Iversen, Jeremy. 21

Kliatt, May, 2005 by Joseph DeMarco

IVERSEN, Jeremy. 21. Simon & Schuster. 261p. c2005. 0-689-87623-8. $6.99. A

Universities seem to be taking an interest in putting a stop to drinking excesses on campus, but not fast enough. As this tale opens, the college is about to close Pi Alpha Kappa (PAK) down but the good old frat boys want to bring down the house with one final alcoholic bomb of a night, and the perfect excuse is Bret's 21st birthday. One of the fraternity's lame traditions is that a brother has to down 21 units of liquor on his 21st birthday. Yahoo! Apparently, the author, a college-aged writer, is telling this tale based on firsthand experience. In this debut novel he tells a frightening story that should make parents, school officials, and students take notice. The hero, Brett, takes stock of his life as he swims through the frat drinking tradition, and he finds that things are coming up rather soggy.

The novel is humorous and provocative and though some may argue otherwise, young people should read it. There's sex and violence and drinking--but high schooters and college kids are aware of all this (sometimes more aware than parents would like to think about)--and a read that makes kids think about the world they are in and perhaps make better decisions regarding their behavior is worth the risk. Joseph DeMarco, Libn., St. Joseph's Sch., Philadelphia, PA

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.