The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.
372 p. ; 22 cm.
I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this book when I first started it. It has that YA "thing" of a main character who is so witty and facile with banter and snark that he makes Holden Caulfield look like Greg Brady after a nap. But the book got some favorable reviews and even won a prize from YALSA - the prestigious Morris Award (2020) for debut YA novel.
Funny thing about this book, though, is that it has a way of growing on you. The whole set-up of a Haitian-Canadian teen moving to Austin, TX for his junior year of high school has a lot of potential. As Canada (the nickname Austonians gift Norris with) adjusts to the hellish heat and big strangeness of Texas, USA he starts to pick up some friends, a job, and even a smart, artsy girlfriend. The relationships really make this novel work. And some striking twists and turns in friendship and romance help Norris to see that maybe his condescension says something about his own jerkishness, not just everyone else's. I also like how issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and racism are woven naturally into the story and handles with a light, but substantive touch.
I couldn't help but like this book, it's clever, funny, and a bit overdone at times, but ultimately it has a lot of heart. I'd definitely recommend it to a student.
