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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145674.Crossing_California?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Crossing California" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1172174907m/145674.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145674.Crossing_California?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Crossing California</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53226.Adam_Langer">Adam Langer</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5664333?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars In the weirdest confluence of events (is that right? eh, don't tell me if it's not; I like the way it sounds), our July bookgroup choice was Crossing California. We received it on Thursday the 14th, a mere three days before I had tickets to go see Katie in an adaptation of the selfsame book! I started the book, saw the play, then finished the book. It was nice to have a sense of character going into the play, although it was a little difficult to get them back to how I originally pictured them when I returned to the book. Interesting to see how events unfolded in the book versus the adaptation, which was quite well done with some weak spots. Katie played Michelle and she was brilliant. Born to play that role and hands down the best thing in the show. And no, I'm not biased. Afterwards we discussed the adaptation, a conversation I'd like to have again now that I've read the whole book.
 
 I loved this book. It's set in Rogers Park, a far north neighborhood in Chicago, from 1979-1981, so lots of talk about the hostages and Reagan and fun things like that. California is a street that is really the class dividing line in the neighborhood. Living west of California is better (and Katie, if you're reading it, that's my main complaint with the play - that the importance of location was lost). Most of the main characters are teenagers trying to navigate their sense of place - in themselves, in their families, in their neighborhood, in the world - but the adults get a fair shake too. Everyone searching for their right place. Most of them find it in some form by the end, even if it's not how they thought or in a way that makes them truly happy.
 
 Interesting style of writing as pertains to dialogue. Sometimes there was traditional dialogue, but other times it was completely narrative. It's the way someone would tell you a story, like if they were at a party with Larry and Michelle and witnessed it happening. As I said, interesting.
 
 This was a book where I felt like I knew the characters, like they existed in real time. I think part of it comes from the time period of the book - these characters were nearly my peers or those of my older siblings. They were kids that could have lived in my neighborhood, been influences on me. I will admit, this could be a result of having seen the play, but I don't think that's entirely the cause. I found the book easy to live in. Adam Langer provides fantastic detail to put the story in its historical context (including a glossary in the back in case you don't know some of the references, be it to the Hava Nagilah or to Joey Heatherton), but not so much that it becomes cumbersome or self-conscious.
 
 It was also a beautiful portrait of my new home city, even if it's not the neighborhood I live in and the author has admitted to taking a few liberties here and there with events.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/332008?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Susan's review
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bookshelves: bookgroup

In the weirdest confluence of events (is that right? eh, don't tell me if it's not; I like the way it sounds), our July bookgroup choice was Crossing California. We received it on Thursday the 14th, a mere three days before I had tickets to go see Katie in an adaptation of the selfsame book! I started the book, saw the play, then finished the book. It was nice to have a sense of character going into the play, although it was a little difficult to get them back to how I originally pictured them when I returned to the book. Interesting to see how events unfolded in the book versus the adaptation, which was quite well done with some weak spots. Katie played Michelle and she was brilliant. Born to play that role and hands down the best thing in the show. And no, I'm not biased. Afterwards we discussed the adaptation, a conversation I'd like to have again now that I've read the whole book.

I loved this book. It's set in Rogers Park, a far north neighborhood in Chicago, from 197...more In the weirdest confluence of events (is that right? eh, don't tell me if it's not; I like the way it sounds), our July bookgroup choice was Crossing California. We received it on Thursday the 14th, a mere three days before I had tickets to go see Katie in an adaptation of the selfsame book! I started the book, saw the play, then finished the book. It was nice to have a sense of character going into the play, although it was a little difficult to get them back to how I originally pictured them when I returned to the book. Interesting to see how events unfolded in the book versus the adaptation, which was quite well done with some weak spots. Katie played Michelle and she was brilliant. Born to play that role and hands down the best thing in the show. And no, I'm not biased. Afterwards we discussed the adaptation, a conversation I'd like to have again now that I've read the whole book.

I loved this book. It's set in Rogers Park, a far north neighborhood in Chicago, from 1979-1981, so lots of talk about the hostages and Reagan and fun things like that. California is a street that is really the class dividing line in the neighborhood. Living west of California is better (and Katie, if you're reading it, that's my main complaint with the play - that the importance of location was lost). Most of the main characters are teenagers trying to navigate their sense of place - in themselves, in their families, in their neighborhood, in the world - but the adults get a fair shake too. Everyone searching for their right place. Most of them find it in some form by the end, even if it's not how they thought or in a way that makes them truly happy.

Interesting style of writing as pertains to dialogue. Sometimes there was traditional dialogue, but other times it was completely narrative. It's the way someone would tell you a story, like if they were at a party with Larry and Michelle and witnessed it happening. As I said, interesting.

This was a book where I felt like I knew the characters, like they existed in real time. I think part of it comes from the time period of the book - these characters were nearly my peers or those of my older siblings. They were kids that could have lived in my neighborhood, been influences on me. I will admit, this could be a result of having seen the play, but I don't think that's entirely the cause. I found the book easy to live in. Adam Langer provides fantastic detail to put the story in its historical context (including a glossary in the back in case you don't know some of the references, be it to the Hava Nagilah or to Joey Heatherton), but not so much that it becomes cumbersome or self-conscious.

It was also a beautiful portrait of my new home city, even if it's not the neighborhood I live in and the author has admitted to taking a few liberties here and there with events....less

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