Reviews (12)

VERY pleasantly surprised
very funny, very interesting. appeals to all ages. I find it more interesting being in college than i would have in highschool. the whole series is perfect to take on the bus/train or to sit on the park or on the beach for a half hour reading a few chapeters.

Good, but much worse than the '03 edition
If you're trying to decide between this book and the '03 edition, get the '03. This one's good, but contains far too many magazine articles and not enough fiction. The stories it does feature are mostly very short and pack nowhere near the punch of the '03 selections.

Memories
The problem with some of these collections is that many of us who read magazines have already read those articles that appear in these end of year collections. The piece about Marilyn Manson was also in the Jonathan Lethem music collection too. It's good that Eggers has included some stuff for McSweeneys.net, comic books, and other non-mainstream sources. Those are usually the better ones anyway. I like Marc Bolan too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. American - General    3. American prose literature    4. American wit and humor    5. Literary Collections    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Short stories, American    9. Literary Collections / American / General   

Subjects:  1. Books and reading    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Gay & Lesbian    4. History and criticism    5. Homosexuality and literature    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Social Issues - Homosexuality    10. Teenagers    11. United States    12. Young adult fiction, American    13. Literary Criticism & Collections / Gay & Lesbian    14. Literary studies: from c 1900 -    15. Literature of special Gay & Lesbian interest   

Editorial Review

A collection of little romances with happy endings? No way. These "ten stories of truth" take a hard, clear look at those first overwhelming feelings of passion, the yearning, aching, sweaty miseries and ecstasies of young love. Distinguished young adult critic and author Michael Cart has brought together 10 brilliant, original stories that examine the many facets of adolescent amour. They range from Joan Bauer's warm, funny tale about the dedicated chastity struggles of an "Extra Virgin" to Michael Lowenthal's achingly erotic story of a young gay male's first disastrous experience with "The Acuteness of Desire." Cart's cast of writers includes some of the freshest talent in young adult literature. Fantasy writer Garth Nix brings his magic touch to "Lightning Bringer"; Sonya Sones shares a set of evocative poems about love in "Secret Shelf"; Laurie Halse Anderson uses the setting of wacky, tacky Venice Beach to tell of a reluctant date that catches fire after meeting a "Snake"; and Emma Donoghue touches on transgender in a story of a young lesbian virgin's crush in "The Welcome." In Louise Hawes's story, a girl makes the hard decision for abortion rather than marrying the boring young man who would have made everything "Fine and Dandy." Chris Lynch relays an almost-funny anecdote of confused sexual identity, and Shelley Stoehr and Angela Johnson explore the nature of sexual obsession in two very different stories to round out this delectable and provocative collection. A portion of the money generated from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). (Ages 14 and older) Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect for fans of the Writers
I must admit I fist pickes it up becuase I was intrigued by the title... Who wouldn't be? Some of the stories are longer then others but none of them exceed 30 pages. I liked that at the end of all the stories, the authors gave a meaningful explination of the story then there was a short bio about that author that you would most likely find on the jacket of one of their books. Stories for Teens and their parents
"Love and Sex" is a collection of (very) short stories for teens.Each of the ten stories approaches a different aspect of love and/or sex and all the protagonists are teens.The first story is about a girl who wants to wait until marriage for sex -- whichmay put off teens from reading the other stories which are MUCH more focused on sex itself.As the parent of a teen, I squirmed at much of the material -- graphic and lurid at times (which should keep the teens' attention) but all of which will let each reader know that he/she is not alone in concerns about sex and relationships.Various types of attractions are covered including homosexual and inter-racial.Because each story is written by a different author, each has a different flavor and style.My favorite is a spooky, scf-fi type of allegory about control.All are well written with well drawn characters. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Love & Romance    7. Sex    8. Sexual behavior    9. Short stories    10. Short stories, American    11. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    12. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Dating & Sex   

Reviews (3)

Good collection
I picked up Necessary Noise while standing in a local bookstore and starting reading the story, "The Visit" by Walter Dean Meyers. In fact, I read most of it, and then rushed home to order it from Amazon. Yes, it's a sad story, but it appeals to most of my students. I teach in a low socio-economic urban school district in south Texas. Unfortunately, the majority of my students have experience with a relative being in jail and/or prison. I put the book out for SSR time with a recommendation that "The Visit" is an outstanding story. By the end of the week, so many of my 9th grade students had read the story that they asked if we could have a book circle discussion of it. It's hard to believe, but my students really thought they hated reading back in August. I have finally conviced them that when you find the right book or story, reading is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

