Inside Out

In this very short novel, we meet Zach just at the moment the coffee shop he's sitting in is being robbed by two desperate young men. It quickly becomes apparent that something is not quite right about Zach. He's not scared, he doesn't seem to know when it's best to keep quiet, he's much more interested in getting a maple bar than in getting out of harm's way, and, honestly, he's not quite sure the situation he's in is even real. When the police arrive, the robbery escalates to hostage situation. Over the course of the next few hours, secrets will emerge. Zach is sick, and he needs his medicine, but the people in the back room of the coffee shop need a hero, and Zach might just be the only guy who can be one.

Inside Out is a fast paced show more book that grips from the very first page. In addition to the action and suspense of the coffee shop hostage situation, there's a lot going on in these few pages not the least of which is Zach's struggle against his mental illness. In Zach's narration and intervening notes from his medical file, a door is opened into living with mental illness. While the book is intended for a young adult audience, I found Zach's perspective illuminating, giving me a better understanding of his disease.

At the risk of spoiling such a short book, I'll say no more about the plot. What I will say is that I was impressed with how Trueman brought a plot rich book together with a strong portrayal of a mentally ill character and gave sympathetic eye to all three of his male main characters. If you're looking for a quick read that packs a punch, give this one a try! show less

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Imagine being sixteen-years old, waiting patiently in a coffee shop for your mother to pick you up after work. It's just another day, until two shaken teens with guns show up and take you and a number of other patrons hostage. Suddenly there are cops surrounding the building, promising SWAT teams and armored vehicles if the hostage-takers don't give up. What sort of emotions do you feel? Fear? Anger? Disbelief? Did I mention fear? Yes, if you're a typcial sixteen-year old, those are most likely the emotions you would feel. But if you're Zach Wahhsted, a teenager suffering from schizophrenia, you don't feel much of anything at all.

Zach's days are pretty routine--he takes his medicine, he goes to school, show more he waits for his mom to pick him up and give him his second dose of medicine, and he hopes that the voices inside his head, dubbed Dirtbag and Rat, stay quiet. Zach does okay when he stays on his medicine, but when he suffers undue stress or situations outside of his control, what's reality and what's inside his head become harder to differentiate.

When Zach's held hostage by two teens caught up in trying to do the right thing for their mother, he doesn't know he should be scared. He doesn't understand that he's a victim. The only thing he knows is that he needs his medicine, needs to go home, needs to quiet Dirtbag and Rat before they talk him into attempting suicide once again.

INSIDE OUT, although a quick read, is supremely powerful. It's a glimpse into the mind of someone whose brain functions differently than our own; whose synapses don't fire on the same wavelengths ours do. It's a look into mental illness that will leave you wondering what you can do to be more tolerant and understanding. It is, in a word, simply amazing. show less

Hold on because this book starts out intensely and doesn't stop. A young man named Zach is waiting for his mother to show up at a diner with his medication, finds himself being held hostage by a pair of brothers who decide to rob the diner. The brother, obviously inexperienced robbers and hostage holders, stumble and bumble their way through the robbery. Zach becomes increasingly argumentative and combative, which throws the brothers off. As the story goes on you discover why these boys are desperate enough to rob a diner, and why Zach is desperate enough to challenge them. This book will grip you from beginning to end.

Hold on because this book starts out intensely and doesn't stop. A young man named Zach is waiting for his mother to show up at a diner with his medication, finds himself being held hostage by a pair of brothers who decide to rob the diner. The brother, obviously inexperienced robbers and hostage holders, stumble and bumble their way through the robbery. Zach becomes increasingly argumentative and combative, which throws the brothers off. As the story goes on you discover why these boys are desperate enough to rob a diner, and why Zach is desperate enough to challenge them. This book will grip you from beginning to end.

I like this book, great story but I'll be honest wasn't that fond of the ending. Through out the book there was this intensity that kept me looking forward to what will happen to the main characters but once I reached the end I just felt as if it let me kinda of disappointed. This is why I give it 4 stars, great story just an ok ending and I would still recommend it to any of my friends.

Memorable and Heartbreaking

Inside Out by Terry Trueman
5 out of 5 stars

Zach is just sitting in a busy coffee shop waiting for his medicine… and his mom, when two young gunmen walk in. With their guns pointed at the nine people, they insist that they are given the money out of the register. Zach notices everyone is acting scared, so he tries to also look scared but to no avail. His watch says its almost time for more medicine. When sirens fill the air the teen gunmen get nervous and scared and force the customers into the backroom. Zach doesn’t really care but he needs his medicine. His inability to focus on one thing at a time and his lack of judgment concerning reality or not reality, get him instantly noticed by the two boys. show more Fortunately, these boys really aren’t bad at heart. If they had the money for their mother’s cancer medicine they would never of though of robbing a coffee shop. But as the hours pass, Zach grows more and more desperate for his medicine. Can Zach survive the voices of his Schizophrenia long enough for the two would be robbers to decide how to get out of this mess they created?

Inside Out is a book I will never forget. You really get inside Zach’s head and are able to watch the battle within him going on. Zach isn’t the only one fighting a inner battle though. The teen gunmen brothers are also fighting to decide what to do. The book is even more heartbreaking and vivid because even though Zach has Schizophrenia, he is really trying to be a nice guy and doing his best to always be “appropriate”.

Though Zach saves the day, the ending is heartbreaking. It’s a rich, deep book that you will never forget.

Date Reviewed: September 3rd, 2008 show less

Zach can't believe that he is a hostage in a robbery gone wrong. This is partly because the event is so shocking, but also because he is schizophrenic and is used to finding himselves in unbelievable scary situations. During the robbery, we hear his inner monologue that shows his attention wavering and getting more incoherent as he goes longer without his medication. He figures out that the robbery is real, yet is almost certain that his fellow hostages are slowly turning into zombies out to get him. He is afraid that he will get shot or that his lack of medication will damage his mind, but he is equally worried that he won't get to eat the candy bars left out on the counter. Trueman captures the mindset of the schizophrenic very well. show more I did find the ending very disappointing. Because this book was so short and had a compelling plot that moved quickly, I would Recommend this title for reluctant readers. show less