Title: Being Henry David

 

Author: Cal Armistead

Cal Armistead tried her hardest to write in a male perspective for this literary inception novel, and she did a decent job. The main character is named Hank -- literally, a kid he meets names him Hank, because he can't remember his own name. So we have a story about a kid who has amnesia. Guess what that means: an extended metaphor about finding yourself. Of course it wouldn't be a true teen read if it didn't have a mysterious, diabetic love interest. Oh! Not to mention the punk rock historian/ Thoreau enthusiast. Though this book does have its cliche aspects it doesn't stick to the script. It keeps you guessing, and is sad -- even morbid -- at parts. It balances out with a decent amount of quotes sprinkled throughout the read; quotes from a great piece of literature: Walden by, you guessed it, Henry David Thoreau. Though it may seem like I am dissing this book I am doing just the opposite. I actually really enjoyed it, and it had a really interesting plot. I've yet to come across an author who can accurately write in the perspective of a character opposite of their gender. As I said before, Armistead did a decent job. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.