The Escape of Light

by Fred Venturini

“…a stunning read.” ―Kirkus Reviews The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting."―Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW’s SUPERNATURAL and THIS IS JANE  

Wilder Tate just wants a normal life with a normal face...  
Burns have disfigured him, his father has passed away, and his mother now works so many jobs, he feels like he’s living alone. He expects more of that same loneliness as he starts at a new high school, but Wilder surprises even himself as he finds a new best friend, discovers a knack for basketball, and catches the eye of the coolest girl in school. All the cruelty and bullying seems reserved for the enigmatic Lane McKenzie, and Wilder is all too happy to let her take the heat.  But sometimes Wilder is his own worst enemy, and his scars run far deeper than just physical damage. He’s haunted by a secret he thinks he can erase with a bold and risky plan to fix his disfigurement for good―a plan that may cost him far more than he ever imagined. Filled with twists, heart, and humor, The Escape of Light is a bold and unexpected story of resilience, love, and basketball from the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back .

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Fiction, Audiobook

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2019

About the author

Fred Venturini has eleven scars from eleven separate incidents, the most interesting of which is the time he was set on fire. For the others, just ask. His short fiction has been featured in the Booked. Anthology, Noir at the Bar 2, and Chuck Palahniuk's BURNT TONGUES anthology. He is the acclaimed author of THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK and the forthcoming THE ESCAPE OF LIGHT (Turner, 2019). On the basketball court, he is a three-point specialist and defensive liability. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike for its predecessor The Heart Does Not Grow Back, there's no supernatural undertones in The Escape of Light. It's more of a DeGrassi, romanticized-spin-off-everyday-life type of novel. Except that it's a very, very dark DeGrassi.

The driving theme of The Escape of Light is that Wilder Tate needs to come to terms with the burns that disfigured him when he was 10 years old. There's no real antagonist or tension, except for himself and the situation that he creates. He's a pretty smart and athletic kid who's his own worst enemy because he doesn't talk about the day he was burn and what it means to him. Well, at least, he's not QUITE truthful about it.

I haven't read before a novel that deals with someone's self-defeating ways in the way The Escape of Light does. It's not as quirky and spectacular as its predecessor, but Fred Venturini really has a way with expressing how young men think.

More on Dead End Follies in a couple weeks.

[Amy Buckle / Amy's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Escape of Light is a coming-of-age novel whose protagonist, Wilder, was severely scarred when he was a child and now has to try and live a normal life with very visible scars on his face and body. Navigating high school is already tricky, but for Wilder, it’s extra... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, witty, charming, thoughtful novel and I can't think of how many readers are going to feel less alone in the world after reading it.

[✿ Mika ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best accidental reads this year. This novel deserves more recognition and praise as it explores yet another world full of pain, anger and regrets. Beautifully and vividly written, The Escape of Light was an incredible eye opening and heart wrenching read that I highly encourage others to try.

[Laura Thoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently finished this and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after reading this author’s work before and also the fact it falls into the YA genre.

You can’t help but fall in love with these characters and find yourself reminiscing back to your high school days. As the story unfolds you go through a roller coaster of emotions....tragedy, heartbreak, happiness and with the perfect amount of wit and humor just when it’s needed. It definitely had some sound advice for both young and old throughout as well! Definitely a good read that many in my book club enjoyed!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something magical about this book. It’s an original storyline for sure, but its themes are universal. In many ways it feels like the high school story for the rest of us - the unpopular but not ostracized quietly moving through the halls of high school living lives of big drama for us, but unnoticed by the rest of the world.

Wilder Tate is portrayed with spare elegance, in keeping with the rest of this well crafted novel. Yes this YA but the audience is much more broad - a coming of age story that, if I ran the literary world, would be required reading for everyone.

[Leza Palguta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely not a typical why a novel. The topics are really intense, the book is long and uses a very small font, and at times the main character seems too good to be true. But all of that said, it is inspirational and encouraging to kids who are struggling with circumstances beyond their control.

[Booked podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hear the complete review on our website: https://bookedpodcast.podbean.com/e/4...

[Angi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable and quick read. The author grew up close to where I live so there were a lot of local easter eggs that I loved reading. A few of the characters will stick with me for awhile.

[Literaturealatte (Jalyn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I had to take a chance on this one because the author (Fred Venturini) is from Patoka, Illinois, which is only an hour from me. So a lot of the schools and surroundings are familiar to me. I was not disappointed in the least.

If you are a fan of The Fault in our Stars, then you will enjoy this book, with less sadness. This has all the feels from heartbreak to sadness to comedy. The conversations Wilder has with his conscience is often comedic. Wilder had an accident when he was ten, which leaves disfiguring scars, that he has learned to hide from others. Then due to town zoning he is switched to a different school where he has to start all over again. Wilder can’t seem to catch a break in his life. This is definitely one of the better coming of age stories I have read. I wish there was more!

Thanks to Turner Publishing for allowing me an advanced reader copy.

