Hello, intrepid Book Club readers! Hopefully by now you’ve gotten
your hands on a copy of the April book, REALITY BOY. If not … well, you know,
go do that.
(psst … if you must, Goodreads has reviews that have the basic
plot)
I enjoyed this book. I don’t read much
contemporary YA. Contemporary, yes. YA, yes.
Combined, no. And I don’t know
why … TFIOS should have been the first clue that I might enjoy this genre.
Because, Gus.
I digress (but if this wasn’t about another book there would totally be
a TFIOS .gif in this spot)
I found this book fresh and interesting. I’ve wondered about life post-reality TV for kids
that are portrayed in a negative way. It can’t be good … not
really. The author did a good job writing main characters that I wanted to know more about, which is always good. I didn’t always like the characters, but I did want to know more. I did find some of the secondary characters a little less dimensional. Not so much that it hurt the story, but enough that I
noticed.
The subject matter was uncomfortable, and because of that I struggled a little. I read a lot of fantasy for a reason … more fighting dragons, less family abuse. There were times I felt so sorry for, and angry at, Gerald I just wanted to stop reading. The boxing club scene was one of those moments, where I was like …
Below are questions to get you thinking about the story. If you’re an online only member, feel free to
comment (on these, or whatever you want!). Otherwise, think about these
questions and I’ll see you on Thursday!
Book Club Questions: REALITY BOY
Do you think anger management helped Gerald, or not?
Was Gerald’s self awareness, seemingly brought out from therapy,
reasonable for a teenage boy?
Gerald and Hannah both changed a lot by the end of the book; Ger more
so. Do you think such a large shift in a
short amount of time is realistic, or sustainable?
Gerald’s improvement is hinged around his relationship with Hannah (although
years of therapy set him up … maybe). How did you feel about love being the
reason Ger was able to finally move forward with his life?
What were your feelings towards Gerald’s parents? Did you have sympathy
for either?
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Okay, just one …
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Okay, just one …
> Do you think anger management helped Gerald, or not?
ReplyDeleteI think it did give him some techniques to cope and get perspective on his anger. It could never have gotten him to the place he was by the end of the book alone, but the coping techniques probably helped him not end up killing someone until he got a better grasp of his shit.
> Was Gerald’s self awareness, seemingly brought out from therapy,
> reasonable for a teenage boy?
I thought the therapy seemed honest and realistic. The author did not make the therapy seem like a miracle cure, which was very honest. Like I said above, all I think the therapy really did was help him cope and maybe get him thinking about how he was feeling and what caused his anger.
> Gerald and Hannah both changed a lot by the end of the book; Ger more
> so. Do you think such a large shift in a short amount of time is realistic,
> or sustainable?
I think it is possible. I think that realizing he was worthy of love and could have friends was a big shift. Having his Dad finally do what was right and get him out of the hell he was living in is not a small thing. I think it is sustainable, but until he's able to be on his own, his Dad would have to remain strong and keep his Mom and sister out of their lives for the most part. I think there will still be times when run-ins with his sister can set him off, but I don't think he'll be as angry at everyone in general.
> Gerald’s improvement is hinged around his relationship with Hannah
> (although years of therapy set him up … maybe). How did you feel about
> love being the reason Ger was able to finally move forward with his life?
It wasn't love so much as realizing he was worthy of love. That's a very big thing for someone who never had his mother's love.
> What were your feelings towards Gerald’s parents? Did you have
> sympathy for either?
I felt bad for his Mom. Enablers always look like a victim, but they are also the main reason that abuse continues. I do think that for Ger's life to be what he wants it to be he will have to almost completely cut his Mom out of his life unless she eventually gets smart and ditches his sister. I had sympathy for his Dad and I'm glad he eventually did the right thing, but Gerald could have had a much better start in life if he had acted years earlier.
"It wasn't love so much as realizing he was worthy of love. That's a very big thing for someone who never had his mother's love."
DeleteBrilliant! This question was pulled from Goodreads reviews because a lot of people seemed to be bothered by his relationship being the catalyst for change. It didn't bother me, personally. But I didn't realize WHY it didn't bother me until you answered the question. You're exactly right!