Banned Book Review #11
Written by Shimmeringstar
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher is a collection of six short stories that may be short and easy to read, but not soon or easily forgotten.
The characters in the six stories are an assortment of characters used in some of Crutcher’s other writing, as well as several new characters. Readers of Crutcher’s other novels will appreciate the stories in Athletic Shorts, as several of the stories act somewhat as an update on old, favorite characters from his other books. However, the stories can stand alone, so a reader would not have had to read Crutcher’s other novels first.
Every character in Athletic Shorts is an athlete, but the stories are far from only being about sports. Themes in these tales include love, death, discrimination, family, and heroism. Stars of each story briefly describe their lives and hardships, including situations such as suffering loss or being an overweight teenager.
In one short story, “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune,” the character tells about his life with two sets of homosexual parents:
“Four parents are what I have altogether, not unlike a whole lot of other kids. But quite unlike a whole lot of other kids, there ain't a hetero among 'em. My dad's divorced and remarried, and my mom's divorced and remarried, so my mathematical account of my family suggests simply another confused teenager from a broken home. But my dads aren't married to my moms. They're married to each other. Same with my moms.”
Angus continues on to share his frustration with his name, home, and social situations. He describes himself as fat, and shares his utter humiliation of being elected the Winter Ball King as a cruel joke.
The writing style of these stories is quick, blunt, humorous, and incredibly real. Crutcher shows his talent in this book of being honest and aware of hardships faced by teens everywhere. This book has the ability to connect with and pull in all young adults, both readers and non-readers. It has been challenged due to its adult themes and language. However, Athletic Shorts deals with real problems in a safe way. All teens could benefit from reading this book, as well as other works by Crutcher. I definitely award it a five out of five stars.
Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories
