Product Description

The adventures of angst-ridden teen protagonist Nick Twisp--who starts out an honor student and ends up a fugitive--are chronicled inthis uproariously funn y epic. Here are the journals of this most precocious diarist, whose ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, deal with his divorced parents, and lose his virginity result in his transformationfrom unassuming 14-year-old to modern youth in open revolt.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14826 in Books
• Published on: 1996-03-15
• Released on: 1996-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 498 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780385481960
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
Told as the diary of an oversexed 14-year-old, this three-part comic-novel deals with the usual adolescent bugbears: divorced parents, rebellion, virginity. Set in the cultural wasteland of trailer-park northern California, the episodic plot involves arson, car theft, police brutality and more. Nick tries to win an even more precocious girl his age, Sheeni Saunders, by means of allusive letters and screwball schemes which eventually backfire. Payne gives his narrator an overblown literary voice that contrasts with the attendant embarrassments of his age (e.g., the problems of finding a place to masturbate privately in an R.V.), but the narrative strains for comedic effect. With its Woody Allen-like punch lines, double entendres and overall high-school atmosphere, the novel reads like YA fiction: a nihilist Daniel Pinkwater. And for all Nick's intellectual pretension and artificial speech (qualities echoed, oddly, by nearly all the teenaged characters), he seems devoid of imagination or any redeeming qualities; nor does he care about anything other than satisfying his pubescent desires. And, though in the book's final third the boy comes alive in his drag persona of Carlotta (and Payne admirably brings home his convoluted plot), it is too late to revitalize an ultimately unsympathetic hero.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This is the story of a precocious 14-year-old who reveals his struggles with the life, love, and libido of adolescence through his excruciatingly long and detailed journal. Bored by his mind-numbing high school and bewildered by the escapades of his wacky, divorced parents, Nick and his pals turn their attentions to the mysterious pursuit of true love and the quest for loss of virginity. Hormones rule. Nick's journal entries read like a cross between Holden Caulfield and Doogie Howser, or The Wonder Years with a dash of Philip Roth. There are a few truly funny scenes as Nick strives to outwit archrival Trent for the love of the brainy and beautiful Sheeni. Payne obviously has a vivid and ribald recollection of adolescence, but his recounting is overlong and lacking in real direction. Maybe you had to have been there. Not recommended.
Susan Clifford, Hughes Aircraft Co. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Recommended for adults and mature young adult readers is this collection of journals from one Nick Twisp, who in Holden Caufield-style narrates his coming of age, his concerns about sex, and his awakening views of the world. Fans of Salinger will especially appreciate the candid voice and vivid memories of this story. -- Midwest Book Review

Customer Reviews

Excellent Story No Matter What Your Age
For the sake of being interesting, I will review this book in the style which it was written:

Day 1: Finally started reading this book. Many years ago, a friend suggested I read it. Ever since then, the title was always stuck in my head. When I would see it in print I would think, "You know. I really should pick that book up." Eventually I did pick it up, but it ended up in my overly large "to read" pile. Finally, something made me pick it up today. After 50 pages, it seems interesting.

Day 2: I read more of the book today. I'm having trouble getting into it based on the nature of how it is written. The entire book is written in the form of journal entries. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to read. Still, I find that the short entries lend themselves to reading only a few at a time. Still, over the course of the day I read 100 pages. Certainly an interesting book.

Day 3: I read 250 pages of the book today. I can't put it down. The short journal entries have gone from being a hindrance in reading to an aid in getting rapid snapshots of how the story unfolds. The narrative transpires in small doses which leave you wanting more. As soon as I put the book down I want to pick it up again and get another dose. I cannot remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. It's uncanny.

Day 4: Today is the final day with the book. That sounds funny, but it's true. I wish it were 1000 pages long and I could get 4 more days out of it. No, make that 2000. For the first time in a long time, I am saddened to see a book coming to a close. I don't want it to end, I enjoy it that much. Normally, I look forward to the close of one story and the beginning of a new one. Not this time. I want this story to go on forever (or a reasonable length of time). It's that enjoyable.

Day 5: I am sitting here the day after, thinking about the book. The ending was good enough, not Earth shattering. Nothing amazing could have happened to make everything right in the world again. I honestly didn't expect a lot from the ending and I would have been disappointed if he had tried to do make everything perfect. The bulk of the story ties up, which prevents it from merely hanging. Still, some questions remain, like: How did Paul know?

I wish I could pick it up and read it again. But it's too early for that. Being honest, the book wasn't philosophically deep enough for me to learn anything new if I were to reread it immediately. Still, the book was really good. Sitting down with it every day was a pleasure.

If every book were this good, I would read constantly. As it is, I read every day, but not like this. I read this book while brushing my teeth or making coffee. I'll miss this book. It was a great ride which I am sad to see end.

As a final note, I think those who give the book bad ratings are not able to stray from their usual genre of reading and accept this book for what it is. It is a well written and silly narrative about 14-year-old kids that is not really based in reality, but as a 14-year-old might see it. The fact that the story is interpreted through the voice of one of these children is lost on the people who disparage the book. Don't be swayed from reading this, as it harkens back to the silliness inherent in youth which can be appreciated at any age.

Phenomenal entertainment value. Highly recommended.

Obligatory Reading!!!
Youth in Revolt is one of the most insightful books I have yet read. When I read it, Nick was a real person with whome I suffered, laughed and just spent time with. This is the ultimate goal of a writer: to make a character real. This book was so good that while in school a friend of mine started reading it. She finished reading it between classes, during classes and any spare moment she could muster during the schoolday. This book, then roamed the campus of my school, and, inevitably disappeared. That's why we ended up buying another copy. I was very angry when I saw that Youth in Revolt was not voted as the best book of the year, or at least the funniest. This book should be obligatory reading in all classrooms, most safely college classrooms. If I were a creative writing teacher I would make all my students read it. I've recommended it to everyone I know, and to those who I don't. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you go to the nearest bookstore and buy it! ! now!!! Out of a possible 5 stars, I would give it 6.

The teenage-male Mind is Exposed
I'm writing this as a 14 year-old boy, having just read this book for the second time. Now I have read many many books about teenage guys, but NOBODY gets into the male-mind like C.D. Payne. The teenage sex drive is captured perfectly, and everything that Nick Twisp (our protagonist) thinks and tries to do is something that I and all my friends have thought or fantacized about every day. I believe that ALL teenage guys should read this to set themselves free from the toil of every day life. In addition, C.D. Payne is the most hilarious author I have ever read, excluding Bill Watterson. Each page is packed with jokes that will make you laugh so hard that it hurts, which is something that everyone needs in their lives.
Many parents I have talked with question this book's suitability. Parents,my response to this is as follows: Regardless of whether you know it or not, your son masturbates, thinks about sex, thinks about going against your parents, and all the other escapades that Nick Twisp experiences. If you let your son read this, it will help them get in touch with their sexuality and the difficulties in their lives...it did for me. And kids: read this if you want to laugh, because nothing else will make you laugh at a level this crude, yet intelligent. In conclusion, read this to get in touch with the male-mind.