Brutal Youth

"It's crackling good entertainment: arresting from the first page to the last, full of plot twists, characters to root for (or against) and plenty of suspense about how the various story lines will resolve themselves." --USA Today "This quick, unsettling coming-of-age novel blends sympathy and satire with surprising effectiveness." --Shelf Awareness "Breznican captures a perfect balance of horror, heartbreak, and resilience and takes the high school novel into deeper places. Great for the beach but not just a summer read." --Library Journal, starred review "A story that confidently rips through tangles of high school insanity. The author molds real characters out of high school stereotypes, most notably the misfits, all struggling for a humble slice of dignity within St. Michael's wretched, bleeding walls. The satiric narrative is as brilliantly hilarious as it is poignant and heartrending." --School Library Journal, starred review "Readable and clever." --Kirkus Reviews "While it certainly contains elements unique to parochial school, those who remember the passing of their high school years with relief rather than regret will feel the unease and quiet fear dripping off every page." --Book Reporter "If you thought high school was hell, has Anthony Breznican got a story for you...Every bully who stalked you, every sadistic teacher who ever terrified you, every stupid prank, every hopeless crush and false friend: they're all here, along with a few kids who hang together and try to do the right thing in a brutal environment. By turns funny and terrifying, Brutal Youth is an unputdownable tour-de-force, a Rebel Without a Cause for the 21st century." --Stephen King "With Brutal Youth, Anthony Breznican has captured high-school life in all its gruesome, wild, survival-of-the-fittest lunacy. His portrait of teenagers--and the theoretical grownups who tend to them--is, by turns, painfully funny and painfully painful, but always sharp as a well-carved stick." --Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl "Anthony Breznican's debut screams with undeniable talent. Part The Outsiders. Part Stephen King's The Body. The aptly named Brutal Youth is a funny, tough, and heartbreaking book about the darker side of growing up." --Stephen Chbosky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower "Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican is one of the most thought-provoking, troubling, captivating stories I've read in a long time. My heart still hurts when I think of what those characters went through. Breznican does a fantastic job of creating people you fall in love with, making you experience their pain and cheer their triumphs as each page goes by. Their stories will haunt me for some time to come. The anti-bullying message is earned, heartily, instead of being thrust in your face. First and foremost the book is an intriguing, rich, perfectly paced, entertaining read. I also enjoyed the dark humor that offsets the harrowing tone at just the right spots. Highly recommended." --James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner "As a child, few things are scarier than school. In Brutal Youth, you'll realize how right your younger self was. This one will haunt you." --Brad Meltzer, author of The Fifth Assassin and The Book of Lies "Breznican has accomplished that rare feat of unflinchingly exposing the high school experience in all of its hilarity, vengeance, and terror. You'll think Roald Dahl just went for a swim in the world of John Hughes and came out wearing prison stripes. Life isn't fair... but high school is brutal. This is the most richly detailed and nuanced academic microcosm since Dead Poets Society. You may have never been to St. Michael the Archangel High School, but you will fear it after reading this powerful and hilarious debut novel. Never has a story brought me back to the merciless teachers and ruthless bullies with such poetry and wit." --Jason Reitman, writer/director/producer of JUNO, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, UP IN THE AIR and LABOR DAY
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ANTHONY BREZNICAN was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. He has worked as a reporter for The Arizona Republic, Associated Press, and USA Today, and is currently a senior staff writer for Entertainment Weekly. Brutal Youth is his first novel.
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