Teen Angst? Naaah...

Youth is really a very special time. It's short, and never comes back. It's a time where teens make so many decisions, meet new people, and begin to determine their future. But it's also very much influenced by stereotypes. As an eighth grader, I think the adults in our community are beginning to look more closely into our lives, to have more concern, and to make us aware of what's to come. The stereotype of the "American teenager" has begun to take a more and more distinct shape in the past years, and all parents try to shield their kids from that. I know people already take drugs, smoke, and more: but is that really all its going to be about in the next few years?

There are so many books written about youth and the challenges that teens go through. Yet they are rarely written by someone of that age. Ned Vizzini did something very unique with his first novel, Teen Angst? Naaah.... He wrote it during high school. He explores the life of himself and teens through a journal-like piece of writing. It tests the truth of stereotypes, and even without a storyline, life itself presents a conflict.

It is clear Ned is somewhat of an outcast, and doesn't have a best friend or a substantial social status. He's "the nerd," as he describes himself: yet the aware nerd: the one who knows he's a nerd and often wants to be somebody else but content as he is. Ned is also easily influenced by others. He doesn't try to please people for attention, per se, but if someone asks him to do something, he will. Ned first confronts drinking when he's with his friend, Owen, a big, Russian teen that is clear bold and daring–maybe even a little too much. "'Hey, Ned,' he chuckled, as we entered the Mini Mart, passing the potato chips. 'Let's buy beer.'" Ned, unsure of what to do, says yes. Nothing abnormal or crazy happens after, so the situation presented no conflicts.

This book was also very interesting to me as Ned grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, where I live now. It was extremely relatable as Ned writes about his experience applying to high school in the city, which is something I truly experienced this year too. He takes this SHSAT, which I did. Ned also writes about wanting so badly to go to Stuyvesant, the top school in the city, because he has this inner drive to be the best. However, after 2 years of prep, he gets in and attends, yet he writes about his school experience in a very truthful way: "Everything at Stuy was either meaningless or on the test... If something wasn't on the test, you just closed your book and smiled." This was eye-opening, as this is a suspicion (that Stuyvesant is overly competitive and purely about measuring intelligence solely on paper) that many people have about the school, yet it was proved by a student who's actually went there.

Ned Vizinni recently committed suicide in his mid-thirties. When you read about someone that you connect to, you want to meet them, and befriend them. I've read a number of his books, and they all explore youth in such an honest, truthful way. I do know that he suffered greatly from depression as a teen and as an older man. But to think he took his own life? Such a brilliant, thought-provoking mind is gone.

Teen Angst? Naaah... explores stereotypes and reality in between its lines. Ned's life matched certain expectations, questioned them, was relatable. I connected to him in many ways, and that greatly affected my reading experience. All in all, Teen Angst? Naaah... has many themes and is a pure, honest insight into the world of a developing changing teenager.