[Taylor Zajonc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turning a page can feel like ripping off a bandage in The Escape of Light, author Fred Venturini's love letter to the poignancy and pain of high school. It's a novel about the wonderful and terrible things that happen to us and that we inflict on others, all told through the tumult of friendship and first loves. Venturini's sweet and sour coming-of-age storytelling drips with heartbreaking authenticity and smartass voice as his characters are dragged kicking and screaming into the complexities of young adulthood. If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light. To paraphrase Venturini, 'laughing is always worth it, no matter how much it hurts.'

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unexpectedly amazing and heartfelt. I don't think I've connected to a teenage boy character the way I connected to Wilder. He was easy to love and easy to root for. I'm sincerely glad I read this book.

[Rdr · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book. It felt like a pretty typical YA book.

[Kim Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book--one of the best coming-of-age type stories I've ever read!

[ERIC WERNER · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Escape of Light by Fred Venturini is a strong high school drama. It follows a high school kid, Wilder Tate, who suffered through second-degree and third burns all over his body when he was ten. When entering school, he is very self-conscious about how he looks. However, his skill in basketball makes him a wanted player among the team and small school. As the book progresses, Wilder navigates through his struggles, past regrets, and current relationships as he comes to terms with his scars and his newfound popularity. It is a striking and intriguing tale of what a burn victim might go through, and some of the questions that people might have can be found inside this book.
The author's choice in characterization for the people, and most importantly Wilder in the book make him look complex and authentic. Wilder says he doesn't want people to be sorry for him, or pity him. He just wants them to see him like normal, “You don’t have to be all sorry for me, you know I hate that.” Pg. 64. He also thinks and has internal struggles over his scars, he is anxious and nervous about what others think of him when they see his burns. He has 2nd-degree burns on the right side of his face, right chest, and right arm that he wants to hide. Fairly quickly though, Wilder changes from his recluse state into one of the popular starters on the basketball team after chasing his passion after getting a push. He gets courage as well from playing because he forgets about his scars and enjoys the game. “Basketball saved me from all that and more. I wore a T-shirt underneath my jersey, which covered the scar tissue on my arm. My face was still visible, but the game has a flow, and when I give up to its tide, the scars are gone.” pg. 19. He believes he isn't judged on how he looks when he plays, just how well he did in the game.
The setting in The Escape of Light changes throughout the book but mainly stays at the high school Wilder goes to. It takes place in a small unnamed town in Illinois, and the high school itself is sports-oriented. It is a rundown school, the only exception being the gym, with only about 180 people attending. The impact this makes affects how people interact within the school. Since there's such a low amount of kids in the town that go to the high school, social life and sports make those who are beautiful and play the most popular in the school. It also makes rumors and stress more rampant in the book. Wilder experiences this as his scars are seen and he starts playing basketball. He quickly became popular in the school due to his basketball skills and unique look. He even gets a nickname that mirrors his popularity, for example, after someone asked if he was going to work hard, he said, "What am I talking about---you're the Doberman." pg.48.
In this book, courage stands out as one of the themes that the author is trying to convey. Our protagonist, Wilder Tate, starts out as an insecure and anxious kid about his burns and how he is viewed. He is hesitant to pursue his passion and finds a way to fix his scars, but he knows the emotional ones will still remain. However, throughout his journey in high school, and after taking a step forward to stop regretting, he believes he can accept his scars and push through his hesitation. After realizing that in the future he might regret getting rid of the scars instead of playing basketball, he has an inner struggle and conflict about whether or not to remove the procedure that would fix his appearance, "It isn't for basketball, I'd just rather live with scars than regrets." pg. 241. From this book, the theme that was displayed showed that courage is having the strength to fight the fears in the past to accept the things we truly love.
I would highly recommend The Escape of Light, it was easy to follow and I liked the writing style a lot. I loved the intriguing storyline and the fleshed-out characters in the book. They painted an emotional story where I truly cared about what the characters were going through. The ending was definitely the one I was hoping for, and probably what others would too if they started reading it! In conclusion, I'd recommend the book to high school-age kids, or those wishing to learn the perspective and struggle a burn victim goes through. I liked the book a lot and only disliked the slow pacing around the middle of the book.

[Julia Andreyuk]

