I really liked this book and read it in a day. Darren is going through so much. He's cute and popular but shy. His jock friends plan to get revenge on him since they think he just "gives" them bad grades. They send inappropriate photos of men and boys to get him in trouble. Since everybody thinks he's gay, Mr. Tracy is accused of being a perv. When he dies, Darren felt really bad. He wants to confess but must not betray his friends. I did not like the ending. It seemed rushed. He had sex with a girl he barely remembers from high school and he got into a fight. I wanted to know what happened when he saw the boys at school since they knew he was in the car with Mr. Tracy. I wanted to know what happened between Darren and Molly. ( )

Compelling look at the power of rumor and innuendo. Darren, a swimmer, could be "Bad Pitts' twin" but is ambivalent about the attention his looks garner. Even his English teacher, Lowell Tracy, seems to pay him a lot of attention. After a moment of unexpected intimacy (a ride home from school) Darren is even more confused and feels he must keep the incident a secret. Meanwhile, his fellow swimmers concoct a plan of revenge of their own against Mr. Tracy. Darren must decide if he will take a stand.

Adult language, adult theme (hinted homosexuality) and sexual activity (off-screen) limit this book to senior high school.

The voice didn't always ring true (to this reader, anyway) but the story is skillfully developed and the topic is bound to provoke discussion. ( )

I think overall this book is good. It's not great, just good. The reason is because I expected more than the book was willing to provide. Once I got near the end I was excited to see how the story would close, but I was a little dissapointed in it. On a positive note, the book was entertaining, and kept me reading more and more. I would recommend this book because it is a good story, and I also think it has a good moral. ( )

Darren Flynn is Mr. Popular, rising star of the swim team, a student with great "potential" and so sexy everybody watches him. To Darren all this popularity is just surrealistic. Sure, sometimes it is good to have everyone paying attention but sometimes he feels dirty, standing up on the high board on display for everyone, even those who shouldn't be looking. Then one afternoon he gets a ride home with his English teacher that changes everything.

Although I found there were things that rang true about this story, it was written sort of like an after school special. Events that were plausible were just blown out of proportion. Darren's reactions seemed realistic given what we discover of his personality although the events seemed over the top. What happens in the story is both sad and creepy and there weren't any truly likeable characters to mitigate the ickiness.

With regard to the writing, I didn't find the style very engaging at all. If I hadn't been reading this for a book group and the book hadn't been such a fast read I would have given it up after the first chapter. ( )

Sexy / Joyce Carol Oates
Ein Ereignis in Danny Flynns Leben

Danny ist ein Kumpeltyp. An der North Falls High ist er, seit dem er zugenommen und sich verändert hatte, beliebt. Er ist im Schwimmteam und Mädchen finden ihn schüchtern oder sexy. Doch Darren findet nichts an sich cool, er ist einfach Darren. Am schwersten fällt ihm in der 11. Klasse die Schule, jedoch hat er bei dem beliebten Englischer Mr. Tracy und bekommt bei ihm gute Noten. Allerdings kommt Mr. Tracy nicht bei allen so gut an.
Einige von Dannys Freunden denken sich einen übeln Streich aus und denken dabei nicht an die Konsequenzen.
Als der Streich eskaliert ist erkennt Danny nicht den Ernst der Lage und nun beginnt bei ihm alles schief zugehen …

Eine Geschichte von einem schüchternen Jugendlichen in der Blüte der Pubertät. Doch Danny ist im falschen Moment ruhig und zurückhaltend. Eine Geschichte über die Launen der Pubertät und die Folgen des Nichtstuns. ( )