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329th out of 867 books
—
496 voters
Freaks and Revelations
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their fu...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
November 4th 2009
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
(first published September 1st 2009)
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When I first saw this book, the impression I got from it was not the same as what came from reading it. I mean, I knew what it was about and all, but I didn't really expect it to be the way it was.
I didn't expect the "N" word to be in there at all! I think that's a part of why this book was the way it was for me.
I started out loving Doug, feeling horrible for him, with his abusive father and everything, and loving him so much from the very second he saw the Ramones play and threw on that pun...more
I didn't expect the "N" word to be in there at all! I think that's a part of why this book was the way it was for me.
I started out loving Doug, feeling horrible for him, with his abusive father and everything, and loving him so much from the very second he saw the Ramones play and threw on that pun...more
The first line of the description sums the book up perfectly; Raw and moving. While reading this book, I think I experienced every emotion imaginable. I laughed, I cried, I got angry(very angry!) and I got sad.
Freaks and Revelations is written in 2 perspectives. Two very different perspectives. We are first introduced to Doug, and it doesn't take long to see that he wasn't given a good hand when it came to his family. There were many different times I said to myself "No wonder he is so angry and...more
Freaks and Revelations is written in 2 perspectives. Two very different perspectives. We are first introduced to Doug, and it doesn't take long to see that he wasn't given a good hand when it came to his family. There were many different times I said to myself "No wonder he is so angry and...more
I read this with my 'teen girl' book club. I am 33yo - the rest of the members are 16 yo students.
This was our FAVOURITE book thus far, including adult and young adult fiction.
We loved the inter-twining stories and the way that we got a sense of how the characters developed from children to young men. So even though we might loathe a character's actions, we still felt connected and empathetic with them.
We certainly thought like the voices were authentic and true to young guys. It was an easy, en...more
This was our FAVOURITE book thus far, including adult and young adult fiction.
We loved the inter-twining stories and the way that we got a sense of how the characters developed from children to young men. So even though we might loathe a character's actions, we still felt connected and empathetic with them.
We certainly thought like the voices were authentic and true to young guys. It was an easy, en...more
A really great book. Gave me an new perspective on type of person that I now realize I may judge to harshly and quickly (Doug), because a lot of the things I didn't like about him were caused by his upbringing, which clearly could not have been his fault. I still really disliked him though. He still makes me sick. Jason, I felt sorry for, though I'm sure that pity was not something he would have wanted. But I pity the poor kid all the same.
I was very surprised when I reached the end of the book...more
I was very surprised when I reached the end of the book...more
This must be one of the most amazing, and inspiring books I have ever read. It brought tears to my eyes throughout. It is the story of two broken teenagers; one cast out by his religious family because he was gay. At 13, Jason boy turned to prostitution to keep food in his stomach and clothes on his back. Luckily by 17, he found a nice guy and lived happy ever after in Hollywood. However, the other boy, Doug, wasn't so lucky. He went through his teenager hood barely sober, high as a kite, and be...more
This book is what I would call insightful. It's a definite eye opener to the world around you. Davida Hurwin did an excellent job building these characters. Based on Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal's story; Davida managed to really catch the message they were trying to get across.
I cried during this book; being an adult I see this all around me and it's disturbing. I was glad to see a YA book that was so honest and straightforward. No sugarcoating was involved.
While my daughter is still too young...more
I cried during this book; being an adult I see this all around me and it's disturbing. I was glad to see a YA book that was so honest and straightforward. No sugarcoating was involved.
While my daughter is still too young...more
Based on a true story, Hurwin reveals, in alternating chapters covering a period of years, how two teen-aged boys from different, but equally painful backgrounds come to meet in a violent attack in an alley in Southern California.
At ten, Doug’s older brother, Carl, is shot by a black man, fueling the already racist leanings of their parents who have already moved the family to a whiter community. To the fury of their parents, Carl refuses to press charges. Meanwhile, their sister has moved out t...more
At ten, Doug’s older brother, Carl, is shot by a black man, fueling the already racist leanings of their parents who have already moved the family to a whiter community. To the fury of their parents, Carl refuses to press charges. Meanwhile, their sister has moved out t...more
This book was raw and disturbing, but that appears to have been its intent. A fiction based on the stories of a homosexual man and a skinhead punker who reconnected in their adulthoods after a violent episode in their teens in which the one nearly beat the other to death. Heartbreaking in its depiction of the mother and family that kicked a twelve-year-old boy out for announcing that he was gay, the story follows Jack to street life and tricking in San Francisco and later LA. It sounds graphic e...more
Fans of Adam Rapp's "Punkzilla" will like this tough, edgy, raw read! The story is told from the perspectives of Doug and Jason, whose lives eventually collide in a horrific climax. These characters lives are based on the true stories of former skinhead, Tim Zaal, and Matthew Boger. The chapters tease the reader with titles like "1973: Seven Years Before" and "1978: Two Years Before" this incident.