Escape of the Light
The book Escape Of The Light by Fred Venturini showcases a high school student named Wilder Tate. When Wilder was 10 he was in an accident that left him with mental and physical scars on his body. Through it all, Wilder tries to navigate his way through the crowded hallways, and the hectic basketball court. Venturini uses characterization shifts, a challenging setting, and an overarching theme of perseverance in order to depict character growth in Wilder from the beginning to the end of the novel.
Throughout the novel, Wilder shifted from reserved to a revered teen. During a scene at the beginning of the novel, Wilder reflects on his old lunch habits as he says, “I’d skip the cafeteria line and sit alone” (Venturini 19). This depicts Wilder’s determination to be viewed as a regular teenage boy rather than be seen as a kid who got burned. By including this line, the author is illustrating Wilder as a recluse in order for the readers to see the growth and change in Wilder’s characterization from the beginning to the end of the novel. This growth to being admired is illustrated when Wilder was getting on the court for one of his basketball games. He described the team's reaction by saying, “the team crashed into me, greeting me by becoming one voice of unbridled joy” (Venturini 274). Although Wilder started off thinking he was a nobody, his teammates made him feel accepted and less of an outcast. He perseveres and fights through all the bullying and loneliness that he feels throughout high school. Wilder’s teammates and the crowd demonstrate their reverence for Wilder in this moment, illustrating that Wilder’s hard work has paid off. Throughout the novel, Wilder grows so much. He goes from a kid who doesn’t want to sit in the cafeteria out of embarrassment: to an admired star player.
The high school setting really helps highlight this character shift as well. At the beginning of the book, Wilder was just a scared sophomore at a new school who wanted to be seen by no one. By the end of the book, he morphs into Mr.Popular craving the spotlight and wanting to cause a stir. One way the author depicted this shift was when Wilder wanted to get back at a mean girl named Talisha. He announced that he would be on prom court by saying “I’ll do it,” followed by “But I want Lane on prom court with me” (Venturini 154). Even though Wilder only volunteers him and Lane for prom court just to get back at Talisha, he would never have done that at the beginning of the novel. That change only happened because high school forced Wilder to adapt and get out of his comfort zone.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good comeback story, it has a certain realism that helps to captivate the reader and really pull you into Wilder’s world. One way the author does this is by including times when Wilder is really fighting to be happy and then later including times when he feels on top of the world. One example of when he is struggling was when Wilder and his friend Preston got into a car accident. The author wrote “took me in for hand surgery. After waking up from that, I puked everywhere”(Venturini 107). Even though they get into the car accident Wilder still manages to persevere through the injuries and the psychological damage. After the car accident, Wilder makes his comeback through lots of hard work and eventually ends up the happiest he has ever been by the end of the book. This is depicted when Wilder is at prom with Lane when the author writes, “I lifted her up, spinning us around while hugging her. We just laughed” (Venturini 285). Wider was in such a bad place mentally at the beginning of the book, but he perseveres and creates the life he wants. Overall, this novel is one of the best I have read and I strongly recommend it. Through the employment of shifting characterization from timid to revered, a demanding high school setting that pushed the main character to improve, and the theme of perseverance helped depict a strong character growth.

[August · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fred Venturini's, Escape of Light, focuses on Wilder Tate, a severe burn survivor, who just wants to fit in as he enters high school. Facing judgment and hardship from all angles, Wilder hones his energy into his basketball career until a devastating accident takes that away from him too. As he navigates his world, he finds comfort in Lane Makansi, a bullied outcast who against all odds, seems to understand him.
One thing about Wilder is that he’s deeply insecure and obsessed with the past. Wilders' internal monologue about whether he should sit "Scars in" or "Scars out" shows his constant awareness of his scars and how they affect others. Wilder seems to be more worried about what others think about his scars than what he himself thinks about his scars, and all of his negative opinions come from how he thinks others will think about him. In the book, the author uses Wilders´ speech, or rather, lack of, to show his insecurity. Wilder doesn't speak a whole ton in this book, especially when other people are in the scene, he usually takes a back seat to everyone else, but his internal monologue is extremely rich and complex. This portrays Wilder as a very internal person, I think this stems from his insecurity and his not wanting to stand out. I know when I feel anxious, I retreat into myself a lot and don't talk, but that doesn´t mean my mind is just empty, it just means I'm not comfortable talking a lot.
Venturini’s use of a small-town high school setting makes this book feel relatable and easy-to-know to its target audience: kids in school. I can relate a lot to all of the characters' struggles because they’re in such a familiar setting. The author did this because Wilder’s struggles are not common, so in order to be able to relate and sympathize with him, we as the readers needed something we had experienced, in this case, school.
Throughout the book, the author emphasizes the theme of how fear has to be overcome to grow as a person. At the beginning of the book, Wilder is deeply insecure and afraid of judgment from other people- one of the first things he considers is whether to sit "Scars in" or "Scars out" on the bus to control how people view him. Wilder is constantly aware of how people perceive him, and this brings him a lot of anxiety. Throughout the novel there is a repeated motif that Wilder is too scared to accept his scars- this comes up when he and Lane are discussing their respective traumas and even after Lane confesses her deepest secret, Wilder refuses to show her his worst scars that arm on his chest and arm. This shows how Wilder is forced on a daily basis to show his scars to the world- he really doesn’t have a choice- but when he does have a choice he chooses to hide the worst of him, afraid that other people won’t accept him for them. This fear holds him back multiple times in the book: when he could’ve asked out Lane but instead he rejects her, or when he could’ve stood up for himself at school but he chooses to hide instead. By the end of the book, Wilder accepts himself, scars and all, and makes the courageous decision to show them to the world.
Overall, I would recommend this book because as a student it is very relatable, the theme is very emotional and strong, and the characters are realistic and likable. I liked how Wilder was confronted with challenges, faced them, and eventually overcame them, it had a hopeful and happy ending which I enjoyed.

