There was a point where I almost stopped reading Joe Milan, Jr.'s The All-American. I couldn't figure out if it was supposed to be young adult or not, I couldn't figure out the exact time period (maybe early '00s judging by references to Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and The Matrix), and there was a sex scene that just seemed so out of place and gratuitous.
You made it past the above paragraph? Alright, well, I'll tell you what the book is about. A 17-year-old high school football player named Bucky (real Korean name is too hard for him or anybody else to pronounce) wants only one thing: to be scouted for a college football team. Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, it turns out that Bucky isn't an American citizen. He's deported back to South Korea, despite not knowing how to speak the language or having any money. He might not even be 17! Now his main goal is to get back to America. But first, he's gotta get in some fights with some people, join the army per Korea's military service law, find his bio-dad, and figure out just where he really belongs.
The premise of the novel sounds good - a boy caught between two worlds - and I appreciate the exploration of Korean culture and juxtaposing America with South Korea. However, this book didn't deliver the way I thought it would. Maybe it was because I was reading an e-ARC, but it felt disjointed to me and I had trouble empathizing with Bucky because, in the words of another character, he was "a meathead".
The All-American is published by W.W. Norton and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC.
Comments
Post a Comment