I absolutely loathed this book. It has a completely unrealistic view of fat kids based solely off of stereotypes. The kid is only 300 lbs. but can barely walk without feeling like dying? And he's described as being pretty tall, so all in all, he wouldn't be that big, fat-wise. Being a big person myself, I found this distasteful and think that [a: K.L. Going|1046844|K.L. Going|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1441823199p2/1046844.jpg] should have done a little more field research before making the easily lovable main character one big fat joke.

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Update 9/2016: I keep getting hits on this review, and comments like I have no idea what a fat person is. I was offended because I am an obese and tall person and felt this book did not portray what I have experienced in my own life accurately. Of course, this is based on personal opinion and experience but that's what a review is. You can disagree. ( )

Sad, gritty realistic fiction that has a triumphant but not unrealistic ending. ( )

Troy's life is utterly miserable. He weights like a baby elephant, he only owns identical beige pants because they are the only ones he's able to fit into, he doesn't have any friends and his younger brother is aggressively embarrassed by him. It's no wonder he's standing there, infront of the subway tracks, about to jump. All he wants is for life to be over already.

Except that doesn't happen. Instead he is distracted by the dirty homeless man next to him on the platform. A dirty homeless man who turns out to be no other than Curt MacCrae from his school who is just as known for his amazing guitar skills as he is for his habit of disappearing for periods of time. But he's obviously hungry for a return because he insists that Troy joins his new band as his drummer; never mind that Troy didn't want to be saved from the train or that he can't play the drums to save his life. How is he possibly going to be good enough to be in the same band as Curt, Lower East Side's own teenage punk rock legend? But at the same time, it's hard to say no to Curt, Lower East Side's own teeenage punk rock legend...

I watched the movie back in the day just after it came out, and I loved it so much. It was funny and heartfelt; and ever since, I've had the book on my reading list. The excitement was real when I got a text message saying my local library had finally bought it and it was ready to be picked up.

And I certainly wasn't disappointed. It is more or less identical to the movie and I fell right back in love with Troy, Curt and their story. It's hard not to, honestly, with Troy's deep craving after a place where he feels like he belongs and Curt's hysterical and tragic chaos. But I equally loved Troy's brother and father and how the story also allows a deeper look into how their lives have changed ever since their mother passed away several years ago. It's a sad story, definitely, but it is also filled with so, so many good moments. I never wanted it to end. ( )

Troy is obese, suicidal, and terrified. He's bullied for his size by his peers and his little brother. He's too scared to stand up for himself and swallows his words and his stress snacks. He's about to jump in front of train when he meets his manic pixie homeless boy, Curt.

Curt is a guitar legend. He's shifty and twitchy and somehow convinces Troy to be the drummer in a band with him. Troy doesn't know how to play the drums or be genuine in front of a crowd or tell Curt no. Troy is desperate for a friend and Curt is starving. For a while we're not sure if his interest in Troy is real.

I read this as a teenager and loved it and love it still. Having self-love being packaged as 'everyone is disgusting. see through the bull.' really got me through some rough times. Smash a guitar and love yourself! ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot because of the interaction between Troy and his family including Curt. Some of the rock band stuff didn't interest me but other than that it was a pretty good book.
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