[JONATHAN BOYSAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

From what I have read in The Escape of Light, it stars the protagonist, Wilder who gets into a serious accident at age 10 and is seen and remembered as a burn victim, but overtime begins to come to terms with who he is with the people he soon meets and forms bonds with. And slowly but surely he begins to learn to be accepted.

The point in the author's characterization is rather off since in the beginning Wilder is already shown as antisocial due to his burns and how he feels about it. But overtime it's being dragged back and forth to different personalities.
In short, the author’s use of characterization is less than grounded, but natural enough to make the characters more realistically involved in the story and world they are in. I believe in the personalities of the characters the author wants to convey, but instead the majority of the character’s actions feel unnatural than what is shown and seen in real life situations involving these acts. However, by the end of it all, the resolutions of each character is slowly brought down in its falling action and conclusion.

I feel as if the author’s use of the setting in the story starts off in a small town in a simple state feels rather unnatural for a setting as there doesn’t sound like there is much to go off of. But more likely it's to help keep the story in a more compact area for there to build up the world in just that town as well as the characters in the setting since everything is put together for the majority of the events to come together. And of course, build up the story the way the author wants it to be. But more importantly in conveys a lot more to Wilder’s point of view since his family is poor and with less than ideal living conditions, yet he looks over and sees all these other people with interestingly better houses more specifically it is implied from the following text: “My mom had multiple jobs having to pay off a lot of our house, but now looking out there I see more who have it rough yet live just fine.”, this line shows just how small a certain character is in that world being built up to make the character more improved by the end of the story. Despite this issue, it's becoming more adamant that others admire Wilder for his confidence and determination that they wish they could have as well.
More importantly the main theme the author is trying to convey is acceptance, and this becomes more apparent later in the novel when Wilder is becoming more social and starts to open up to more of his peers, even telling the truth about the whole incident that started this. He’s accepting who he is and not what people think he should be. And that becomes clear when he denies his surgery to fix his burns and scars, it's not that he doesn’t want to but now he doesn’t feel the need to do even that. as he believes that they are what make him himself.

Overall despite some issues in the topics talked about, there is something interesting hidden in this book, So overall I would in fact recommend this book for its interesting storyline, grounded characters, and World building.

[Shannon Rayner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
There were some beautiful quotes in here that I’m going to shoutout first because the rest of this review doesn’t have much nice to say.
“You always remember feelings because feelings are what anchor our memories”
“Your scars are not your fault”
I loved both of these quotes because they had such deeper meaning and seemed so important to me.
The rest of the book was kind of a hot mess. It seemed to be all over the place (much like this review is about to be) and there was so much that happened that it kind of felt like there wasn’t very much character development because the focus was on the plot. I wanted to hear more about Lane and Preston and just all of the characters.
It definitely had moments where I wanted it to be over but also had moments where I thought it was the cutest thing ever. There were moments where I was in love with the messages it was sending, and moments where I was absolutely ANGERED at the way that some things were handled.
I didn’t really get all the basketball references because there’s not a sport I know less about than basketball, and there was so much focus on sports that this book was really dry to me because sports are just not my thing. I only gave it 3 stars because it just wasn’t my favourite and made me feel kind of unmotivated to read and it’s honestly probably closer to 2.5 for me but I’ll be generous and round up.
To break it down, here’s the things I loved:
- Lanes entire existence
- Seeing people have Wilder’s back
- Wilders mom and how supportive she was
- The black hole metaphor
Heres the things I didn’t love:
- We didn’t get to see much about why Wilder loved to play basketball, we only saw the basketball playing. I wanted to know more about his history. I wanted flashbacks with his dad and where does the name Doberman come from and just background information. I felt like I didn’t know these characters.
- I didn’t love how little we saw of Lane in the beginning and when we got to see her, how little we saw her history. I know there were things we saw in there of her history but I wanted to know more about her dad. I also didn’t like how she told him her life so that she could see his scars. I know she thought she was helping him but she wasn’t and she should have dropped it instead of getting upset.
- Why were there no POC? Or did I just miss that? There seemed to be no diversity, which okay, he did say something about being in a white area and maybe that justified it but I just feel like that’s not realistic and even if it is, I hated it.
All in all, I probably wouldn’t ever go out of my way to recommend this book to anyone, but I don’t regret reading it. There were some super cute moments, I think the main problem was that it just wasn’t my type.

