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Almost Kings (2000)

by Max Doty(Favorite Author)

3.23 of 5 Votes: 2

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English

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review 1: Once again, I want to give a between-stars rating - like a 3.5 or maybe 3.75. There are just a few niggling things keeping me from feeling a full four stars is the correct rating. Then again, if those niggling things didn't exist, it would likely be a five star story. It's funny how different readers leave a story with entirely different impressions. The vast majority of the time, I only read reviews before and after reading a book - and there's generally such a time lapse between those two I completely forget what the "before" reviews said. After I finished Almost Kings, I read through a few reviews. One person stated it was set in a small town in Texas. The word "Texas" doesn't appear at all in the book. Someone else mentioned that the school administration saw the Kings... more as thugs and troublemakers, but again, there is nothing in the book to support that (there is one scene in the principal's office, but it's because there was a fight, and there's nothing to indicate she saw the Kings as thugs).In both cases, I see exactly why the readers had those impressions. There were also several 1 and 2 star ratings because the story depicts the objectification of women. I could see where it would be a problem for someone particularly sensitive, however, the word "objectification" is wrong - it's rape. There isn't a "rape scene" but characters discuss rape very casually. None of the reviews I read mention what a complex character Truck is - he was beaten by his father, yet cares for him, he works and makes good grades and plays football and cares for his pregnant girlfriend but also smokes pot, drinks way too much, and sleeps around. He loves Bug to the point of giving up his own childhood and making sure he is the target of all their father's punches but he also hates Bug (probably for the same reasons). Neither did any of the reviews allude to the fact that all three Wheeler characters are super intelligent and super damaged. The story never explicitly says that Bug's father is a math whiz, but it is implicit in how he keeps notes on baseball stats, and follows sports in general. Truck is a leader; people are drawn to him. That is a kind of intelligence. And of course, Bug is smart enough to get a full ride to Stanford. At the same time, they have big problems: alcoholism, and addiction in general, anger, violence...As a society we tend to want to see people with those kinds of problems as not too smart. This story is a better depiction of reality than most people are comfortable with. Finally, not a single review touched on the complex relationship between the brothers. Of course Bug idolized his older brother - the person who protected him, fed him, made sure he got to school, etc. Truck, rather than being just deceitful, was protecting Bug by hiding some things from him - in the only way he knew how to protect him. As you can see by the much-longer-than-usual review, this story touched on some themes that made me think. But there were things that bugged me, too. For instance, after the fight, Bug's father is so upset by the beating that he doesn't want anything else to do with Truck. That just doesn't ring true to me. A man who beat his son to the point of a broken arm might have a little more sympathy/empathy/forgiveness regarding a violent outburst. But maybe not. The other thing that just didn't quite feel right to me was the fact that pretty much everything in the brothers' relationship turned on Bug's refusal to rape girls. That's a big thing (or maybe it only is to me as a female person) but it isn't given a whole lot of attention in the story. It is addressed obliquely in the Epilogue, but just not to the extent I think it deserves. There were a couple of other moments that made me stop for a second while reading (in such a small town, Lizzie would have been told by some "friend" about Truck's participation in the game, for instance), but for the most part I think that this story is a good depiction of what life is like in lots of places. I think that is one reason that rape culture exists - because people like the Kings exist. Sad, troubled, violent people. I would issue a strong trigger warning along with any recommendation I gave to read this book (what is the statistic? 1 in 3 women endure some form of rape? I can't remember, but it's a disturbing number). However, if you don't have such triggers, and you like stories that reflect sad reality, this one is well told. The writing is clear, the dialog is true, and you want the characters to succeed in life - or at least make it through high school without doing too much harm.
review 2: I’d classify this YA novella as a coming-of-age story. It has been made into a movie, which I’ve not seen.Almost Kings is the story of Bug’s (aka Ted Wheeler’s) fall semester as a high school freshman. Bug is the younger brother of Truck (aka James Wheeler). Truck and a few of his football buddies make up a loose clique called “The Kings.”As seen through Bug’s naive eyes, The Kings are hulking, tough demi-gods of their rural high school. Being heroes of the football field affords them golden ticket passage through high school. The girls desire them. The other boys fear them. They are untouchable. They are Bug’s heroes.But Bug’s perception of the world around him is limited. Reading between the lines in this short novel, the truth emerges. High school administration sees The Kings as bad kids, troublemakers, brawlers. The Kings are sexual predators. They drink too much. Even Truck, the leader of The Kings, comments none of The Kings have much of a future ahead of them.Over the course of a few months, Bug discovers the truth about his brother and the other Kings. The explosive lesson he learns will mark him for life.The author’s presentation of these kids could be interpreted as stereotyping of an entire high school or town, but I don’t think it is. Kids like the ones in this novella are part of every high school social structure. Reading this reminded me of people I knew and things I saw growing up. This peek into that almost forgotten world–through Bug’s eyes–is intimate, poignant…and harrowing. I’ll remember the way this story made me feel for a long time. less

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