SeventeenTRANSLATED BY Ages: 12 and up Pages: 264 List Price: $17.95 Cover: Hardcover Published: 9/1/2007 ISBN: 1-932425-89-6 ISBN-13: 978-1-932425-89-5 |
Jonathan ends up in the emergency room. His dad is sitting with him and starts relating all the things he should have told Jonathan a long time ago: about his own time as a 17-year-old hippie in the early 1970s, about how he met the rebellious girl who would become Jonathan's mum, and about the catastrophe that meant that Jonathan did not see his dad for eleven years. Several other people also have their say with completely different stories. It all seems to be about Jonathan, about who he is and how he became the person he is. But has he managed to hear anything of all that has been said, and why is he lying here? Reviews"Nominated for Sweden’s August Prize, this dark, unsettling import explores love and loss across generations. ...[O]lder teens will appreciate Nilsson’s layered look at how truth changes with perspective... " "[T]he accounts of Jonatan’s parents are captivating oral history, important for giving two perspectives on how individuals and society might achieve social justice, and what factors might get in the way. The Swedish viewpoint gives a different slant than many American readers see on the turbulent era, and since many contemporary teens (and/or their parents) romanticize or are at least fascinated by this recent era in social and political history, this will likely find a small but committed readership." |
