Good Behavior

by Nathan L. Henry

Jailed at age sixteen for armed robbery, Nathan Henry was the kind of teenager most parents and teachers have nightmares about. His crime was the culmination of a life lived on the edge: guns and drugs, sex and violence, all set against the ordinary backdrop of a one-stop light town in rural Indiana. Nate's personal history is both disturbing and fascinating. A rough childhood becomes an adolescence full of half-realized violent fantasies that slowly build to the breaking point. But these scenes alternate with chapters about Nate's time in jail, where through reading and reflection he comes to see that his life can be different from all he's known up to this point.

Nathan's story of his year in jail and the life that led him there combine to create a powerful portrait of an American youth gone bad-and a moving story of redemption.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adult, Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2010

About the author

Nate Henry is now 32 and lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and several cats. He works at a medical office. GOOD BEHAVIOR is his first book.

Reviews

[kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was strolling in the YA section of my local library one afternoon after work and saw this book. I didn't even read the inside flap before I knew that I would give it a chance. Anyway, I'm glad I did.

This is a nonfiction memoir about a year that the author served in prison at the age of 16 for armed robbery. In between the chapters of the descriptions of mind-numbing dullness of prison life, there are chapters that detail the author's life leading up to his crime, which are highly disturbing to say the least. The author's childhood was very dysfunctional, with incidences such as the torture of animals, casual violence, underage sex, and racism. His lack of conscience as he does these things and other forms of cruelty made him an unlikable person, yet I realized early on that he is just as much of a victim as a villain here. Nathan's father is abusive as well, beating and psychologically tormenting his family.

Although this book is labeled YA, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone in that age range. Nor would I advocate taking any of the more brutal details out either, as they're absolutely critical in understanding why the author ended up in prison. The only thing I didn't like about this book is the way that the emotional change of the author was portrayed here. While we know that prison did change him and he's certainly not the same as before, very few details are given on when and how the exact moment of this realization occurs. For a person as rotten as the author was, these details are important.

Definitely do recommend this book. Not for the faint of heart though.

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nathan Henry got lucky. He had grown up in a small town in an atmosphere of fear and had a well-developed sense of self-preservation and a penchant for violence. He identified as a bad ass and a Satanist and cultivated the personality to go along with the tough image. He was headed for serious trouble and when he was caught for armed robbery, he spent a year in county jail. Because of his age and the nature of his crime, Nate was tried as an adult. But, thanks to his lawyer and an understanding judge, he was able to serve his sentence in the county jail where he was kept relatively isolated from other offenders, instead of going to prison where truly bad things could have happened to him. Nate had nothing but time during his incarceration and he used it to expand his mind – reading, taking GED classes, talking to other people. His good behavior got him out early, and his new outlook on life helped him to develop a different attitude toward the world. His memoir is gritty but gripping, and some parts are hard to read (animal abuse/killing/disdain for women/lack of empathy for other human beings). He makes a strong case for youthful ignorance and not knowing any better, but it’s disturbing to think how many other young people raised in similar environments with similar pressures might come out with this kind of dangerous ignorance.

[Sheryl Gesoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still in the middle of reading this book, but while I’m here, I’ll write a review.

There’s something about the voice and the rhythm of it that reminds me of Catcher in the Rye. It has a rough, natural voice. The characterizations also remind me of Catcher in the Rye — how he’s sometimes sensitive in ways you wouldn’t expect him to, he thinks authority figures are phony, others disappoint him and he gets his feelings hurt, he’s trying to get a girl, etc.

A good read.

[Hunter Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Behavior by Nathan L. Henry is a good book to read. I thin this because its really entertaining and it shows you how bad prison really is. It goes into a lot of detail about what goes on in there. I feel like after you read this, it will make you think twice about your actions, because they may lead you to prison and reading this will make you not wanna be there.

[Judy Jacobsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are absolutely no quotes that I wanted to save from this book which is a rarity.

I am happy the young man turned his life around while he was in jail and was horrified at the things he did growing up.