These stories are important to everyone.
Fifty years ago, unconventional families were ignored. The media liked to pretend that the only families that existed consisted of two parents, two kids, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence. Today, we know about and see all kinds of families, from those with two mothers to those where the kids have to run the house.
Necessary Noise
What is normal when it comes to families? Our society likes to picture families as functional and unbroken units that ideally consist of a mother and father {married}, with a certain number of children. Although what society would like to see and what is realistic isvery different. The eye-opening novel, Necessary Noise, edited by Michael Cart, shows todays' families as they really are. In the ten young adult stories, a variety of characters deal with their fractured and dysfunctional families, whether they be their entire community or very best friend. Among the accomplished writers in this book are Lois Lowry, whose story Snowbound proves a laugh-out-loud tale about a relatively normal family that is astounded when their once preppy college daughter, comes home with her grotesque and lazy boyfriend who seems to have turned them into non-mammal eating hippies {vegetarians.} Walter Dean Meyers' chronicle Visit is a depressing story about a fathers' visit to his son on death row. This heartfelt story follows their last conversations, final memories, and feelings of deep guilt and shame. Personally, I found this book too splendidly truthful to resist. Therefore, I couldn't help but devour the pages one moving story at a time. Through evey volume a feel of realism shone bright, as did the emotions of hate, love, and confusion. Consider picking up this extraordinary novel for a closer look at families in a whole new manner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Family    4. Family - General    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Short Stories    8. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Book lists    3. Books and reading    4. High school libraries    5. Reference    6. Teenagers    7. United States    8. Young adult literature   

Editorial Review

In homage to the new millennium, young adult literature critic and author Michael Cart (Read more

Reviews (5)

Wonderful book
This is quite possibly one of the best compilations of short stories I've ever read... each one good in its own way. This is a great book for someone of the middle school to highschool range, there's a lot of stories to relate to. Its very magical in the way it captures you... even more so than most adult novels I've read. This book really makes you think!!!

Tomorrow land
The Last Dog is a great, funny story by Katherine Paterson.The story takes place in the future.A man named Brock lives in a dome with other humans. They think the water and the air are poisoned from pollution.One day Brock went outside of the dome.Brock sees a dog in the wild and names him Brog.He takes Brog to the dome.When he is there, the other scientist wanted to experiment on Brog.Brock tries to save the dog.

More like Nowland, but still good
It's a nice compilation of stories that takes now and brings it into a look-ahead perspective. It's got a lot of variety, so you won't get bored that easily. Ranging from sibling rivalries to dating hassles, all the short stories have some common trait we all can relate to like fear, loyality, faith, love, envy, anger, hatred and so on. The best story in my opinion (which actually boosts this rating) is the one written by the compiler himself. Cart's pre-millenium tale about a boy in love with a priest's daughter is pretty good and the climax of the boy's choice over right and wrong, between love and faith is released very well. All in all, the book's not a bad read...worth a look but not a buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Children's stories, American    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    7. Science fiction    8. Science fiction, American    9. Short Stories   

Reviews (21)

Hope while growing up gay in alcoholic home
Michael Cart captures well the way an alcoholic parent can shape a child through his teenage years and beyond. His descriptions of protagonist Andy Logan's attempts to manage and cope with his father's drinking problem ring true and avoid sentimental touches. For the most part, he also avoids the fantastical high school love affairs that frequently appear in young adult literature with gay subjects.
Exploration of Sexuality and Discovering Yourself
Andy Logan, a loner who has made it through one year of college, reflects on his childhood in a small town and how it affected him. Andy was a fat kid who was an easy target for bullies like Eddie and Billy. He was loved by the adults because he was smart and groomed. But his home life was hell. His father Hal abused both him and his mother. His grandmother was unhappy and abusive to him and her son (Andy's father). The person who helps him explore his love of literature is his Uncle Charles. He has a collection of books that Andy escapes into.
Disappointing
I wanted this to be a great novel, I really did.Michael Cart is well known in YA lit circles, especially for writing for and about gay teens.However, this novel perpetuates many of the myths concerning homosexuals that Cart rails against--gay boys as bookish, gay youth as isolated, gay men as identifiable because they are more sensitive, gays coming from alcoholic/abusive homes, and the list goes on and on.The story is compelling and well written.It is just too rife with stereotypes for me to recommend to any teen struggling with sexual identity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bildungsromans    2. College students    3. Fathers and sons    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - General    6. Gay youth    7. General    8. Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

There are some readers who will take one look at Read more

Reviews (2)

Working under covers!

Cruising the Stacks
This compilation of short stories about libraries and/or librarians presents a mixed bag of the good, bad, and the ugly.A collection of stories about the profession is certainly past due. I agree with editorial comments that some of the stories penned by Bradbury, Borges, Boucher, and Brooks are true gems.The Koger story presented the entrapment of a person in a no advancement position; the Calvino and the LeGuin stories reminded me of good ol book burnin days; the Dabrowska story showed the advancement of ineptitude; the Kaufmann story reminded me of a Harlequin novel.I guess a collection of short stories cannot please everybody. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Short Story   

Reviews (1)

A Surprisingly Good 911 Book--For Teens & Adults
"USE WORDS"author Naomi Shihab Nye offers in a new book, published by Cricket Books (the Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. General    5. History - United States/21st Century    6. Inspirational    7. Inspirational - General    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Literary Criticism & Collections    10. Literary collections    11. September 11 Terrorist Attacks    12. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    13. Social Issues - General    14. Terrorism   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. American literature    4. Books and reading    5. Children's Literature - General    6. Criticism and interpretation    7. History    8. History and criticism    9. Juvenile Literature    10. Lipsyte, Robert    11. Literary Criticism    12. Literature - Classics / Criticism    13. United States    14. Young adult fiction, American    15. Youth   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult    2. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. General    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Literary Criticism & Collections    7. Short Stories    8. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (2)

Couldn't make it all the way through this book
First off, not all the stories were horrible, but I kept finding myself asking, "These were the best short stories they could find?Really?"Half of them didn't make much sense--you know the kind of stories that are all style and no substance.You reach the end and feel like the author just wasted your time.

Provocative and worth reading
One of the greatest challenges facing young adult literature is the issue of age-appropriate readership. Books intended for older teens are frequently read by younger readers, while older teens often do not read young adult literature at all. Michael Cart's RUSH HOUR: A JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY VOICES has sought to address the challenge of an older teen readership by presenting edgy fiction, essays, and poetry with mature themes. The two previous offerings featured the themes of "Sin" and "Bad Boys" with stories about individuals in their teens. Volume 3 differs from the first two volumes in that it contains a large number of stories about young adults who are out of their teens, out of high school, and in some cases, even out of college.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. American literature    3. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    5. Collections    6. General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Literature    10. Short Stories    11. Short Story Collections (Young Adult)    12. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (1)

An excellent contribution to the field of YA lit
In the foreword that opens BAD BOYS, the second volume of RUSH HOUR: A Journal of Contemporary Voices, bad boy author Jack Gantos meditates on the difference between bad boys and bad men by something his father once said to him:
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Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. American literature    3. Boys / Men    4. Children's Books - Young Adult    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    7. Collections    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Literary Criticism & Collections    11. Literature    12. Short Stories    13. Short Story Collections (Young Adult)    14. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (3)

Good collection
I picked up Necessary Noise while standing in a local bookstore and starting reading the story, "The Visit" by Walter Dean Meyers. In fact, I read most of it, and then rushed home to order it from Amazon. Yes, it's a sad story, but it appeals to most of my students. I teach in a low socio-economic urban school district in south Texas. Unfortunately, the majority of my students have experience with a relative being in jail and/or prison. I put the book out for SSR time with a recommendation that "The Visit" is an outstanding story. By the end of the week, so many of my 9th grade students had read the story that they asked if we could have a book circle discussion of it. It's hard to believe, but my students really thought they hated reading back in August. I have finally conviced them that when you find the right book or story, reading is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

These stories are important to everyone.
Fifty years ago, unconventional families were ignored. The media liked to pretend that the only families that existed consisted of two parents, two kids, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence. Today, we know about and see all kinds of families, from those with two mothers to those where the kids have to run the house.
Necessary Noise
What is normal when it comes to families? Our society likes to picture families as functional and unbroken units that ideally consist of a mother and father {married}, with a certain number of children. Although what society would like to see and what is realistic isvery different. The eye-opening novel, Necessary Noise, edited by Michael Cart, shows todays' families as they really are. In the ten young adult stories, a variety of characters deal with their fractured and dysfunctional families, whether they be their entire community or very best friend. Among the accomplished writers in this book are Lois Lowry, whose story Snowbound proves a laugh-out-loud tale about a relatively normal family that is astounded when their once preppy college daughter, comes home with her grotesque and lazy boyfriend who seems to have turned them into non-mammal eating hippies {vegetarians.} Walter Dean Meyers' chronicle Visit is a depressing story about a fathers' visit to his son on death row. This heartfelt story follows their last conversations, final memories, and feelings of deep guilt and shame. Personally, I found this book too splendidly truthful to resist. Therefore, I couldn't help but devour the pages one moving story at a time. Through evey volume a feel of realism shone bright, as did the emotions of hate, love, and confusion. Consider picking up this extraordinary novel for a closer look at families in a whole new manner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Family - General    3. Short Stories   

Features

• Bargain Price

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American wit and humor    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Children's literature, America    5. Children's literature, American    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    7. History and criticism    8. Humorous poetry, American    9. Humorous stories, American    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. English literature: literary criticism    12. English literature: texts    13. Humour & jokes    14. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    15. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    16. Second World War, 1939-1945    17. USA    18. Bargain   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Short stories   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American fiction    3. Books and reading    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Classics    6. History and criticism    7. Juvenile Literature    8. Literary Criticism    9. Teenagers    10. United States    11. Young adult fiction, American   

Reviews (1)

Interesting Look at a Fabulous Author
'Presenting Francesca Lia Block' is a long-awaited biography on one of the best authors of our time. It is clear and to the point, but very interesting, whether you've read her books or not. It illustrates her lifeand background, & is obviously well-researched. Block fans will lovethis book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Literary Criticism   

Subjects:  1. Aims and objectives    2. Libraries and community    3. Libraries and society    4. Public libraries