Not one of Chris Lynch's best. ( )

Best for 8th grade and up, but very good book about a young man who struggles with finding a positive relationship with his younger brother -- loves him, but hasn't been kind to him for many years. Anger builds up in Xan (the younger brother) over this and other problems and he turns to being part of a rebellious social justice group who carry out destructive raids to change the world. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

There are two young men in Chris Lynch's new novel with reason to be angry. Robert and Alexander have been raised by a single mother who struggles to make ends meet. Robert had the unpleasant experience of meeting his father once, while Alexander knows nothing about his sperm donor. The two brothers are different as night and day, but still living at home and still sharing the same tiny room, they have developed a sometimes strained but tolerable relationship.

Robert, the older brother, attempts to describe his unusual sibling. He wishes others would understand Alexander (Xan). In fact, he wishes he could understand him. Xan definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer. Although smart enough, he quit school and spends his days just hanging around, while Robert works hard for a local mechanic so he can contribute to the household expenses. At the same time, he also attends the local community college. These different approaches to life make for almost daily arguments.

Even though Xan irritates Robert, he tries to get his younger brother involved in activities that will get him out of the house and hopefully build Xan's self-esteem. For a short time, soccer appears to be a possible solution, but Xan's erratic behavior ends up turning the team against him.

When Robert learns that Xan is starting to attend a class at the community college aimed at inspiring social activism, he has hopes that maybe things are changing. Unfortunately, Xan gets involved with a less than desirable group who call themselves the Good Causes. When the leader of the group reveals some radical ideas that get him kicked out of the Social Responsibility class, Xan is already deeply involved with the group.

Robert watches from a distance until he discovers the group's activities are becoming more violent. He fears Xan's need for acceptance will result in his involvement in a dangerous situation. In the meantime, Robert's attempts to protect their mother from problems of her own have him battling his own angry impulses.

Author Chris Lynch expertly portrays two young adults struggling to find their way in a world out to stack the odds against them. Alexander is a typical misfit lucky enough to have a brother willing to stand up for him. Robert's hard work and confidence is inspiring, even when it becomes obvious that he isn't as sure of himself as he would like people to believe. Lynch makes great use of humor to lighten the tense moments in this sometimes rather dark tale. ( )

Originally posted here: http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/2011/03/book-review-angry-young-man-by-chris...

When I think of myself in high school, I remember back to being angry with the status quo, angry with politics, etc. I wrote political poetry for our high school poetry slam team, and our coach dubbed me an angry young man, despite my being a woman and all. I think this makes sense, or at least this time in life, because being a teen is a time of rebellion, testing limits, and not liking the status quo if you are being shafted by it. Angry Young Man by Chris Lynch is a very short contemporary young adult novel at 176 pages which explores the dynamic between one such angry young man named Xan who doesn’t seem to fit anywhere and ends up turning to anarchy and his brother, Robert who is Mr. Popular, athletic, and has status.

Xan makes some pretty stupid decisions and Robert has to deal with the fallout. I mean, how much can you let someone screw up before you say, ‘ah screw it’ and let them deal with their problems without your intervention?

So that is the nutshell plot. As for the characters, I liked Robert, he kind of reminds me of my boyfriend in that he is athletic, plays soccer, hard working, well-liked, and handsome. He takes on responsibilities. Overall, he is a good person.

However, I thought Xan’s character brought the novel down. He does some incredibly stupid teenage things. He’s awkward and creepy and weird. I don’t know, I guess as a fairly well adjusted person I was unable to connect with Xan. I thought he was a jerk and felt little sympathy for him.

I think Angry Young Man is an okay addition to that which we deem ‘boy books’. It’s short, it has male characters doing male-associated things. There are sports. There are girls. There are cars. There are explosions. Maybe a male would connect better with this novel, due to testosterone.

Disclosure: Received for review. ( )

Alexander and Robert are brothers. Alexander has grown up unable to really fit in with society in general. His brother sticks up for him, tries to keep him under control all the while tormenting him because he can. Robert's dream is to become a P.E. Teacher. He is surprised to find his brother auditing a course at the same community college he attends. As his brother's behavior becomes even more strange he has to wonder about the class and the group his brother has gotten mixed up with. Just how far will his angry young brother go?

This was a strange book. It was just strange enough that I had to keep reading. I would not say it was one of my favorite books but I did enjoy it. It was better than I expected. It took too long to get into it. This is one definitely more for the older audience. ( )