Twisted

When I first read this, I was so touched to see my whole life, nearly, on the page, that I almost cried. I, too, was often sentence to hard labor the whole summer, but not by the juvenile justice system. It was by my parents for the long list of disciplinary infractions I had gotten up to the previous year every year, starting in middle school and finishing when I left high school early for college. I was smart, bored, and getting pushed around at school and at home. Hard labor did nothing to deter my actions, ever. It just made me tan, which I hated, and tired and dirty. One year, out of fury and embarrassment at my being emergency expelled and as a result, having to stay home for two months out of the school year, my mom took me to show more Northern California to help whip my grandfather's house into shape so he could move into assisted living after selling it. He had a huge yard and huge house. It was work. I thought of this strongly when reading this book both times.

My rating and opinion dropped sharply on second read. Tyler is being pushed around by his verbally and emotionally abusive dad, who he has fantasies of lashing out violently against. He's on probation for tagging. It looks a lot like he's on probation in exchange for a suspended sentence, something people do instead of go to jail sometimes. Since--when was that punishment fitting for that crime? My friends and I tagged school property all the time in the early 2000s, and -went to Saturday school after getting detentions for a week-. That was -it-. Please don't misunderstand me as thinking Halse Anderson didn't research. I fully believe this is a current punishment for the times. Tyler's personality and choices were so clearly a product of his time, too. He tagged so...he wouldn't be seen as a nerd anymore. He was cuffed and stuffed, went before a judge and everything. What...the fuck. My friends and I? Nerdy goths who tagged. Three different middle school social categories in one! One of my friends, for example, loved her advanced French class. Another loved orchestra, another choir. Another was a math nut and we teased her for being a dork, then pleaded for help on a weekly basis. She laughed it off and helped. I had just begun my career as a semi-professional musical theater child actor. Kids like that exist, books. Please portray us sometime.

This book didn't age well in regards of gender stuff at all. Tyler is a textbook Nice Guy and should wear a fedora and pea coat. Oops, weather's too hot, sorry. Of course, he targets the cute socialite. Gag. He rags Yoda for liking Star Wars and wow, do I have news for him. He has a creepy fixation on his sister. Yoda cannot date her, he declares, and pays suuuper close attention to how she looks since she hit puberty, how much time Yoda spends with her (a lot since he's too shy to ask her out), he decides she's a huge brat for no reason and it's creepy when other stuff is factored in, he thinks other boys will prey on her, and--he polices her friends and her sexuality. After a bullying incident Yoda went through, Tyler comforts him by saying it's okay for him to date Hannah. The only reason the term "friend-zone" wasn't used in the novel was because it wasn't around then. Tyler, your sister can make her own decisions. She does not owe anyone a date, she doesn't owe you a progress report on her love life, she can dress how she wants, and she will decide who she is. Leave her alone, you creepy fuck. I wonder how much Bethany, the socialite, looks like her. Eugh.

Tyler's mom does not stand up for him at all while he's pushed around by his dad. She actively gaslights and blames Tyler, excusing her husband's behavior with five excuses rammed into six seconds every time after they interact. She sickened me. Tyler's despair and frustration increases over the novel understandably, culminating in a suicide attempt involving a gun that he tosses into a river at the last minute. He calls Yoda and winds up talking to his parents about it. All his mom does is cry silently, and I was waiting for the dad to kick him out. So. The only realistic part of that was calling Yoda and the mom crying. The rest was clearly an author afraid to take risks. You set up a suicide attempt involving -a gun-, you can't take that back. Have him call 911 and explain what's going on. That's realistic and would have led to a different plot! The book, bizarrely, has as neat and clean an ending that a book with a gun getting tossed away at the last minute can.

I was unhappy with this book on second read. Halse Anderson is an excellent writer, though, getting inside the mindset of a Nice Guy teenage boy so easily. I admired that both times. And I fully understand that this book was written to give a sliver of the population hope when there so rarely is none and no one believes you and your other parent blames you. I'm glad Halse Anderson chose to do this. It was intended to humanize and draw attention to people going through this. I'm not so sure how well the second one was done but it's definitely a start.. show less

I hate books told from a male perspective most of the time, but I could not put this book down. Literally. I stayed up until three in the morning (on a school night mom!) to finish this book, just so I could tell my teacher how much I absolutely loved it.

Twisted blew up my high school. We got fifteen copies of the book and there was a wait list three pages long for it. Everyone wanted to read it because there were no words to describe it. "You have got to read this book, I can't even tell you what it's about, just read it you'll love it," was the typical recommendation style. And it's true. That's how powerful this story is. I felt so strongly for the characters in this story, and I remember trying to whip through the pages as fast as I show more could, hoping for everything to turn out alright. Of course it's never that simple.

