2. Plot Summary. Bo Brewster doesn’t get along with his father – at all. He doesn’t get along with his English teacher, and ex-football coach, Mr. Redmond, either. All his anger lands him in Mr. Nak’s Anger Management class as a condition of returning to school after a suspension. At first, Bo is afraid of attending the early-morning group. He’s not like the kids in that group - they’re seriously disturbed, truly criminal, definitely weird. However, given that his choices are very limited, Bo consents and joins the group which turns out to be a life-changing experience. As Bo trains for the Yukon Jack triathlon and goes to Anger Management, he learns more about life than he ever expected.
3. Critical Analysis. Chris Crutcher is known as a Young Adult author who writes “sports adventures.” While sports is always an element of the setting and plot, sports really simply provides a backdrop for delivering powerful stories of young adults who are facing fairly serious obstacles. Crutcher’s prose is a fabulous combination of serious intensity and entertaining humor. One minute he’s delivering a line to live life by (“if I ever want to see how something works, look at it broken”) and the next he has readers chuckling with his descriptions of the characters actions. And the characters are a strong suit of this novel. The eccentric kids in “Nak’s Pack” – the Anger Management group – are definitely the weird, scary group Bo thought they would be, but Crutcher develops each one so that he or she is a dynamic character, changing as the group progresses, and they all find out they are not so different from each other after all. Even very minor characters, such as Lonnie Gerback, one of Bo’s competitors in the triathlon who surprisingly switches bikes with Bo for the race to help Bo gain an edge he’ll need for the race, is a nicely drawn character who moves the plot along. As a teacher, I’d love to have Mr. Nak’s insight into life and the knack of saying just the right thing at the right time, which while somewhat unrealistic, might make any reader wish he had that teacher in high school.
The primary theme of how father/son relationships affects both the fathers and the sons is played with a fairly heavy hand. Not only is there the conflict between Bo and his father, but dysfunctional relationships with fathers is the underlying issue with most of Nak’s Pack. While some may think that the character of Bo’s father is unrealistic, he definitely reminds me of a father I know, though thankfully not my own! I’m sure many teenagers have parents like Bo’s father, as well as some of the other fathers described in a sad light. The good relationship that exists between Lonnie and his father, which has a positive impact on Bo’s participation in the triathlon, exists in the distant background, providing just a hint of a reason to be optimistic that not all fathers are jerks (or worse).
Teenage readers will surely find themselves experiencing some of the same feelings as the kids in Nak’s Pack, even if their lives are relatively good. I can’t imagine anyone reading the book without being on the edge of his seat waiting to see how the triathlon works out. I believe readers will love the humor, the strength and perseverance of the young adult characters who are fighting against many things that are not fair. Bo leaves readers feeling hope that even though life doesn’t go the way they want it too, they can still turn out all right and have a positive impact on the world around them.
4. Review Excerpts.
Publisher’s Weekly: “the narrative crackles along in the author's inimitable style”
School Library Journal: “Powerful, perceptive, and wickedly funny.”
Booklist: “With its highly charged intensity channeled into riveting prose, an array of eccentric and strong characterizations, and dramatic plot climax (messagey conclusion notwithstanding), Ironman is a combination of the psychological and the sports novel at their best.”
Teenreads.com: “Chris Crutcher is a master when it comes to capturing the essence of intelligent teen angst. His prose is crisp, funny and fast moving. His characters have genuine depth and undeniable heart. . . . It is bright, thoughtful young adult fiction at its best.”
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