Doug's story begins when his brother is shot. We find out early on that his father is physically a...more
Doug's story begins when his brother is shot. We find out early on that his father is physically a...more
This had the potential to be really good, but I feel like the author missed the boat here. Based on a true story of a hate crime, both the victim and the perpetrator worked with the author to tell this fictionalized version of the story. However, almost the whole book was about the time leading up to the bashing, and the difficult childhoods experienced by each man. There was almost no exploration of what caused this one-time Nazi in the punk scene to change his views, or the process the victim...more
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I wanted to like this book much more than I did. It's terribly well-intentioned, but unfortunately not as well-written.
Chapters alternate between the alarmingly naive Jason and the increasingly unlikeable Doug until (late in the novel) an act of violence brings them together. Fast forward 18 years. Doug has a sudden - total - change of character. The men meet again, and forgiveness is implied.
To me, it seems that the meat of this story is in the change of heart, and how that leads to forgivenes...more
Chapters alternate between the alarmingly naive Jason and the increasingly unlikeable Doug until (late in the novel) an act of violence brings them together. Fast forward 18 years. Doug has a sudden - total - change of character. The men meet again, and forgiveness is implied.
To me, it seems that the meat of this story is in the change of heart, and how that leads to forgivenes...more
Freaks and Revelations tells the story of Doug, a seventeen-year-old punk rocker, and Jason, a gay thirteen-year-old kicked out of his house by his unforgiving mother. Doug's anger slowly transforms him into a hateful person. Jason scavenges a meager living on the streets, hustling and taking tricks to keep himself alive. Then, on one fateful night, the two cross paths - with the result being anything but good. This book is about what led up to that horrible act, and the healing, learning, and f...more
Freaks and Revelations is a decent read, its message should be powerful, its colorfully vague and sadly a little on the trite side but to take into consideration that the author was alternating between 2 central perspectives and their opposing experiences is a feat in and of it self. Among the books that I have read that spread the message that senseless hate spawned by nothing then just a base prejudice is over used, and sadly the experiences used as content focused more on one extreme than the...more
A fast read, this book deals with the build up to and the recovery after a violent meeting between a Neo-Nazi punk and a gay, homeless 13 year old. The book's chapters alternate between the Neo-Nazi and the gay teen, revealing distinct voices and tough childhoods. The chapters build in intensity until the two cross paths and violence ensues. I enjoyed the build-up, but felt the follow up wasn't as strong as it could've been. The majority of the book focuses on their childhoods and teenage years,...more
Though most of it was fictionalized as explained by the author, this book was based on the lives of two men. Aspects of their lives were incorporated into the story, creating the fictionalized characters of Doug, a 16 year old tattooed punk with a Mohawk and Jason, a fourteen year old gay teen who was kicked out of his house and forced to hustle for money while living on the streets.
One thing that I loved the most about this book was that Hurwin didn't shy away from bad language and racial slurs...more
One thing that I loved the most about this book was that Hurwin didn't shy away from bad language and racial slurs...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
An overwrought, overated, and, (what really bugs me) inaccurately detailed look at a punk-on-gay hate crime of the LA variety. Although Hurwin gets the basic trajectory punk/hardcore/skinhead trajectory down right (a tough arc to get wrong), she makes the classic narrative goof of trying to add realism to her background by adding too many details that are simply wrong. For example: her punk goes to see Black Flag at the Whiskey in 1977, where singer Dez Cadena jumps on him. Not only was the band...more
This is based on a real life event.
What a gut-wrenching story filled with love, hate, discrimination, bullying, and finally acceptance.
The Story:
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that c...more
What a gut-wrenching story filled with love, hate, discrimination, bullying, and finally acceptance.
The Story:
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that c...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Based on the real lives of two people, FREAKS AND REVELATIONS follows the story leading up to the fateful meeting of two boys, one a gay 13 year old and the other a 17 year old neo-nazi, and the aftermath of that encounter. This is one of those books parents will not want their children to read because it's so vivid and real--a portrayal of darkness and anger in the world that can actually (and did) happen--but that teens will read and maybe they'll be shocked at the culture of the late 70s and...more
Amazing.
