, having written more than twenty-five action screenplays, including Kiss the Girls, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, Walking Tall, starring The Rock, and Desperate Measures, starring Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia. Klass g...more
More about David Klass...
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“The good news is that you may have created my past and screwed up my present, but you havce no control over my future. You don't know me at all.”
—
31 people liked it
“I don't play the tuba. The tuba plays me. My tuba is not actually a tuba, because it has never produced a musical sound. It is actually a giant frog pretending to be a tuba.”
—
27 people liked it
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Mar 29, 2012 08:48am