TN #2: Bruiser

I'm not sure how to take Bruiser.  There are several heavy issues in this book, that you cannot take lightly.    The first and main one is child abuse, while the second one, divorce, still plays a large role in this book.  For me, I was able to connect with two of the characters, whose parents are starting the process of divorce because they are going through it the same time I was dealing with my own parents' divorce.

Ok, so a little bit about the story.  Brewster (Bruiser) Rawlins was once voted "Most Likely to Receive the Death Penalty."  (Think I joke - it really says that on page 6).  He has no friends and never talks to anyone, but Bruiser is special.  Bruiser has an empathic ability to absorb the physical and emotional pain of those he cares about.  So the only way to protect himself is to not care about anyone, except for his little brother Cody and Uncle Hoyt, until the day he meets Bronte.  Bronte and her twin Tennyson are children of two college literary teachers (hence their names).  Bronte and Tennyson break through Bruisers barrier and become his friends, which could be good for Bruiser - or is it?

He is a young man who has the ability to take on other people's hurts, but who can help take his pain away?  The story itself does resolve that question, though not until near the end do we find out.

There is one more aspect to this story that does actually work, and that is that the story is told from four different points of view.  Tennyson, Bronte, Cody, and Bruiser.  I really was able to get a sense of each person's voice, especially Bruiser's.  How does his voice connect to how we met him through Bronte's description of their meeting?

The author, Neil Shusterman, poses some interesting questions in the appendix (extras section) of the book.  They are:

1. How would we ever even know what happiness is, if we had never experienced unhappiness? (page E16)
2. What if an otherwise ordinary kid had the power to take away our pain - even our death?  How would that affect us - both positively and negatively? Would it free us or enslave us?  Would it empower us or corrupt us?  Could we resist the urge to use this power? (page E3)

I would really like to see your answers to those questions in the response section below.  But if you are going to respond, read the book first, and spend a little time thinking about your answer.

Ok, before I go, I want to talk a little more about the author, Neil Shusterman.  First, I have a little YouTube video that he made to talk about himself and his family.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bATROQuo1cQ

Second, did you know that he wrote a book using Joplin as the main city?  In the book, Unwind, the main character is going back to Joplin.  Of course, Neil had to learn as much as he could about Joplin for the story and became quite connected to it.  This past February he returned to Joplin and discussed what he found on his blog.  To read what he has to say click here.  You can also access his website to learn about some of the different books that he has written, as well as some other projects that he is involved in.  www.storyman.com

"Neal Shusterman." Neal Shusterman: Unwind. Web. 05 June 2012 <htto://storyman.com/books/unwind.html>

Shusterman, Neal. Bruiser. New York:  HarperTeen, 2010. Print.