[Camryn Crosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Mia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the book Good Behavior by Nathan L. Henry for my PIG class. This is a memoir about main character Nate Henry who is 16 years old. He tells the story in first person about his life in jail from armed robbery, and his rough life that led him there. Every other chapter is what he’s currently doing, while every other chapter is a flashback to his rough childhood. Nate grew up with his parents and his brother. I think that Nate’s father is at fault for his psychotic issues. Throughout his flashbacks, Nathan describes how his dad got entertainment out of scaring him when he was 5 saying how people will come kill him in his sleep. His dad also expected violence, and thought that homicide was humorous. Nate’s fathers’ stories gave him psychotic paranoia which turned into fear, then anger, then frustration. Sooner later he got a fetish for weapons, just like his dad. Nate started imagining himself as Hitler, while having thoughts about killing animals, kids and bombing the school. While also dealing with his crazy father, Nate’s mother was the only one that worked, and they weren’t wealthy at all. They barely had anything. Throughout the story, Nate comes in contact and deals with many other guys in prison, that have done way worse things than him. Dealing with these people, Nate realizes how he becomes ashamed and realizes he doesn’t want to waste the rest of his life in prison. While in prison, Nate read a lot of books from the jail’s library to make the time go by. He even copied a whole book down so he could keep rereading it. While doing this, he explained how a whole new world opened up for him with writing, and he wanted to be a part of it. This is where he started writing a story, which is now published as his memoir, Good Behavior. I definitely think that Nate’s father was the reason he had psychological issues, and through the memoir he realized how that’s affected him all his life. I wish Nate realized that before he wound up in jail, but I’m glad he did when he was still young, and even though he was in jail, he didn't let that get the best of him and give up on life. Instead he tried to turn himself around. Being Nate’s age, I think this was a great book and I recommend it. It only took me 3 days to read and it kept making me want to read more. It has a unique writing style with the flashbacks, and it shows how bad people are bad for a reason, and everyone has a story. It’s a great book with a good life lesson.

[Alex F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Behavior by Nathan L. Henry is a memoir of the authors year he served in prison for armed robbery at the age of 16, while also jumping back to his life leading up to it, and what caused him to become what he was when he committed his crime. This book is a great memoir, and is one of the few non-fiction books that has kept me interested, and kept me reading.

However, this book is not suitable for all ages. This book is heavily focused on Henry’s childhood, which is not a healthy one. Topics such as the brutal details of killing woodland animals, underage sex and prostitution, fighting, rapes, murder, and racism are all but common in this book. Henry does not spare any detail talking about the events that shaped him into the kid who robbed a gas station at gunpoint before getting into a car chase in a car he stole from his parents. While these parts are graphic and vulgar, they are crucially important to the story at hand, and important to us as the reader to get a grasp on the character that is Nathan L. Henry

However, the book is not without its flaws. One of the biggest flaws that I’ve seen the most criticism on is, sadly, the lack of visible character growth. In his time as a prisoner, we see him as a racist, sexist, bloodthirst teen, then a more calm, collected but still prone to anger inmate, and then, suddenly he’s reformed with absolutely no explanation behind it. We’re led to believe that his time in prison changed him, but aside from the lack of his vulgarity due to his limitations, we see no real change. He doesn’t visibly grow enough for us to relate with it. As he skips through his time at prison, focusing on his time leading up to it, he never really elaborates enough on his growth for us to realize he’s growing. Nonetheless, the time he spent in prison has, though not shown well enough, changed him.

Aside from this admittedly major flaw, I still say that Nathan L. Henry's novel, Good Behavior, was a phenomenal Non-Fiction book that kept me reading to the very end, and even coming back for more. I would heavily recommend it to anyone who seems interested in this book and can tolerate the heavy vulgarity. In my opinion, if the glaring weakness that this book has was resolved, it would be a perfect book in my eyes

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, memoir

Chapters alternate between nate's life leading up to his crime and imprisonment and then his time in prison. His childhood will break your heart.

Some mentions of prison rape, mostly nate's fear of it, not graphic. Also mentions of violence, alcohol use, guns and sex but, again, not graphic or gratuitous.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOOD BEHAVIOR, a memoir, by Nate Henry, tells the story of his year in jail for armed robbery. This was an adult jail but Nate was only sixteen. He was no stranger to trouble and in this memoir, he alternates chapters among his year in jail, the year leading up to his crime, and scenes from earlier in his childhood that somewhat explain how a boy from a one stop-light town in rural Indiana finds himself in this predicament. It is gritty, graphic, and often disturbing. I found parts of it nearly impossible to read, but was drawn through it by the hope that he would find a way out. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that the jail librarian is instrumental.

What I took from this book, more than the story itself, was the way in which it was told. He maintained a primarily chronological structure in the alternating chapters so although the book jumps back and forth in time, the reader always knows where she is because he tells the different stories in a "this happened then this happened" order. Within this framework, there were a few flashbacks, but the story was carried forward by the passage of time. We knew he'd either get out of jail or be sent to prison. We knew he'd eventually be arrested and go to jail. We knew he grew to at least the age of sixteen. All of this pulls the reader along. We are also pulled along by the question of "what exactly happened?" since he teases us by referring to the day he set the school on fire and the night the police chased down he and his friend Phillip before he actually tells the events.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it's definitely worth the read.

