David Yoo (1) (1974–)

Kudos, first of all, to David Yoo for perfectly capturing the world of middle school. I found myself giggling out loud as Peter and Drew navigated the perils of this new school experience. From their voices, to the snark, right down to the bullies, everything was there in perfect color. I'm not kidding. It took me back to my middle school experience and, although I wasn't in the same position as Peter, I had not a single problem falling into step with these wonderful characters.

The chemistry show more between these two characters is amazing! Peter is the brains of the operation, and it's no surprise that he might just sometimes be a little bit of a liar. After all, schemers generally are. Sweet Drew is his loyal friend, who is also the voice of reason in the friendship. Whenever Peter comes up with a particularly odd plan, it's Drew who has to remind him it just might not be for the best. I was giggling out loud at the way the two of them interacted. I admit that Drew was a bit of a pushover, but charismatic Peter is a tough character to follow. They compliment one another perfectly.

What I most enjoyed about The Detention Club was the message underneath everything. Buried under the funny parts, and the banter, is a story that all middle school kids will be able to connect with. All Peter and Drew want to do is fit in. They want to be popular enough that they have other friends, and don't feel like losers. However as the book goes on, Peter realizes that Drew isn't always going to be completely on board with his crazy schemes. We all grow up sometime don't we? He also uncovers that people might not always be what they seem on the outside. Most of all, he realizes that no matter who we are, just being ourselves is perfection. Who wants friends that make you change for them anyway?

It might all sound a little cliche, like the lectures our parents give us when we're young, but now that I'm older don't I know it's the truth. David Yoo has perfectly masked these very important lessons under a story that is quick-paced, funny, and filled with things that younger readers will connect with. Honestly, I'm so happy I was given the opportunity to review this book! I fully intend to take it to the 5th grade class at the school I work with and let them read it. Maybe it will give them some good early pointers for what's to come!

Recommended most definitely! If you have a younger reader, I can't deny they'll fall in love with Peter, Drew and their crazy cohorts. Just be ready for the sounds of giggling from the other room. show less

I can't decide if I loved or hated this book. The book opens on the morning of Nick Park's graduation from high school as he is reflecting on how his life unfolded ever since his parents moved to the upper middle class and almost all white town of Renfield, CT just before third grade. At the beginning, the book was laugh-out-loud-funny but there are equally sad, disgusting, and just plain mean episodes. Nick was his own worst enemy, lying to his friends, his parents, and girls. No doubt he show more experienced racism as he came of age but his belief that he wasn't popular because of it was delusional. His own self-loathing and erratic behavior sealed his fate. There were parts that were just heartbreaking because of the way he treated his parents, his supposed-best friend, girls, and other classmates. Nick Park seemed to gain very little insight in the end. show less

Don't let the innocent-looking boy on the cover of David Yoo's The Choke Artist: Confessions of a Chronic Underachiever fool you into thinking this hilarious memoir of coming of age Asian in a sea of white faces is for the same audiences as his YA novels, Girls for Breakfast and Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before, or his middle-grade novel, The Detention Club. The cringe-worthy comedy of The Choke Artist gets pretty graphic with its escalating, self-deprecating true confessions, ranging show more from high school through his post-college years. It is definitely adult reading! Perhaps perfect for the "New Adult" audience, but its themes of identity and belonging will resonate with adults of all ages.
Longer review at Bay State Reader's Advisory blog. show less

This was hilarious and depressing. A look into a life that was completely alien to me. Kind of embarrassing to say that I'm 44 and I really only have ever had three or four Asian friends and two or three of those were coworkers. It's not like I was pre-screening or anything but it just seemed to work out that way. So I had no idea of the struggles of Asian Americans growing up surrounded by white people. It's funny that the author talks about trying to distance himself from the Asian show more stereotypes because I've definitely met a couple of Asians whom I thought acted completely outrageous and I assumed it was so they would appear more "American". Because let's face it, Americans are pretty outrageous.

Anyway, there are many laugh out loud and cringe-worthy moments and even a couple really sad moments. Toward the end it started getting pretty depressing as the author/protagonist got older and older and his life wasn't going anywhere. The ending was fairly uplifting though so that helped. show less