Head Case

Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com

Frank Marder lost control.

First of his car, then of his body. Now he's stuck -- trapped inside a body that's failed him. He can't move his legs. He can't move his arms. As a "head," it seems all Frank can do is think.

Unfortunately, thinking is the last thing a guy who killed two people wants to do.

HEAD CASE follows the post-rehab life of a quadriplegic in his first weeks home after a devastating drunk driving accident resulting in the death of his girlfriend and of a man he'd never met. Frank not only has to deal with the fact that he'll never walk or feed himself again, but that the whole town hates him and thinks he should be in jail.

Little do they know, he already is.

A scary, show more thought-provoking glimpse at life without control. show less

After a drunk-driving accident, two people are dead and 17-year-old Frank, is, well, "a head." He is a quadrapolegic, a survivor, and based on that, the people in his town clamor to see him punished further. As a survivor, Frank has to decide how he must live as this short novel takes us through eight weeks of Frank's post-accident life.

Aronson, Sarah. (2007). Head Case. New Milford, Connecticut: Roaring Brook 192 pp. ISBN1-59643-214-4 Hard Cover); $16.95

Frank Marder is a "head." If this were the sixties, we could guess that Frank is some cool, hippy kid. This, however, is NOT the sixties and Frank is paralyzed completely from the head down from his car accident. Two people are dead, including Meredith who he had sex with just four times. Does the punishment fit the crime? Frank cheated on one exam in the 9th grade, smoked pot twice, and didn't really love Meredith (despite loving the sex part, something Frank thinks is no longer possible). In this book we journey from the perspective of a boy with a body to a boy who believes he is not much more than a head. Over the show more course of the 8 weeks Frank is alive after the accident, Frank laughs just one time. Much of the time Frank wishes he were dead. Despite the fact that the ending is too tidy, this book is still with me after more than 200 books and many months. The gritty honesty of Frank and his feelings about who he was and whether that impacts who he is now are extremely compelling and makes this a book worth considering. The fact that this book indirectly asks teens to consider their own drinking (and driving) behavior is frosting. An especially fine piece of writing is the section dealing with Frank's physical therapy. show less

A gut-wrenching story told from the point of view of a 17 year old boy who has just become a paraplegic, after driving drunk. Very powerful.

This book gives great insight into the mind of a recent quadriplegic. Frank must learn how to relive his life, as well as to forgive himself, after his drunk driving accident. Head Case raises awareness about paralysis, and raises questions of how a high school student would deal with its effects. This book would be a quick pick for any high school student.