Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
The book came before the movie, so this is no tie in - Cameron Crowe actually went back to high school undercover so all those characters - Stacy, Rod, Spicoli even Mr Hand were all based on real life kids. The movie was an essential part of my teenage years so the book fit right in.
Out of print, but available on Archive.org. Fun to compare the changes they made for the movie.
If I could rate this book on statutory rape and the objectification of women as zero stars, I would. I'm sick and tired of being forced to read privileged juvenile heterosexual white male mediocrity in academia when there are so many amazing books out there by people of color and women. There's zero reason why this book should be noteworthy, except for its exceptional portrayal of women as nothing more than semen dumps for men's pleasure. I'm so thoroughly happy to have finished it and I can't wait to forget it.
Naturally I wanted to read this book since it’s out-of-print. Was curious as to why that would be. If you’ve seen the movie then you’ll certainly recognize chapters turned directly into scenes in the movie. Some of it is very derivative; and of course as with any good book it contains more that is not included in the movie that makes the book better (usually). While I certainly enjoyed the book I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the exorbitant fees it’s being sold for on various websites. If you’ve seen the movie you’ve experienced a good 87% of the book, and I wouldn’t say that extra 13% is worth several hundred dollars. An enjoyable read but don’t bother hunting down a copy unless you just like to do that kind of thing. You can stream the movie for free and get a very similar experience.
Pretty cool getting to read the book upon which one of my favorite movies is based. More in depth, more characters not included in the movie. Cameron Crowe had spent a year masquerading as a senior at Ridgemont High in 1979 or thereabouts and wrote an in-depth story of his experiences. Neat getting to see the perspectives of teens back then.
Damone comes off as a total jerk in the book, a little more so than the movie.
It seems this book has been out of print for a while now, no surprise there, especially with the success of the movie which is basically the novel without the characters inner thoughts and dialog. I feel that gives a couple of them a lot more depth in the novel, but both are great. This is the sort of novel that would NEVER happen these days. Reason being, can you imagine a principal allowing a 22 year old writer to "become" a student for an entire year and only the principal and a couple teachers knowing about it? Can you imagine if a parent caught wind of it in the current school climate? Exactly, NO WAY, NO HOW. Anyways, it's sort of a time capsule for high school in the early 80's, it's an interesting read and it really shows the future promise for Cameron Crowe as a writer (Almost Famous).
So, I knew the movie was based on a book by Cameron Crowe, but it never occurred to me to look for the book. My daughter checked it out from the library and I read it when she was done. Having seen the movie numerous times over the decades since its release, it's nearly impossible not to see and hear the characters as they are in the movie. It's fun to read through some of the material that didn't make the movie and to note how the material evolved from novel to screen, but the bulk of the writing is more utilitarian than engrossing. Much like the movie, the book comes across as a series of scenes involving some minimally-defined characters rather than a coherent story with strong character development.
funny
fast-paced
Fun and easy,but somehow better than a lot of YA.
The omniscient 3rd person is focalized through brother and sister Brad and Stacy (and to a lesser extent Rat and Spicoli), so we know their emotions and thoughts. The other characters mostly become known through their actions and habits.
The apparently unbiased and slightly cynical remove of the book oddly allows some characters to become more sympathetic. It reminded me of early Blake Nelson, like Girl and The New Rules of High School.
The omniscient 3rd person is focalized through brother and sister Brad and Stacy (and to a lesser extent Rat and Spicoli), so we know their emotions and thoughts. The other characters mostly become known through their actions and habits.
The apparently unbiased and slightly cynical remove of the book oddly allows some characters to become more sympathetic. It reminded me of early Blake Nelson, like Girl and The New Rules of High School.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
I liked this book alot, but so much of it happens also in the movie. However, when I was reading parts that weren't in the movie, like the whole thing at Disneyland at the end, I was really sucked in. Very interesting look into 80's SoCal, affluent high school life.