[Logan Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the story The Escape of Light by Fred Venturini, Wilder is introduced as a teenage burn victim who has experienced a lot of trauma in his small-town life. It is revealed that he no longer has a dad, his mom is busy and hard at work, and he is quite a lonely and sad kid. That is until he joins the basketball team and becomes a popular kid. But his sadness still remains. In the speech, Wilder takes a while to gain the confidence to talk, but when he does he is a funny and interesting character. He is very humble. (p 48.) Wilder really just thinks about basketball, girls, and his scars. Wilder affects others by inspiring them. The fact that he has the amount of courage he has is truly inspiring. His actions are very subtle he is not the most confident person in the world, but he still succeeds. Wilder looks different than others with all his burns. He is very strange looking. Wilder is courageous for the way he interacts with his peers even after being burned and left with embarrassing scars. He still makes his way through school and does great things in basketball.
The story is set in a small town in Southern Illinois. The setting affects the storyline in that the town is very limited in places to go so the story is really only set at school, and on the roads in town. The story would be a lot different if it were set somewhere else because a lot of things that go on in their town do not happen in an area like St. Louis. One example happens on page 116 when Wilder goes to Lanes and says, ¨Lanes house looked like a run-down white house knockoff¨ This reminds me of a small town feel, with the run-down old looking houses, and you do not see much of that in the Wildwood area.
Perseverance is a big theme in the story. One example of perseverance is when Wilder gets his expanders. It takes a lot of courage and despite this being a hard surgery Wilder goes through with it and perseveres. Another example in the story is when Wilder on page 254 decides to go out and prepare for the game that might not even happen. ¨I set up a couple of empty milk cartons and dribbled around them.¨(254.) Wilder perseveres through a difficult time by practicing when nobody else would.
This book was astonishing because of all the emotion included in the word choice and decisions of the author. The setting was very interesting because it was set in a high school which made it realistic and relatable. The book was also very interesting because of the relationships formed between the characters. The fact that Wilder played basketball was very relatable for me because I play basketball. Personally, I would really suggest this book to anyone who considers reading it. People who like sports and people who like comeback stories should definitely read this book because that is what it's all about.

[Cayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Escape of Light is a coming-of-age novel. It shows Wilder the main character facing several challenges throughout the book; he was burned as a child and has scars covering his face and upper body. This impacts his daily life, his ability to move and play sports, and his social interactions. Personally, I loved this book, I found it super relatable and easy to read. The author makes it so that throughout the book you get attached to Wilder making his character development and growth something to look forward to. The author describes Wilder as a victim, someone who is shy and has a hard time overcoming his struggles. Wilder faces insecurities about his appearance and about what other people think of him (specifically girls) which I feel many of us can relate to. For example, in the book, people constantly ask Wilder about his scars and why he doesn't look “Normal”. "So is it weird to ask what happened to you? she said... Not weird, I said. Natural curiosity." (Pg. 34 Venturini). Wilder plays it off like the things other people ask him don’t bother him, but he's revealed several times that he tries to hide the scarred side of his face to draw less attention to himself. I feel like Wilder's emotions make the book very personable because you can sympathize with him. The setting of the book also gives it a pleasant “at home” atmosphere. He grows up in a small town in Illinois and visits the St. Louis hospital which is just near where I'm from so it makes it easy to imagine/relate to. It explains how his mom works as a waitress at several locations and I think this once again sets the scene for a comfortable read. “My mother was a waitress at a truck-stop diner called the Red Hen over in the Sesser and a bartender at the Elks Lodge past the railroad tracks in Herrick.” (Pg. 25 Venturini). This is a common job for a motherly character and it fits the mold of a typical hard working single mom. The overall theme the author creates makes you want to continue reading, he illustrates a boy with lots of fears and insecurities that lives in a familiar setting. Wilder time and time again is fearful and has to work up the courage to get over his fears. This left me eager to read more. In many instances, Wilder will get in his own head and you don't know what he will do next because he's so unsure and overthinks everything out of fear. Not only does this allow readers to connect to Wilder on a personal level but it also leaves you curious about what will happen next. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in high school or going through similar struggles.

[Khanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Escape Of Light by Fred Venturini is about a high schooler named Wilder Tate, a surviving burned victim who lives with a widowed mother who works none stop. As well as a basketball career he doesn’t bother pursuing and a heartbreak he can’t get over. An operation to finally rid him of his past scar but when an unlikely friendship begins between him and Lane Makansi, a bullied victim herself who sees beyond his disformities. Wilder discovers more than what he planned for.
Wilder can be described as witty, caring, and at some points confident but can be seen as insensitive at points in the books when trying to deal with his feelings but he means well. What drives the plot is Wilder’s self-destructive behavior towards himself. For example, “Did Jenna Weaver really like me? Fuck no. She’s got no reason to like you. You’re a freshman. Social standing, zero. Looks? Two out of ten, and those are sympathy points. You don’t have a car, and she’s got this house. I mean look at this fucking place. Don’t be stupid.”(Venturini, pg. 42) The vast majority of his insecurity stems from his injurious behavior. Not being able to believe that anything good can go well for himself.
The setting takes place in a small town in Illinois, where rumors spread fast and made-up stories spread even more quickly. The story is limited in where it can take me and is limited to the characters I get to know. Wilder often has to deal with rumors and onlookers that can’t be ignored. For instance, “Deep-fried Wilder rinds or artificial anus? I’d rather shoot myself.”(Venturini, pg.132). This story would be a lot more different if took place in a big city and everyone was a young adult. It makes the characters feel more close-knitted to Wilder as supporting characters. Even when wanting to escape to forget the rumors, they still follow him no matter where she goes.
The overall theme can be seen as wilder vs himself. His constant hatred of himself stems from his being self-destructive with his inner thoughts. His role as the protagonist drives the plot but their no true antagonist in the novel as every character has a fault within them that drives Wilder. Tate as he fears the people around him and what they think as he tries to isolate himself from others. Venturini was trying to say about these themes that although it's tough and may seem cruel at times I must accept and face my fears. If I can't I may never try to face them ever again.
For the most part, I made the decision not to recommend this book to any of my friends but more to people who are into the mature and more realistic side of books. As it wouldn’t be the right fit for someone interested in fantasy novels or LGBTQ novels. I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I’d thought I would but I wasn’t disappointed in the storytelling or characters.
In conclusion, I did like the book but I may never recommend it to any of my close friends.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel The Escape of Light, by Fred Venturini, is a novel about a star basketball player named Wilder who has severe scars running up and down his face and shoulders. Wilder is very aware of his scars and thinks that all the people around him only care about how he looks and not how he treats them. For example, Wilder says “I could sit scars in, concealing them, hoping that
someone would sit next to me and strike up a conversation” or “I could sit scars-out and all but
guarantee the seat to myself for the whole trip” (Venturini 12). These quotes provide evidence that Wilder is very self conscious about his scars and believes that people will only pay attention to that when choosing whether to befriend him or not. In actuality though, people care very little about his outward appearance and more about how he acts around them.
Setting also leads to his self consciousness because he is in a large school with lots of people. Wilder consciously knows that there‘s lots of people around him that can judge him but he would later be invited to a party by the girl he likes which would prove that his appearance has little to do with what people think about him. In the second part of the book, Wilder decides to get balloons to get a complete facial reconstruction because of how contentious he is of his appearance but much to his surprise, his coach actually advises against it. Thankfully, Wilder still has months to change his decision.
The most important part to this book though is the theme. The theme of courage can be seen riddled throughout the third part of the book. Especially when Wilder has to make a big decision to either go through with the surgery and skip his regional basketball game or go to the basketball game and cancel his surgery. His decision has motivation on each side, so this decision will change a lot for him. Another obvious theme that can be seen is fear. Wilder fears what people will think of his physical appearance but he also fears what people will think of him if he completely skips his regional basketball game that he’s been looking forward to going to and possibly even playing in. The final decision came as a surprise to me which really changed my outlook on Wilder.
Overall, This book shows a mix of courage and fear that make it really entertaining and a book that I’d recommend to everyone looking for some motivation and positivity in their life. At first glance, the book might seem like its a sports book but it has a much deeper meaning that you can only find out by reading it.

[JEREMIAH DRAKE]

The Escape of light Book Review
Recently I've just gotten done reading the book Escape of Light and it was amazing in my opinion. I honestly really enjoyed the book because of the way it shows different emotions. The book expresses a special character by the name of Wilder Tate and talks about his whole entire life. Wilder has been through a lot, he's suffered a burn when he was younger due to him and another kid fighting over his gasoline.
Throughout the book Wilder shows different emotions such as courage and fear. Wider Tate has a lot of courage, from being burnt as a kid and then overcoming his horrible overthinking problems while thinking people were always talking about his scarred face. He shows a lot of braveness when getting in a car accident and forgiving the person who almost killed him. Relating back to fear I think the theme of the book would be fear and I say this because fear is a big part of everyone's minds and bodies. With most things that come challenging fear also comes along with that. Sometimes fear is good and fear is bad. What I mean by fear being a good thing is that Fear can be like a warning, a signal that cautions us to be careful. Wilder Tate has a lot of fears in the book, but throughout the story Wilder overcomes his fears by playing basketball and talking to his closest friends. One thing I like is when wilder gets nervous or starts feeling that fear before his basketball games he tends to play a little better. That's a way I think fear can be helpful also. Wilder has struggled a lot with his appearance and I think fear played a big part in this.
The book Escape of Light takes place in a small town in Illinois. Also the story changes setting a lot. It will either be at the high school, hospital, or the basketball court. I would say mostly the setting takes place in the hospital due to Wilder being burned and being in the car incident. The setting of the story changes the story line a lot, Wilder being stuck in the hospital makes the story a lot different. He would be the same if he never went through the things that he did. I would recommend this book to a lot of people especially sports players because when you read this you see how challenging things can be then thrown at you but you overcome the challenges with the sport you love. I liked the book Escape of Light because as an athlete you can relate to this book and what I mean is that you always have things that are hard but you have to push through and overcome them.

