The Most Excellent Year is Now

Steve Kluger's My Most Excellent Year tells the story of high schoolers TC Augie and Alejandra. In their English class, they are asked to write an assignment detailing their most excellent year. All three of them decide to recall their 9th grade year experience. These years are shown through various media such as instant messages, school assignments and diary entries. Meanwhile, a flurry of personal relationship provide the foundation for the writing assignment such as TC trying to get the girl and Alejandra trying to chase the possibility of her calling to sing and dance.

I believe that this novel's greatest importance is in its delivery and narrative. The stories of each characters are told through a stratification of perspectives in their various aforementioned forms. There is no clear, standard story method but rather a conglomeration of narrations. This is critical on many levels and probably one of the biggest reasons I would recommend it to young adults.

First, the varying perspectives of the novel illustrates the varying perspectives of real life. Teenage life is complex and multi-faceted and thus so should the novel's representation. Remaining within a single framed genre would perhaps be too simplistic and idealistic and thus not representative of real life.

Also, removing itself from the material and content of the novel, the way in which the story is told can be a very important stepping stone or teaching tool because it very much resembles the world in which young adults live. With the various social networks, computer dialogue, cell phones, and a multitude of other communication tools, teenagers are constantly in tough but more importantly through a wide array of media. Emotion and communication can take the pathway of a text message or a Twitter post. One is no less important than the other. Therefore, I believe this novel, in its varying voices, can really speak to the lifestyles of the emerging teenager.

Recommendation: The novel is right up the modern teenagers alley and can speak directly to their lifestyle. As for parents (maybe though who are a little technologically illiterate) this can perhaps be a bridge for the generation gap.