By: Colin Neenan Publisher: Brown Barn Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Brown Barn Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: April 30, 2006 Reading Level: Young Adult
Tragedy of a troubled teen Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (3/07)
"Thick" is a story of a 17-year old boy named Nick. He says he's not a retard, as some call him. He must be stupid because his father says so. Constantly. His father's nickname for him is "Thick." Son of an alcoholic father and an abused mother, Nick's 18-year old sister, Hope, is his only solace at home. Before she died, his mother told him that only mean people were stupid. Nick wasn't mean, so he knew he must not be stupid.
When Nick accidentally gets a job as a dishwasher, he meets Alice and immediately falls in love. Sam, Alice's boyfriend, and Sam's friend, Brad, are bullies with absolutely no compassion for Nick's disabilities. Brad ridicules Nick whenever possible, and makes things difficult for him with both Nick's father and Sam. As Nick struggles to help his sister escape their father's wrath for pursuing college, he is also compelled to rescue Alice from the beatings Sam inflicts. Nick does not know when it is okay to hurt someone until he learns that it is okay in self-defense. That's only the beginning of what he learns next.
Colin Neenan used an unusual writing style in "Thick" to portray the simplicity of Nick's thinking. The bullying disturbed me since I observe this same type of cruelty in middle school. My mom read the book and we discussed it. She pointed out that later in school, kids read books like this and study them to digest the social issues and to broaden our minds. She loved the book even though it made her cry. She said she could really relate to Hope.
I think "Thick" is the right book for kids over 16 and adults who are not aware of, or forget to pay attention to, the less fortunate.
Sometimes we watch someone acting unlike we would and ask "What ARE they thinking?" In "Thick," Colin Neenan has provided a glimpse into what may be going on inside the mind of someone not blessed with intellect, loving support or, for that matter, anything. I read the final chapters of "Thick" with my heart pounding. It haunted me and left me wondering how many like him are out there.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too Colin Neenan takes you inside the mind of a young killer in his newest book. THICK is Nick's confession to murder as he writes down what happened for his lawyer...and you learn things about Nick that you don't expect. Nick is in terrible trouble, incarcerated in a holding cell with fifteen criminals, awaiting his trial for killing someone...
A very troubled seventeen-year-old, Nick's mother has been dead for three years and his sister, Hope, has been his protection between himself and his alcoholic, always angry father--who verbally abuses Nick every chance he gets, calling him stupid and thick .
What has driven this boy past the edge? It seemed that things were going much better; he got an 82 on his math homework, and then landed a job with the help of Alice, a girl that might like him. Maybe his desire to belong and to fit in with the other kids and be liked isn't so far-fetched, after all.
Then everything falls apart. There is Sam, Alice's very abusive boyfriend who leaves bruises on her. Then, Nick's father is drunk again, and taking out his rage on his sister, Hope, because she wants to go to college. Nick and his father get into a physical altercation, then Nick rushes to Alice's apartment to help her escape from Sam. In the ensuing melee, there is a gun, and everyone screaming at once, and then all the blood.
Neenan has given Nick the perfect voice for a teen with a bit of a learning disability, who has feelings of inadequacy and tolerates bullies at school. He is in a special-education program at his high school. Nick gives us glimpses of his full range of emotions in this very exciting, sympathetic story. Fast paced with escalating suspense, impossible to put down, this is a quick read, with an easy vocabulary, sure to capture the imagination of that reluctant reader.
Reviewed by: Grandma Bev
really interesting and great book!! Colin Neenan's book "Thick" is a very good book for any teen looking for a suspenseful, exciting book.I am a thirteen year old who loves mysteries, so this book was perfect for me. It was believable, and well written in character..(with a lot of suprises as well(good for me!)It is also a quick read, which is great too, as I have little to no patience for books that take a day to get to the beginning. READ "Thick" BY COLIN NEENAN. You will like it a lot.
Great story with suspense THICK is supposed to be for people who have a hard time finding a story they want to read, but I think it's for anyone who wants to read an exciting, suspenseful story with real characters and a real setting. It's not a particularly happy book, although the ending is pretty hopeful, but it's really worth reading. You'll remember it.
Certain to delight and fulfill the reading pleasure of all of its readers Thick by Colin Neenan is the interesting and eclectic story of Nick, a generally kind fellow who happens to almost incidentally find himself in jail. Whistfully carrying the reader through the intense and evermore engaging story of Nick's troubled life and childhood, Thick gives readers the young man's personal evolution, and the escalation of problems and happenings which land him in jail. Thick is very highly recommended to all readers with an appreciation of alternative literature and a subversive short-novel with an intricate, progressively interesting plot, leading to an ultimately satisfying conclusion, which is certain to delight and fulfill the reading pleasure of all of its readers.
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