[Gaib Forkin]

A boy is burned early on in his childhood, the next step after survival is to continue surviving.
The book The Escape of Light, by Fred Venturini, follows a boy named Wilder Tate. Wilder was a child
burn victim suffering burns spread accross his whole body. Besides the physical challenges, Wilder will
have to put up with all the new social challenges that highschool in a small town brings. Additionally
venturini makes wilder a dynamic character starting as a shy bystander to outstanding basketball star.
Venturinis over all goal with this book is to tell a story of success through hardships.
At the very beginning of the story it is immediately portrayed that herrick is a small highschool,
in a small town, “Herrick high school was a squat building made from faded brick” “the caulk had fallen
away from the seams like a ripened scab” (Venturini 15). This graphic portrayal of the school withering
away is a play on how old the ways of herrick truly are. Due to these ways the Herrick holds on to Wilder
deals with the rigerous challenge of navigating everyday life and trying not to be the center of attention
from his burn scars. This all changes though when Wilder gets on the court. Wilder says “and when I give
up to the tide, the scars are gone” (venturini 19). Having this safe haven of basketball is a crucial
development for wilder as it is his mode for growth. He uses basketball to mend his views on highschool
and even his view of himself.
Even though wilder has become the basketball star that he desired to be the whole other challenge
of highschool hits him like a train. Girls. As wilder is finally getting through the motions he goes to a
party with his friends and has an encounter with his self proclaimed dream girl. “I could see myself
secretly loving her for a couple of years in distant terror” (venturini 37). This sense of falling for jenna
from wilder is pushing him to try harder and harder for him to become a better person and suitable in her
eyes. This changes though as he learns more about how highschool girls function.
I recommend this book to all people that love sports, or people that like a book about a good
comeback. The over all theme venturini was setting out to achieve was that people can grow no matter the
circumstances. Just like wilders ability to challenge his physical setbacks and possibly achieve something
amazing his basketball career.

[Matt Vehige · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Escape of Light is a coming-of-age novel whose protagonist, Wilder, was severely burned when he was a child and now has to try and live a normal life with very visible scars on his face and upper body. The theme of The Escape of Light is that Wilder builds courage throughout the novel so he can come to terms with the burns that vandalized him when he was 10 years old. There's no real antagonist except for himself and the situation that he creates. He's a pretty smart and athletic kid who's his own worst enemy because he doesn't talk about the day he was burned and what it means to him.
Venturini uses changing characterization, a challenging setting, and a significant theme in order to depict character growth in Wilder from the beginning to the end of the book. Throughout the novel, Wilder shifts from reserved to an outgoing teen. During a scene at the beginning of the novel, Wilder remembers his old lunch habits as he says, “I’d skip the cafeteria line and sit alone” (19). this shows Wilder as a reserved teen who doesn't want to be seen by the masses as a burned kid. Eventually, later in the story Wilder matures a little more and says, “I’d just rather live with scars than regrets''. By including these parts the author is picturing Wilder as someone who was insecure then secure so the readers can see the growth of courage and change in Wilder’s characterization from the beginning to the end of the novel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes high school drama and a classic comeback story. It has some pretty strong words and a view of certain realism that can really put you into Wilder’s shoes and one way the author does this is by showing his highs and then his lows. One example is when Wilder and his friend Preston get in a nasty car crash. The author wrote, “I was alive. Another brush with death, another escape” (Venturini 102). Even after being thrown around the metal interior of a pickup truck, Wilder still makes it out alive and presses on to recover from his injuries. “You don’t stop. Not ever. All these things happen to you, and they’re not your fault, and you just keep pushing”. This is irrefutable evidence that Wilder has the sheer courage to never give up and be the best person he can be. Even though Wilder struggles with his appearance on the outside he has a strong mentality on the inside which ultimately helps him come to terms with his scars.

[John Woodrud · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book Escape of Light was about a young boy named Wilder Tate, a burn victim survivor. The story line is based around poor Wilder Tate as an incoming freshman dealing with his surroundings, insecure and pitied for his burns and even bullied. Take pg. 17 quote Jackson who blurts out during class, “What happened to your face? Were you really set on fire?” Of course, for Wilder the last thing he wants is people to notice his burns. In reality, no kid is that reckless enough to shout that during class. The author exaggerates the stereotypes of high school students including jocks, the hot girl, and the outcasts. To make a book relatable to high school students it needs to be accurate and fitting with the current movements. Unfortunately, the book is a poor way of catering and being relatable to high school students.
The choice of setting was an okay choice, as an incoming high school student who has burns going to a wild place like a school in Illinois. As a secondary setting his mother’s poor and rundown house, quote pg. 31 “With wood siding diseased with paint blisters, some boards as black and brittle as rotten teeth.” The house Wilder lives in colors his character with depth and background of his rough life. I believe the theme of Escape of Light is hope. The theme is hope to me, as throughout the entire book Wilder is overcoming challenges and staying optimistic. “It isn't for basketball… I’d just rather live with the scars than regrets.” pg. 241, Wilder. Hope and optimism were pretty large themes during the book, but his hope to make the varsity team, to be with someone who has some semblance of trauma. While the ending took a sharp left turn ultimately making the book feel both rushed and unrealistic, I believe the large majority of the book’s attempts to show a courageous character arc were successful.
I disliked the book, I felt like the ending was anticlimactic, I also felt like taking out the expanders and wasting the money his mother worked three jobs for was ridiculous. This was the nail in the coffin, as the ending where Wilder Tate hypothetically would have had his scars removed and had a new perspective on life was trashed when he wasted his mother’s hard work.