I can't say what I loved most without really spoiling the story. So, please, just go get a copy (I'm sure you won't need to wait like I did) and read it. show less

On probation after vandalizing his high school, 17-yr-old Tyler Miller enjoys his tough reputation until he is fingered as the primary suspect in an indecency case. Anderson’s writing is as powerful as ever, twisting inside the teenage mind and bringing out all the cracks and flaws that define these developmental years. Tyler embodies characteristics from any teen – gay, straight, popular, withdrawn; teens will form an instant connection with him. The warped family dynamic reflects the work-a-holic culture, and readers will be able to strongly relate to this facet of modern family life. Reluctant male readers will enjoy the testosterone-enhanced scenarios Anderson generates throughout the narrative. For teens who want the show more anti-thesis of "Gossip girls." Try with "Touching spirit bear" by Ben Mikaelsen, "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers, or "Jude" by Kate Morgenroth. show less

Twisted was a brilliant book. The average sounding description on the back definitely did not prepare me for what was inside. It started out pretty slow but once I got into the swing of it, I simply couldn't put it down. Tyler's character is just so real and raw. His voice is believable, witty and intelligent. I could really connect with him and really cared about how things would turn out. The book had me in suspense many times and was a real page-turner. Twisted is an excellent portrayal of family life and deals well with some very real problems. It was fascinating to watch Tyler stumble through life and see his courage develop as the story went on. Overall, a very enjoyable and emotional read.

while i didn't like this book as much as speak, i have to say that anderson is such a solid writer that it doesn't matter much what she's writing about.

this is another disaffected suburban teenage boy novel, sure. this is another nerd turned hottie goes after the prettiest, stupidest girl in the school, sure. this is another best friend is a little off kilter and dad is abusive to an alcoholic mother tale of woe.

but it's a tiny bit darker, and only the dimmest light at the end of the tunnel by the last page.

and it's pretty good.

Seventeen year old Tyler is just finishing up his mandated community service for vandalizing his high school. For some reason, the "foul deed" has elevated him from nerd-boy who has been bullied from elementary school through high school, to someone a little cooler at school. He is strongly attracted to Bethany Milbury who also happens to the daughter of his father's boss and sister of his arch-enemy at school. Tyler is trying hard to meet his father's expectations...perfection...and always comes up short. He's astounded when he realizes that Bethany likes him and wants him to take her to a party, but even that backfires on him. Now, as he turns 18, he has to decide if he will continue to follow the path set out for him by his family show more and those around him or try to find a path of his own.

Readers will ache for Tyler as he tries to figure out what his path in life should be. No matter what he tries to do, it blows up in his face. The suspense continues to build until his final confrontation with his father. Tyler is on the cusp of becoming a man and readers will laugh, cry and cheer for him as he finds his way. show less

Tyler Miller has been bullied his whole life – by the other boys at school and at home by his father. At 17, he's finally grown enough to be intimidating to the other boys – sort of. His nemesis, Chip Milbury, is still trying to hold his ground as the tougher of the two. It doesn't help that Chip's father is the boss of the company where Tyler's dad works and that Chip's twin sister is Tyler's crush Bethany. When pictures of a drunk, naked Bethany surface on the Web and Tyler is accused of being the culprit, life suddenly looks a lot bleaker for Tyler…

Laurie Halse Anderson is spot on with her descriptions of the hell that is high school. Like Melinda in Speak, Tyler has a caustic humor that makes you laugh out loud with his show more sarcastic descriptions of the absurdity around him. Anderson seems to get the male teenage voice down well (less so on getting the suicidal tendencies though, in my opinion, even though she's done so to a lesser extent in other books). However, it took me a while to get into this book and to figure out the problem of this problem novel. It just didn't suck me in, and overall I did not find the book as good as Speak and Wintergirls, but maybe that's because this book is meant for boys? It seemed to me that the turn-around point for the main character was a little odd (not really very climatic) and after that everything seems to fall into place a little too easily.

I read this book after I heard about it being challenged frequently, and I was interested in seeing why. (Isn't it ironic when people try to ban books it only raises interest in those books?) On Laurie Halse Anderson's website, she says that she wrote this book after teenaged boys approached her looking for a book for them about their problems. Was I a big fan of this book? No. Is the book likely to speak to adolescent boys? Probably. Should it be censored? Absolutely not. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me! show less