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Hero-Type (2008)

by Barry Lyga(Favorite Author)

3.7 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0547076630 (ISBN13: 9780547076638)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction

publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

review 1: I read this book about three years ago, but it still sticks with me to this day, which in of itself is a great quality in a book. However, I appreciated the political concepts and ideas that were presented- they were daring, they were dangerous, they were important. Barry Lyga is a refreshing change of pace in that his work is very politically relevant without being propaganda. Most people don't seem to realize exactly how mindlessly and needlessly patriotic the country is, and we don't take kindly to people with different opinions. Barry Lyga's novel illustrates the mass sheep herd mentality that most Americans seem to have.The hero was a terrible role model and a stalker, and that element of the story was creepy. I know that. It's supposed to make you feel creeped out- t... morehat's the point. The hero isn't a hero at all, he's an anti-hero of sorts. Hence the question, "What does it mean to be a hero?" Heroes and 'good people' aren't always who they seem to be. And politics are a mess. That's basically the pount of the story. I do realize that an entire town probably wouldn't turn so quickly against a person because they merely threw away a few magnets, but stranger things have happened, and people do indeed have that loyal sheep mentality that I mentioned earlier. So, even though the premise is implausible, the book was very thought-provoking and an important illustartion of moral variation and social and political constructs.
review 2: I read Boy Toy and absolutely fell in love with Barry Lyga's writing, so I went ahead and read this book of his, too. Was not disappointed. I've seen reviews that say there was too much going on at once and that Kevin is an unlikable protagonist, but like, that's the whole POINT. This story is so wonderfully multi-faceted and complicated, just like real life. You don't have one or two things going on in your life at one time, you have a lifetime of experiences that join together (often not so neatly) at the present day moment, where any number of different things are going on, and as Kevin learns, none of it is easy, none of it can be explained with simplicity, none of it is just right or wrong or good or bad, everything is complicated, as it's supposed to be. This is a thought-provoking young adult novel that I highly recommend to anyone interested in what patriotism means below the surface. less

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