Michael Gerard Bauer

An der Uni ist Tag der offenen Tür. Sebastian, 16 Jahre, extrem schüchtern und hoffnungslos romantisch, wartet im Foyer eines Kinos ohne wirklichen Grund auf ein bestimmtes PWW – ein perfektes weibliches Wesen. Statt dessen lernt er Frida kennen: frech, schlagfertig und ziemlich schräg. Wie auch Sebastian ist sie meisterhaft im Geschichtenerfinden, doch bald wird es immer nebulöser, was von dem, was sie über sich selbst erzählt, tatsächlich stimmt. Aber auch Sebastian ist show more zurückhaltend mit der Wahrheit …

Es sind ernste Dinge, die die beiden Jugendlichen zu verarbeiten haben; es geht um Trauer, Verletzung, Gewalt, Einsamkeit. Doch keiner von Beiden will (natürlich) offen darüber reden und so liefern sie sich statt dessen einen verbalen Schlagabtausch voller Witz, Intelligenz und Schlagfertigkeit, der jedoch über ihre Verletzlichkeit nicht hinwegtäuschen kann. Gemeinsam mit Sebastians Freund Tolly, der auf der Sonnenseite des Lebens steht, nähern sie sich sehr vorsichtig einander an, was trotzdem für eine/n noch immer zu schnell geht.

Michael Gerard Bauer hat hier ein tolles Jugendbuch geschrieben, dass mit den Problemen in diesem Alter (und noch ganz anderen) nicht hinterm Berg hält, diese jedoch geschickt unter mehr oder weniger geistreichen, aber stets witzigen Wortspielen und Frotzeleien verbirgt, die von Ute Mihr grandios übersetzt sind. Ich bin mir sicher, Jugendliche werden das Buch lieben – Erwachsene auf jeden Fall auch show less

Loved this book. So funny and so true - is Michael Gerard Bauer actually a teenage girl? Maggie Butt is an isolated Year 10 at a new school after her parents divorce. She sets herself three goals - get an A in English, get a date for the social and make a friend. What unfolds is priceless, from Maggie's dealings with the Sisterminator in English, her attempts to make friends with a shy old man as part of community service and her dealings with her mother's new boyfriend Danny aka the Pain. show more Along the way, there is an ugly cat called Sir Tiffy and a rejection by a cute nerd who thinks that Maggie's invite to the Year 10 social is bullying. All in all, a fantastic fast moving and realistic read as long as you can stand the over use of capital letters to emphasize the teenage girls angst. Pages 31-33 re the Sister English teacher are great. Could be a 2017 CBC award in this one. show less

Fantastic, deeply moving novel with believable characters and events. Joseph is the shy young boy whose father is away for months at a time. Next door is Tom Leyton, a reclusive figure of ill repute in the neighbourhood that Joe agrees to sketch for a school project, partly as a favor to Tom’s sister Caroline, and partly to spite the gossipy old woman across the road, Mrs. Mossop, who more or less calls Tom a pedophile and Joseph a coward. Cleverly woven into J’s discovery into Tom the show more man are his reoccurring nightmares of the Running Man – a strange homeless man who runs around J’s town. What secrets lie behind Tom, the Running Man and the silkworms that Tom cares for.p.31-35“On the…” to “drew him in”. [Why Joseph is scared of the Running Man.] show less

One of the most hilarious books I have ever read; Don’t Call Me Ishmael gives ‘fun to read’ a whole new meaning. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to look at life through the eyes of Ishmael Leseur, who can handle (almost) any situation with smooth sarcasm. I will never be able to explain why this book is so funny – it just is, and I plan to buy a copy of my own so I can relive the laughs again and again.

It is said that people like books they can relate to, and I can relate to show more this book a lot. It is centred around bullying, (which I have experienced a lot of previously,) and debating, (which is something that I enjoy a lot, and a prominent part of my school life.) I may not be able to relate to Ishmael’s fear of public speaking, but I enjoyed every moment of the debating scenes and, after seeing so many books about football, soccer and basketball, am extremely pleased to finally read one about a competition I enjoy.

It is a shame that Don’t Call Me Ishmael has not necessarily had all the acclaim it is worthy of, as Bauer had extremely large shoes to fill after the success of his brilliant first novel: The Running Man. In my opinion, Don’t Call Me Ishmael is easily as good, but the trap it has fallen into is that it is a very different type of book, and many of the people who prefer books like The Running Man have been unwittingly dragged out of their preferred genres in the hope of something familiar, and upon finding a different style, have not given this book very good reviews. For anyone who is going to read this story, an open mind and a sense of humour are must-haves.

Don’t Call Me Ishmael is undoubtedly the best feel-good novel I have ever read; an absolute delight that nobody can afford to miss. It’s a story with a good old happy ending, and some well-communicated morals and messages, (but readers might want to make sure they don’t open it in a quiet library; I’d be very surprised to find a person who doesn’t laugh out loud at some point during this book.) show less