[Amanda]

Pairing and Overview: I will pair the book Good Behavior by Nathan Henry with the book Monster. Both texts depict a young adult male in jail; the protagonist in Monster is not guilty of his charge, but Henry recalls real-life crimes he did commit and his experience after being tried as an adult. Both texts present accurate portrayals that should hopefully deter teens from a delinquent lifestyle.

1. Book Citation: Henry, Nathan L. Good Behavior. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.

2. Audience: Junior and senior high students who have an interest in crime and violence and recovery. Stories such as this often appeal to urban teens, but this one may appeal to a wider audience because Henry is from a small town.

3. Selection Criteria: Good Behavior is a recent text that contains the factual, firsthand experiences of the author. Bloomsbury publishing was founded in Britain and was named Publisher of the Year in 1999 and 2000; they attribute much of their growth to the Harry Potter series. The subject matter and language of this book are of interest to high school students and much of it is, unfortunately, relatable to underprivileged teens. The scope of the text is limited to the author’s personal experience, but the work presents an important and meaningful perspective. Various editorial reviews note that the writing is somewhat limited and uneven, but the graphic style of writing will appeal to many teens. This autobiographical text will fill a gap in the collection by providing an important view of a delinquent lifestyle that will hopefully inspire struggling teens to make good choices and see hope in their futures.

4. Review Source: Chipman, Ian. Booklist, May 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No.17)

5. SOL Connection:
9/5/10.5/11.5/12.5The student will read, interpret, analyze, and evaluate nonfiction texts.

6. Ordering Information: Good Behavior. Hardcover. Nonfiction. 2010. 272p. Bloomsbury. $17.99. 978-1599904719.

[Wes Metz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but I didn't feel that Nate's life change (to a presumably law-abiding, educated, well-adjusted member of the community) was very well explained, considering that he was sociopathic until he served his year in prison - was the incarceration sufficient to cause him to completely change? If so, why is there so much recidivism?

This book was shelved in the TEEN section at the Marion library! I was flabbergasted! OMG!! I hardly think the material presented here is suitable fodder for young minds, at least those younger than sixteen or so, unless they are unusually mature. Nate is one of those people who can't seem to utter a complete sentence without including a four-letter word. He tortures and dismembers small animals for fun, he employs violence on a whim, he sees females as primarily instruments of his own pleasure, and he speaks casually of killing people. I think he could easily have perpetrated a Columbine-style assault on his school, since he hated everything about it (except possibly art). I can imagine how a parent might react upon stumbling across this book in their child's possession.

If this is the kind of literature being recommended for teenagers nowadays, no wonder teens seem to have so many problems becoming well-adjusted members of society.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nate Henry is in jail awaiting sentencing for armed robbery. He did it, he’s going to plead guilty, and hopes to avoid real prison time. Since he’s still a juvenile (17), his year is spent in a pretty easy, although boring, way. Most of the year he doesn’t have to contend with a roommate, so he spends his time reading, writing and remembering. Told in Nate’s own voice, alternating between childhood and prison stories. This is not a pleasant book, details of violence and sex can be very graphic. I kept hoping for the moment when Nate “sees the light” and comes across with something redeeming to share with his readers. This never happens. The story ends when he is given a one year sentence, plus a lengthy probation, with credit for time served. Obviously, he turned his life around since the back flap contains a sentence about his wife, job, and cats, but without some explanation of what he did, heard, believed, or whatever changed his life, this is just a story filled with lurid details and gratuitous violence and sexual acts. I can’t recommend this for any school library. May be OK for a public library, but I don’t see this as a YA book.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does have absolutely graphic violence, abuse, language, and sex, but for the purposes of what Nathan Henry is trying to get across, it's necessary. Telling his story, Henry discusses his country, small-town living of killing and maiming animals with friends as well as playing Rambo-like military assaults complete with willing girls as sex object toys. Henry talks about his petty crimes and lighting his school on fire, and then he talks about what landed him in jail, which he is telling us in this non-linear story, which is robbery. Along the lines of Gantos' Hole in My Life, it focuses on the crazy and scary inmates he rooms with, what jail life is like including mind games, little in the way of entertainment, and trying to save a bit of face with his family, who visits often.

There is no sugar-coating. There are multiple references to being raped in prison, what it was like to hear or see animals dying at his hands, as well as what he thought of women, in part because of the significance his father and mother's relationship had on him.

