Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by mrscoady
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
5.0
Shusterman has done it again by providing a compelling idea with relatable characters. I am a big fan of his other books, like Unwind and Scythe, and will be adding this one to my list to recommend to students.
The only book by Shusterman I haven't cared for was Dry, but perhaps that is because of the audio for it. I would recommend readers get a physical copy of this book to read because of the format of alternating narrators and writing styles, as well as the vocabulary word headers for each chapter. It is a short read, coming in at just a little over 300 pages, and the chapters are extremely short and the font large. Therefore, most can read it in a day or two, especially since it grips you from the onset.
I would also recommend that you read the author's "review" of it on Goodreads. It isn't an actual review, though, as he explains his writing process and reasoning for choosing this idea and the various writing styles for each character.
Bruiser is sure to be one of my Shusterman favorites for a long time because of the aforementioned reasons, but probably the main reason is the overall message it entails: "We must feel the pain of life -- physical and emotional -- in order to appreciate the joy as well. Not experiencing pain and joy and being in a cocoon of comfort is not really living."
The only book by Shusterman I haven't cared for was Dry, but perhaps that is because of the audio for it. I would recommend readers get a physical copy of this book to read because of the format of alternating narrators and writing styles, as well as the vocabulary word headers for each chapter. It is a short read, coming in at just a little over 300 pages, and the chapters are extremely short and the font large. Therefore, most can read it in a day or two, especially since it grips you from the onset.
I would also recommend that you read the author's "review" of it on Goodreads. It isn't an actual review, though, as he explains his writing process and reasoning for choosing this idea and the various writing styles for each character.
Bruiser is sure to be one of my Shusterman favorites for a long time because of the aforementioned reasons, but probably the main reason is the overall message it entails: "We must feel the pain of life -- physical and emotional -- in order to appreciate the joy as well. Not experiencing pain and joy and being in a cocoon of comfort is not really living."