Chris Crutcher a.k.a. "The Man!"

Despite all the fantastic books read throughout the year, I found it interesting that my favorite author was actually the one who wrote my very first "choice" book for the semester. I can't help but consider how lucky I truly was. During the first week of the semester, our class participated in a book pass. A book pass is an opportunity to see as many books as possible, taking about two or three minutes to scan each one. My very first book I received was called Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher. Immediately I knew that I found something that was unique to me. After listening to some advice from a great teacher, I was able to find some direction in regards to YA novels and finding an appropriate audience to try to reach throughout the course.

Crutcher's novels are some of the best books that I have ever read. So I was fortunate enough to get to research and read books on things that I have been interested in my entire life. Chris Crutcher is an author who began writing in 1983, where he came out with the novel, Running Loose. Crutcher's stories usually involve athletics, as well as a general theme of fighting bullies and sticking up for the little guy. As a boy, Crutcher was a trouble maker in school, and did not receive the best grades. I think he uses his past to positively influence his work because his characters seem to "speak" to the reader in ways that other authors have difficulty achieving. It is easy for Crutcher's characters to think, act, and feel like teenage athletes because he experienced these feelings when he was younger. Since then he has came out with over ten books.

If only I would have discovered all of Chris Crutcher books earlier! Stotan!, a novel about swimming and commitment is now my favorite book of all time. I have confidence that these books would have inspired me in swimming as well as help me meet goals that I originally thought impossible. Also, throughout my high school years I did not read as much, because I was busy and had a hard time finding books that interested me. The best audience for Crutcher's books includes high school swimmers, triathletes, any varsity athlete, and lastly any high schooler who usually gets bored from reading or does not read much.