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It's Kind of a Funny Story

by Ned Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story Cover

ISBN13: 9780786851973
ISBN10: 078685197x
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $6.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life--which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job--Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does.  That's when things start to get crazy.

At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping--until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio.  There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story.

Synopsis:

    When you piss off a bridge into a snowstorm, it feels like youre connecting with eternal things. Paying homage to something or someone. But who? The Druids? Walt Whitman? No, I pay homage to one person only, my brother, my twin.

       In life. In death.

       Telemachus.

 
Since the death of his brother, Jonathans been losing his grip on reality. Last years Best Young Poet and gifted guitarist is now Taft High Schools resident tortured artist, when he bothers to show up. He's on track to repeat eleventh grade, but his English teacher, his principal, and his crew of Thicks (who refuse to be seniors without him) wont sit back and let him fail.

Synopsis:

The author of "Be More Chill" takes a poignant look at teenage depression in this remarkably moving and authentic picture of the physicality, the despair, and even the hilarity of depression.

About the Author

A 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

"Wesselhoeft offers a psychologically complex debut that will intrigue heavy-metal aficionados and drama junkies alike. Peopled with the elderly and infirm, crazy parents, caring educators, and poignant teens trying desperately to overcome death's pull, it mixes real and fictional musicians and historical events to create a moving picture of struggling adolescents and the adults who reach out with helping hands. Adios, Nirvana targets an audience of YAs who rarely see themselves in print."Booklist "Adios, Nirvana is a bit like road rash. It rakes you raw; gets under your skin; and leaves a few shards stuck permanently in your elbow. It is well worth the trip."Richie Partington, RichiesPicks.com "Scribble its name on a wish list, type it into your PDA, or pre-order it...because to miss it would be shame. This was (without a doubt) the BEST book I have read in a year, and if I could give it 6 stars I would. Get it, live, it, love it...pass it on."Misty Baker, Kindleobsessed.com blog "At heart, Adios, Nirvana is everything I'd hoped The Catcher in the Rye would be...Adios, Nirvana is fresh, it's impossible not to feel sympathy for Jonathan and I find myself really wanting to keep reading to see if he can successfully battle his demons. Laced with details into things teens are exposed to on a regular basisdrinking, suicidal thoughts, depression and music, most of all the musicI really loved every minute of Jonathan's coming-of-age tale."Roundtable Reviews

"Homage to poetry, music, friendship, and youth, this brash, hip story should attract its share of skater dudes and guitar jammers."School Library Journal

"Jonathan's narration is all about style, moving between clipped, one-line sentences and heavily imagistic rhapsodies influenced by his heroes Charles Bukowski and Walt Whitman, soaring often into descriptions of his music and the atmospheric West Seattle milieu that colors his sensibilities and returning frequently to Homeric allusion."The Bulletin

"A wonderful blend of contemporary, historical, and literary fiction. [Wesselhoeft's] use of figurative language makes each page dance with images of raw realism....This is a poignant piece for older teens."VOYA

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

Waffle Face, August 25, 2007 (view all comments by Waffle Face)
This book personally taught me something about being grateful for life. This fifteen year old boy is taking the pressure of reaching for the 'perfect' life basically, school [period]. So he gets depressed about, well everything in general. Then he goes to the psychiatric hospital [he called the suicide hot line, and it was busy] so he checked himself in. And here's the best part... he finds out he has nothing to be depressed about. Other people didn't have a family, didn't have a home, didn't live in a rich neighborhood, didn't have all that he had. He met people who truly had nothing to lose, so they didn't have to bother pretending to be someone else. It really helped him out, as it did for me.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Kya, July 16, 2007 (view all comments by Kya)
The introduction to this book is not the book's strong point, I'm sad to admit. But don't let that turn you off. Once you get over Vizzini's extremely detailed and honest description of this troubled teenaged boy's life, you will find yourself caught up in an astounding story. Through the eyes of this clinically depressed boy, you will see the world in an entirely different way. And once the setting moves to the Psych Ward, a seemingly odd place for our protagonist to find a love interest, you will be even more hooked than before. It is a very realistic description of a Psych Ward and the characters put into it really touch your heart. You'll find yourself donating money to a local Psych Ward in your town's hospital. And when people ask why you chose the Psych Ward of all things to support, you'll merely respond with: "Well, it's kind of a funny story..."
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(4 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780786851973
Author:
Vizzini, Ned
Publisher:
Disney-Hyperion
Author:
Tk
Author:
Wesselhoeft, Conrad
Subject:
Humorous Stories
Subject:
General Juvenile Fiction
Subject:
Depression, mental
Subject:
Mental Illness
Subject:
New york (n.y.)
Subject:
Family - Siblings
Subject:
Children s humor
Copyright:
Edition Description:
TradePB
Publication Date:
20070403
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
from 9
Language:
English
Pages:
448
Dimensions:
7 x 5 in 1 lb
Age Level:
from 18

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Related Aisles

It's Kind of a Funny Story Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.95 In Stock
Product details 448 pages Miramax Books - English 9780786851973 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by ,
    When you piss off a bridge into a snowstorm, it feels like youre connecting with eternal things. Paying homage to something or someone. But who? The Druids? Walt Whitman? No, I pay homage to one person only, my brother, my twin.

       In life. In death.

       Telemachus.

 
Since the death of his brother, Jonathans been losing his grip on reality. Last years Best Young Poet and gifted guitarist is now Taft High Schools resident tortured artist, when he bothers to show up. He's on track to repeat eleventh grade, but his English teacher, his principal, and his crew of Thicks (who refuse to be seniors without him) wont sit back and let him fail.

"Synopsis" by , The author of "Be More Chill" takes a poignant look at teenage depression in this remarkably moving and authentic picture of the physicality, the despair, and even the hilarity of depression.
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