Book Review #8 Short Story Collection

Catherine Schaaf
cschaaf@st.philip-neri.org

Short Story Collection: This Family is Driving Me Crazy

This Family is Driving Me Crazy: A short story collection edited by M. Jerry Weis and
Helen S. Weiss, 2009, 224pp.
$17.99 Ten stories about surviving your family ISBN:978-0-399-25040-8


In this book, there are ten stories about “surviving” your family. Wimp of Sparta by Gordon Korman- the first story is about a family full of risk –takers, except one child, Peter. Peter has always been afraid of his families adventures. Peter is the one who calls the taxi, books the flights and helps with the emergencies the other members have. He wishes to lead a quiet life, one without drama. Then Peter is involved in his own emergency situation-will he survive and live to tell? Will he have an adventure of his own?

Orway Otnay Otay eBay by David Lubar is a great story for Young Adults learning
to relate their parents. This is a time for a teenager when they think they have nothing in common with their parent. Such is this story, a boy in high school finds out about his
Father’s sentimentality through the selling of his stuff on e-Bay.

The Most Mauve There is by Nancy Springer brings out the drama of planning a wedding
In the family and hoping everything goes wonderfully without a hitch. But, only the Bride-to-be has that expectation. The family is realistic and makes due in very funny
ways to try to make it the best wedding- well, almost.

Tunnel Vision by the beloved Jon Ritter is a baseball lovers dream. If you liked the
Movie “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner, you will enjoy this short story.

For the Love of Pork by Jack Gantos is about a poor preachers son. The son’s description
of their desperate situation is so funny, I laughed so hard, I had tears coming from my eyes.

The book is written for young adults age 13-18 depending on the story. Some fowl language is used in one story. Parents would also enjoy the book. Some of the situations and the way a teenager thinks might help a parent understand their child better. Young adults would feel they could relate to the story teller because it is girl or boy around their age. The story teller some how feels he/she does not fit in with his/her family. They feel different, misunderstood, embarrassed by their families actions. The young adult may reason that all families are not perfect. Most of the stories are told in the first-person,
vernacular, which is common in a lot of YA fiction.

Parents will gain further insight on what their teenager is thinking and why they do the things they do. Teachers may wish to have students take turns reading the stories and discussing some of the problems or situations the story teller is in. The book was a quick, easy read. It is a good book for that reader who may have difficulty finishing a book. The book could also be used for English/LA. The teacher could have students take turns reading stories or assign the book to read and then write their own short story.