This is raw and gritty and right up many students' alley in their need for REAL.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is engaging but, in the end it has no real message. Henry lived a devil-may-care life of crime and extreme disobedience. He disregarded all authority figures, disrespected his parents and continuously engaged in delinquent behavior for the majority of his young life. The book starts out mentioning Henry's father's lack of motivation to work and fanatic attitudes toward guns and society. However, as the story goes on, his father is mentioned less and Henry's disruptive behavior seems to be less a result of poor parenting and more just bad seed mentality.

The story started out feeling like a matter-of-fact memoir and quickly grew old as it took on the tone of a boasting teenager.

Up until the very last word in the book, Henry describes (with great detail and constant expletives) his "badass" escapades through life. While this memoir is well written, it lacks in substance and provides very little clue about how or if Henry sincerly turned his life around. All the reader knows is Henry is married and lives in a house next to an alley.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of the author's childhood and young adulthood, as he becomes a gun-obsessed druggie racist thug, embraces Satanism, tortures small animals, and ultimately gets arrested at age 16 for armed robbery. Then tells how he deals with life in prison and eventually through self-examination and reading, improves himself, getting out and going clean, getting married. Story flashes back and forth between the night of the robbery, daily life in jail, and his childhood memories and influences. Strong language and situations, but worth the read for high school teens to see how one teen's life choices and circumstances (small rural backwater town, paranoid father, underprivileged life, dead-end philosophy) can lead a teen to a life of crime. Author lives in Ohio.

[Maria Zivalich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK at best. I really didn't like the author as a person . I realize this is an honest account on how he ended up going to jail as a juvenile (16 yrs. old) for a robbery, but he seemed like just a jerk. I didn't feel empathy for him at all! There were a few shocking things about his father, things his dad would say, very negative towards women. No child should hear those things especially at 5 years old! Anyhow it was somewhat interesting and a good thing he changed his life around to tell his story.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nathan is 16 when he gets sent to the county jail for armed robbery. This memoir tells how he got there and what his life in jail is like while he awaits trial. Nathan grows up in Indiana where he likes playing with guns and killing animals. His deviance of authority is just a big game to him until he finally gets caught. While in jail he discovers there is more to the world by reading books. Reminds me of Jay's Journal, but without the sad ending.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

YA Lit Class - This was okay. I definitely see the appeal for teen boys, but I wasn't too impressed. The author still seems a little too caught up in how badass he was as a kid. There was little insight into how he turned his life around - in fact, there was really no mention of him turning his life around. The author bio makes mention of a wife, cat, and job, so I assume he's done something right but the book really does nothing but chronicle the bad behavior of his youth.

[Elsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some readers were a little disappointed or had expected for Nate to see the light, but most people who engage in deviance or crime are between the ages of 15-20 and for various reasons settle down and abandon crime. Sometimes there is no defining moment. I enjoyed the book and found it realistic. His attitude and gloating of his badass status was grating, but that is the mind set that adolescents have. I am glad that Mr. Henry turned his life around and achieved a better outcome.

[Paul Hammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a great book. It has lots of details and is just amazing. I would recommend anyone who picks up the books and think they might like it, read it because its not like any other book. What happens in this book is all about the author and what he went through. Its amazing how someone can write a book about themselves having something like this had happened to them. When i read the description of the book it hooked me right away.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a bit vulgar but straight-forward in its alternating description of Nate's year in lock-up and his youth in getting to that point. There are parts that will stay with me forever in my darkest moments as reminders that there really are some truly screwed up things people can do. Sometimes it is good to read about a life that could not possibly be further than your own. This was one such read and it was intense.

[Thaydra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the mindset of a kid who spent his life as a "juvenile delinquent" and his path to prison. I would have liked to know what year it was that this had happened, as some of it didn't seem to jive with the way I see the world nowadays, but then again maybe I'm just deluded.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have liked this book more if the author had put some lessons in the book. He came across as a guy who was a lot more talk than action, but he never really said anything like that in reflecting back on this period in his life. The book was interesting enough but there was no lesson taught as in, don't do these things: "I thought I was cool but I wasn't".

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitle: "my year in jail and the life that led there." "This is Nate Henry's story: filfhy, funny, moving, disturbing, uplifting and true."

I learned that you really don't know someone until you have heard their story.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw, gritty, honest memoir of a delinquent who serves a year in jail for armed robbery. The author chronicles events in his life that lead up to his arrest and imprisonment. Grim and revealing.

[Nance · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gritty memoir was well-written. It was a trip of self-discovery for Nate as he came to understand how he got to prison and how he hopes his life will turn out.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went through this one very quickly because it fit the poor decisions by a immature teenager category. Little insight into the positive changes that helped the author become a responsible adult.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very surprised. I don't usually read this kind of book-it's well written with short chapters and a story that really moves.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye-opening and scary, but in a mostly good way.