Throughout most of this book, it was intriguing enough to me to keep reading. It was gritty, harsh and awful. I literally didn't realize fully that the book was about two people until 2/3 of the way through it. Needless to say, I was pretty confused when it occurred to me that things weren't making sense. Regardless, I got to the Day Of. And then the After. And it all blew my mind. It's a must-read. A power through it until you get to the mind blowing. A "aren't you glad you powered thro...more
Throughout most of this book, it was intriguing enough to me to keep reading. It was gritty, harsh and awful. I literally didn't realize fully that the book was about two people until 2/3 of the way through it. Needless to say, I was pretty confused when it occurred to me that things weren't making sense. Regardless, I got to the Day Of. And then the After. And it all blew my mind. It's a must-read. A power through it until you get to the mind blowing. A "aren't you glad you powered thro...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is not a happy book. If you are looking for a cheery book skip right over this one.
This was a good book. I liked the alternating points of view and how fast paced it was. I didn't expect however the "N" word to be in there. I guess I should have known what I was getting myself into when the back of the book mentioned Neo-Nazis.
The back didn't mention prostitution however, which there is quite a lot later on.
I actually liked how the climax of the story was closer to the end of the book....more
This was a good book. I liked the alternating points of view and how fast paced it was. I didn't expect however the "N" word to be in there. I guess I should have known what I was getting myself into when the back of the book mentioned Neo-Nazis.
The back didn't mention prostitution however, which there is quite a lot later on.
I actually liked how the climax of the story was closer to the end of the book....more
Wow! Did not know what this book was about until I started it. Read a few pages then finally looked at the summary in the front and the reviews on the back.
Got confused a bit trying to keep the characters separated until their names are finally revealed around page 80, but I was already addicted to the story by then!
Great story of people learning from their experiences - based on the true stories of two men. Great lesson about how hate can ruin lives as well as how you can learn from it.
Like the...more
Got confused a bit trying to keep the characters separated until their names are finally revealed around page 80, but I was already addicted to the story by then!
Great story of people learning from their experiences - based on the true stories of two men. Great lesson about how hate can ruin lives as well as how you can learn from it.
Like the...more
Honor book for the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award. The award is given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.
It took me awhile to get into this book, but I'm glad that I did. I was a bit confused for awhile about what was going on and that was probably why I almost put it down. The climax, however, is extremely poignant and closing the book at the end left...more
It took me awhile to get into this book, but I'm glad that I did. I was a bit confused for awhile about what was going on and that was probably why I almost put it down. The climax, however, is extremely poignant and closing the book at the end left...more
Before the alley, I didn't understand that people could stop being human and still live. That a mother could decide not to love her child. That a stranger could want to kill you for being who you are. That there are people who breathe and walk and speak and live and do not care about other people at all. People who cannot see.
Like tricks who go with little boys.
Like the skinheads.
Like the men who passed me and turned their heads.
Like my uncle.
like my mother.
When I understood this, all those...more
Like tricks who go with little boys.
Like the skinheads.
Like the men who passed me and turned their heads.
Like my uncle.
like my mother.
When I understood this, all those...more
Freaks and Revelations is a fictional retelling of the lives of two real people - Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal - and the way their very different lives intersect in one violent, terrifying moment. Doug (Tim) is a middle class punk teenager trying to find himself after growing up in a violent home. Jason is a middle-school-aged gay kid who just wants to have a family who loves him for who he is. Both of them end up in places they never meant to be, doing things most of us can never dream of. An...more
This story fictionalizes the childhoods of Timothy Zaal and Matthew Boger. Timothy Zaal, as a Nazi skinhead punk, beat Matthew Boger, a runaway gay teen, almost to the point of dead in the 1980s. Timothy's story is retold as Doug--an abusive and violent racist father and Matthew's story is retold as (Jason)--thrown out of the house for being gay. There is redemption at the end of the tunnel, but there are no happy childhoods for both these people.
This is one dark and harrowing book.
This is one dark and harrowing book.
This was one of the 2011 Stonewall Book Award honor books, but I think I might have voted for this one to win. As much as I loved Brian Katcher's Almost Perfect, this book was better. This is a story of hate and redemption that is hard to read and harder to put down. I absolutely loved it.
I'm speechless (well as much as you can be for a blogger). The 5 star rating for this book, is based on the story. It's an amazing journey of hate, survival, hope, & forgiveness. You will feel every emotion imaginable throughout this journey. The rating is a little iffy. I understand why teenagers would need to read this, but the story content is very mature (drugs, gang violence, child prostitution, racism etc..). You can read the rest of my review at Page Turners.
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| Who was the victim in the story? | 2 | 7 | Nov 23, 2012 09:20pm |
Davida Wills Hurwin is the author of A Time for Dancing (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults) and The Farther You Run. She teaches theater at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences and lives in Southern California with her husband, Gene, and their daughter, Frazier Malone.
More about Davida Wills Hurwin...
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Feb 17, 2010 11:18pm