Product Description: In every school at every grade, there's a pecking order among students-an in crowd and those outside it, who are often ridiculed mercilessly for the "crime" of being different. This powerful anthology explores the teen outsider experience in electrifying, never-before-published stories by eleven of today's most acclaimed YA authors. A tomboy finds the relief of self-expression through her music, while in another tale a relentless bully tests the faith of an intensely religious girl. A cheerleader discovers that the true soul of her school can't be found within the cool clique; a football player finally stands up for a harassed fellow student; and a boy watches in horror as the school "freak" marches into his classroom with a loaded rifle.
Offering insights into popularity and peer pressure, nonconformity and persecution, acceptance and hate, these riveting, provocative tales will leave readers thinking and start them talking.
Stories by:
Joan Bauer Alden R. Carter Chris Crutcher Jack Gantos Angela Johnson M. E. Kerr Ron Koertge Francess Lantz Graham Salisbury Will Weaver Nancy Werlin
Outsiders Current authors write in response to the tragedies of Columbine and Santana high schools. From their perspectives, you can actually empathize with those teens who see no other way out than violence and self-destruction. Quite amazing!
A great read for open minds I'm actually 18, I just didn't feel like signing in so I used the kid review.
Anyways, I love this book. I bought it in junior high when I was a teased outcast and it helped me cope. But even without the personal attachement, On the Fringe is simply a good set of short stories. Most people would think the stories are the typical school shooter, wimpy-geek-with-glasses, anti-jock stories but there's a good amount of variety. Granted, it does have the stereotypes I described but it also has stories from people who are not necessarily considered to be on the fringe but do consider themselves to be out of the norm in some way. For example, the first story is about a popular young girl who thinks interviewing the outcasts for the school paper would do them a favor and show some compassion. The story travels with her to reveal some harsh truths and psychological growth. Another is about a young, average teen contemplating over the suicide of a friend. Yet another is about a girl who is somewhat popular and the kinds of insecurities that she deals with. Other stories deal with sexuality, being Christian, different cultural aspects, and just plain feeling left out and bullied.
The subject matter is intriguing but the thing about On the Fringe is the set of authors. They did a magnificient job of creating psychological and observational insight and growth. These are not simply stories about events among outside kids, they go into the depths of feelings, thoughts, and progress of those involved in such situations; that's why it's a great book. We already know what's going on among these kids, what we need to open our eyes to are the why's, who's, and how's of these situations.
And concerning another review, I would question the significance of an education major who can't spell "unnecessary", doesn't know the difference between "fowl" and "foul" and wants to shield teenage students from bad language. On the Fringe doesn't use any more foul language than any other book and certainly not anything young teens and kids haven't already heard, used, or been subjected to.
The War At School There is a war going on in our schools. Although many people may not see it or many people may not be aware of it the war is there I'm talking about the on going fighting between "outcasts" and the "populars". Through some tragic events, some heart warming, and some that just want to make you stand up to anyone who gets in your way you see the realities of violence and harshness of some lives which are the victims of this so called war. Through theses collections of short stories with authors such as Jack Gantos many lessons can be learned. It is a book that will make think about the kids at your school and events that have happened in your community that have taken place I this book. Maybe this book may change the way you think and make you a better person. One of these short stories by Chris Crutcher is "Guns For Geeks." In this story Gene Taylor has always been the "outcast" at school. When he was young he was beaten in front his class for smarting off to the teacher Mr. Dickenson at their Christmas party. As he went on through school his troubles went on he was even yelled at when he had to give a statement in front of the student body! The main characters in this story are Sam and T.J. They are Mr. Beemer's class and are taking about guns in school but little do they know Gene Taylor is going to turn this lesson into first hand view of what death is like. Through these shocking and horrible happenings, Sam and T.J. are forced to be heroes. Sometimes lessons can be learned through the most horrible experiences you could ever think of. Chris Crutcher does an excellent job at this by going through the troubles of boy's life. Who lashes out at all those people who thought was quiet and never thought anything of him. It shows that everything can change in the blink of an eye. This book is great for any student who loves comedy, action, tragedy, and drama. This book has it all with the amazing short stories that are collected within the book. It is a great read and I highly recommend this book to anyone students or adults' whom are just looking for a good easy read. I love this book and I think it is fantastic.
A Great Book for Sharing I used selections from this collection as read-alouds for my 8th grade language arts class (I end class most days with a read-aloud, while students keep a response journal). Because of the subject matter, these stories definitely engage the students and keep their attention. Do they all "get" the message? No, but I guarantee that when you look around the room and see the eyes of those two or three students who are themselves on the fringe, you will know it was worth it.
in defense of this book I'm writing this because I'm aghast at some of the other reviews of "On the Fringe." It's a bad book because of its length? Not necessarily. Most of its stories are shorter than the average New Yorker fiction piece, and there's no need to read them all to enjoy the book. Short story collections don't have to be read straight through like a chapter book.
Another complaint: It shouldn't have examples of how kids humiliate other kids lest it give them ideas on how to be mean? Well, guess what? Kids don't need a book to teach them meanness. They pick it up from peers and TV quite nicely, and also from their families and society at large. Just look at the current news, whether international, national or local.
This book is a good start for a discussion about school violence, such as Columbine. The authors get inside the heads of their teenage protagonists nicely and for the most part, the dialogue and actions come across as authentic, not forced. A brief bio follows each story, explaining why the author chose the subject he or she did.
Standouts in my opinion were "Standing on the Roof Naked" by Francess Lantz, "A Letter from the Fringe" by Joan Bauer, and "Through a Window" by Angela Johnson. The last is unique to the book because it focuses on a character who might be classified as a bystander, not a victim or bully.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