[Matthew A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I have read for the Courage Unit is called “The Escape of Light” by Fred Venturini. A brief description of this is that it is about a teenage boy named Wilder as he is having a pretty hard time in his life. He has burns and scars on his face, but not only that,his dad is dead and his mom is working too much. But now his life changes as he is now transferring to a high school, testing his loneliness. He makes a new best friend, has a crush, and gets into a basketball team. Things soon change badly as it puts Wilder to the challenge of making himself happy in his life. With how the author uses characterization with WIlder here is how WIlder feels about his scars and what other people would think about him, as it shows in pg. 34 when Talisha asks WIlder what happened to him, Wilder saw it more as “natural curiosity”. Wilder always sees that others would think that his scars are something to be made fun of, but when WIlder gets to know people more, such as Lane and Preston, they are more than what he seemed. With how the theme of the setting has been used here is that Wilder was first in a very small town back in Illinois, showing how he was able to handle things at least a bit easier. For example, back on pg. 25, Wilder says how back then, his mom was a “waitress at a truck-stop diner”. This really does show how different Wilder’s life used to be back then compared to how it is now, his mom may still be very busy, but no matter what, she is there for him to help with his new life that is starting with this high school. Of course, the main theme that the author is trying to convey here is courage as the book really showed how Wilder kept going to make sure he reached his goals at the end of the day. And it really paid off in the end as after doing what he was meant to do, he said “the only thing left to do is climb” back on pg. 291. Wilder doesn’t want loneliness in his life forever, he wants a good family, friends, and love, and it gladly ended on a high note for him. At the end of the day, this book is heavenly recommended because it goes to show that no matter how you are or how you look, you can still have a great life like anyone else if you have the courage and bravery to do so.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book The Escape of Light by Fred Venturi, Wilder finds himself struggling to fit in as a freshman. But the hardest part for him is his appearance. Wilder was involved in a burn accident at 10 years old. Throughout the novel he struggles to find himself and live with his scars.
I have my reasons on why I think this book was anticlimactic. Wilder acts very impulsively to prove that he can fit within his peers. From the beginning Wilder knows what he wants, a girl Jenna. One thing that really sticks out well for Wilder is basketball, but he uses that to impress Jenna instead of making it his passion. For instance Wilder explains, ¨As I was walking to the bench, I looked over at the cheerleaders, and Jenna gave me a little wave¨ (Venturi 60) I think if he was more focused on basketball than girls he would be a lot happier, not complaining all the time.
Wilder lives in a small town in Illinois, which means there's less people in his school. And that makes it harder for him to fit in. This might be the case, but when Wilder goes through his ups and downs of decisions his best friend Preston is always there to help him through it all. The bothersome thing is that he will never listen to his advice. As Wilder goes on talking about quitting basketball for a surgery, Preston says, ¨Have you even considered what life would be like without basketball for you?¨(Venturi 87) Wilder is lucky enough to let alone have a supporting friend, but isn't grateful.
Towards the end of the book Wilder came to terms that he is afraid of everything and knows he doesn't want to face it. It's almost like he's trying to fix everything from a load of regret. It's disappointing to see because he goes through with a lot of big decisions that were meant to be permanent. His known passion for basketball really comes out when he's eager to get back at a school rival that was a bully encounter. After Robbie Immings hurts him, Wilder says ¨I couldn't watch Robbie Immings fill up the net while he broke our team, on our own court. He continues with, ¨Especially after this¨(Venturi 222) I would not recommend this book because everything Wilder did was always based on what he thought seemed cool to everyone else, and not something that benefited his life throughout the book. I wish he wasn't as impulsive to make his decisions, the author should have given more character development for him. I also believe that Wilder had a lot more potential for basketball, than what was given.

[Jaydon Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Escape Of Light, by Fred Venturini, The main Character Wilder Tate gets introduced early on getting in a fight with a teenager when he was younger and getting burned because of it. He's known to be good at basketball, and has quite a few good friends before going into high school. We get to know his dad passed away and that left him and his mom in a tough spot financially and spiritually. Them being sad and his mom having to work multiple jobs just to provide for the family. He feels he is alone because he really doesn't have anyone to talk to going into high school since his friends all go to a different school. He then meets Preston who he went to school with in middle school even though they never talked before that. They started talking and got close with each other, and then Wilder ended up meeting a girl named Jenna who seemed sweet at first. Everyone thought she liked him but it seemed the basketball players had something else in mind as Jenna told Wilder that he was set up by Theo just to get on the team and play for them. Wilder seemed down after that and the only person there for him was Preston at the time. At some point in time after their little accident they got into with Lane Mckenzie who Preston ended up hating, but wilder started to catch feelings for. You would see them start to grow apart and this is where I started not to like Preston because you could tell the girl was the reason he was acting the way he was. One thing I didn't like was how Wilder tried to hide his burns from everyone by getting the surgery because that's just who he is and I feel like he can't change that. I realized after the coach told him that they will always be with him even if other people didn't see them. I kind of felt that. Outside of all the negative things that went on I'm glad Wilder ended up getting back into basketball because that is his favorite sport and it brings out the best of him. It really shows everyone who Wilder Tate really is outside of the burns. Overall I really enjoyed this because and it never bored me the whole time I was reading it.