John ("My father named me after a toilet!") wrestles with the certainty that no one really knows him — not in his miserable home, and certainl...
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Nov 18, 2011
Valerie
rated it: 
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 suc
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Nov 29, 2008
Gabriela
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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
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Mar 14, 2009
Mr. Z
rated it:
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
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Feb 12, 2009
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.
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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.
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Jan 18, 2009
Jessica Ng
rated it:
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. T
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Sep 30, 2011
Aly Cecutti
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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 us
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Sep 30, 2011
Mikala Popovec
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 30, 2011
Mitchell Mccluskey
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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
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Sep 30, 2011
Vincent Lewis
rated it:
"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 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 More...
Sep 30, 2011
Vannaroth Ngoc
rated it:
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
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Aug 14, 2011
Adriana
rated it:
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 oblivio 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 oblivio More...
May 22, 2011
Carolyn
rated it: 
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
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Apr 18, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
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 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 More...
May 12, 2010
Sharon
rated it:
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 mor
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Feb 11, 2010
ØrionSof2014
rated it:
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 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 More...
Nov 20, 2009
Barky
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 16, 2009
Alex
rated it:
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
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Nov 04, 2011
Samone
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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
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Jun 06, 2010
Micaela
rated it:
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. More...
I greatly appreciate this book for its outstanding teen voice. More...
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Jun 17, 2007
Marianna
rated it:
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.
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Jan 04, 2010
*♥Nemonica♥* ~*Dark Lovely*~
rated 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!
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Jan 30, 2012
Misplacedparisian
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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 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 More...
Nov 17, 2008
Cassie
rated it:
Not my usual book. For the most part it was clever but some repettitions got on my nerves. I liked that even though the boy was being abused by the stepdad, that wasn't the main point of the story. It had some dark undertones without becoming engulfed by it. The main character had an interesting thought process. Medioccer book with some good charistics.
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Mar 26, 2011
Elizabeth
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I requested a sample of this book and nearly walked away from it after reading the first couple of chapters, unable to connect with the author's writing style or the protagonist in the novel. But in reading the reviews, I stumbled across one written by someone who had the same gut reaction I did. This person almost walked away as well, but stuck it out and wrote a raving review of the novel. So I figured, what the heck, it s/he could do it, so could I. What a blessing to have stumbled across tha
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Sep 30, 2011
Nick Pencek
rated it:
I rated this book with 4 stars because this book kept you on your toes, but i wish the ending would've had a different ending. Some strengths that my book had was it made you feel for the character because that could be a real life situation happening to a kid. Another strength my book had was it made you think and that made me understand the book more better. Some weaknesses my book had was it was kinda slow at times before the book got good. Another weakness my book had was John's character is
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Feb 15, 2011
I enjoyed this book, even if it made me feel sad. It is about a boy named John who has an abusive stepfather and a mother who does not notice anything. He tells a story of all the things that go on in his life, from trying to deal with his stepfather to getting Gloria, (aka Glory Hallelujah) to go out with him. He tells his sad story in a way that makes it hilarious to read most of the time, and you find yourself getting very into the book, hoping and praying that somehow the people who hurt him
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Sep 30, 2011
Mylene Louail
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I chose five stars for this book because compared to others that i was forced to read, this one was fairly enjoyable. It was interesting, fun, and not boring. It had a good message that can be enjoyable to most veiwers. A strength of this book is that it could relate to just about anyone. Its about a teen boy with in school and bad home life problems just like anyone else. It takes you on a journey through a boys thoughts and experiences on his rough life. One weakness, is that it could ge
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May 27, 2010
Cidmarie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 10, 2010
Jennifer
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You Don't Know Me, is partly a journal and partly a letter.
I love how you discover that John doesn't see him self clearly. As he accuses others of not knowing him, the ironic thing is he's just as oblivious!
This book is written in first person and despite every single writing/English teacher I've ever heard saying this is a bad idea, I think that in this case it brings you closer to John and makes his peril real.
This isn't a fluff book and I think it has More...
I love how you discover that John doesn't see him self clearly. As he accuses others of not knowing him, the ironic thing is he's just as oblivious!
This book is written in first person and despite every single writing/English teacher I've ever heard saying this is a bad idea, I think that in this case it brings you closer to John and makes his peril real.
This isn't a fluff book and I think it has More...
Mar 16, 2010
Alex
rated it:
In this book You don't Know me by David Klass John is a boy that is very descriptive and thoughtful. He has a stepfather that he dislikes very much. The stepfather abuses John even though he has no right. It is interesting that when John refers to it he uses the same vocabulary that the author in the ELA story we read today. Also John likes to give names to people. For example he names the girl he likes Gloria Hallelujah for some reason and pretends shes not the most beautiful girl hes ever seen
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