Reviews
Zero Fade by Chris L. Terry, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Leonard Vance, Jacob Knabb, Alban Fischer
jcschlotfelt2313's review against another edition
4.0
Possibly the most realistic portrayal of the benign pain of teenage insecurity. Supremely entertaining and funny but also wonderfully, almost absurdly honest.
The uncle's subplot is well done but feels largely superfluous.
The uncle's subplot is well done but feels largely superfluous.
mmparker's review against another edition
4.0
A simple, warm story about a middle school boy grappling with his inherited notions of masculinity. I really could have used a book like this in my teens.
mattmatros's review against another edition
4.0
A realistic and humorous story from the perspective of a young African-American lad just trying to wend his way through adolescence in Richmond, Virginia. He has to dodge bullies, negotiate his friendship with the not-cool-enough nerd next-door, work up the nerve to ask out the girl of his daydreams, all while being grounded by his totally unfair mom. This novel is a romp! Highly recommended for all fans of young adult fiction. Great job, Chris!
jrpoole's review against another edition
5.0
I decided I wanted to read a contemporary young adult novel after reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn earlier this year, which got me thinking about all the books I enjoyed as a kid, from The Lord of the Flies to Superfudge. Along came Chris L. Terry's Zero Fade, which follows its pubescent protaganist, Kevin, through the harrowing territory of junior high.
I don't read a lot of YA fiction because, well, I'm not a YA anymore, but Zero Fade, like some of those books I remembered from my own adolescence, resonates as well for adult audiences as I imagine it will with younger ones. It's tough, sensitive, and accessible, and it handles heady themes of race and sexuality genuinely, without ever seeming issue-y. It's just the kind of book I'd want my own son reading around the time he's Kevin's age.
I don't read a lot of YA fiction because, well, I'm not a YA anymore, but Zero Fade, like some of those books I remembered from my own adolescence, resonates as well for adult audiences as I imagine it will with younger ones. It's tough, sensitive, and accessible, and it handles heady themes of race and sexuality genuinely, without ever seeming issue-y. It's just the kind of book I'd want my own son reading around the time he's Kevin's age.
voya_k's review against another edition
3.0
One of the most unusual realistic teen novels I've ever read -- the author made a strange choice to narrate some chapters in the voice of the protagonist's gay uncle. Usually, you don't see inside any adult's perspective in a teen book, must less a gay uncle who hangs out at bars and ogles a cute hairdresser in like, chapter 3. So, that may blow some kid's minds or put them off.
I hope not tho, because the chapters from the kid's point of view are hilarious and really deeply felt. Protagonist Kevin is a chubby nerd from Richmond who only has one friend. He's got bully problems, invisibility to girls problems and style problems. This book portrays his likeable nerdery deep from the inside. I love the description of one lonely Friday night he spent alone when his mom went to see the OJays and his social-climbing sister ditched him for a night with the real teenagers. He wishes that a giant party would emerge when he opens the refrigerator door, but alas, no hot girls in fishnets appear. The kid has been watching too many 90s beer commercials.
There's also a wonderful, life changing Saturday at the mall that really serves as the climax of the book. The 90s teen experience is really captured here. I would certainly recommend this to any Gen Xers who want some pitch perfect nostalgia or any teens who like funny books and can be mature about the gay uncle content.
I hope not tho, because the chapters from the kid's point of view are hilarious and really deeply felt. Protagonist Kevin is a chubby nerd from Richmond who only has one friend. He's got bully problems, invisibility to girls problems and style problems. This book portrays his likeable nerdery deep from the inside. I love the description of one lonely Friday night he spent alone when his mom went to see the OJays and his social-climbing sister ditched him for a night with the real teenagers. He wishes that a giant party would emerge when he opens the refrigerator door, but alas, no hot girls in fishnets appear. The kid has been watching too many 90s beer commercials.
There's also a wonderful, life changing Saturday at the mall that really serves as the climax of the book. The 90s teen experience is really captured here. I would certainly recommend this to any Gen Xers who want some pitch perfect nostalgia or any teens who like funny books and can be mature about the gay uncle content.
iguana_mama's review against another edition
4.0
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
If it wasn’t for Karen's review, I’d probably never come across this book, and that would be a terrible shame.
The cover was embarrassingly bright, the characters on the front are green and the one in back is yellow. I loved the book’s compact size, the bright white pages and the comfortable text size. It aroused some curiosity on the bus, probably because I’m in my 50’s and there’s a prominent Teen Urban Fiction label on the spine, or maybe because I had a silly smile on my face reading about 13-year-old Kevin’s “mushy tushy.” Yeah, it’s a kids’ book, but adults can enjoy it too.
I liked how this story shows just 8 days of Kevin’s life. It is not all mundane, though. He’s a very typical teenage boy at that awkward age where your body and emotions are in turmoil. His dad left when he was a baby, his sister is distant, and his mom is smart in lots of ways. It’s just too bad she can’t give her son a decent haircut.
I also liked how the story takes place in urban Richmond, Virginia, and features black characters that are richly drawn, vibrant and real. Their skin color is not the focus of the story, yet this is very much a story about the black experience. It deals with the complexity of relationships, identity, sexuality, and growing up without being preachy.
Kevin’s sharp observations brought me back to my own childhood growing up in the Bronx. Though we didn’t share all the same experiences, there were enough similarities that made it very easy for me to relate and empathize with his character. He wasn’t always likable (what 13-year-old is), but he is genuine.
Kevin deals with bullying, competing with his best friend to get a girl, and his discomfort with all things gay. His dapper gay uncle, Paul, certainly is not making that easier for him. At least Kevin now has a great haircut.
As thoughtful and entertaining as this story was, I’m glad it’s over. Like many kids, Kevin was really hard to take at times.
If it wasn’t for Karen's review, I’d probably never come across this book, and that would be a terrible shame.
The cover was embarrassingly bright, the characters on the front are green and the one in back is yellow. I loved the book’s compact size, the bright white pages and the comfortable text size. It aroused some curiosity on the bus, probably because I’m in my 50’s and there’s a prominent Teen Urban Fiction label on the spine, or maybe because I had a silly smile on my face reading about 13-year-old Kevin’s “mushy tushy.” Yeah, it’s a kids’ book, but adults can enjoy it too.
I liked how this story shows just 8 days of Kevin’s life. It is not all mundane, though. He’s a very typical teenage boy at that awkward age where your body and emotions are in turmoil. His dad left when he was a baby, his sister is distant, and his mom is smart in lots of ways. It’s just too bad she can’t give her son a decent haircut.
I also liked how the story takes place in urban Richmond, Virginia, and features black characters that are richly drawn, vibrant and real. Their skin color is not the focus of the story, yet this is very much a story about the black experience. It deals with the complexity of relationships, identity, sexuality, and growing up without being preachy.
Kevin’s sharp observations brought me back to my own childhood growing up in the Bronx. Though we didn’t share all the same experiences, there were enough similarities that made it very easy for me to relate and empathize with his character. He wasn’t always likable (what 13-year-old is), but he is genuine.
"Our school’s old. When you first walk in, there are class photos from the ‘50s to now. The school was segregated before Martin Luther King, so the pictures from the ‘50s and ‘60s are all white people wearing funny-shaped glasses and sitting on corncobs. By the ‘70s, there are a few black people in the pictures with big ‘fros and beaded necklaces like pictures of Mama in high school. They’re bits of pepper in a salt spill. But it’s reversed by 1980, and the pictures look like Oreo cookies—mainly black, with a little white in the middle."
Kevin deals with bullying, competing with his best friend to get a girl, and his discomfort with all things gay. His dapper gay uncle, Paul, certainly is not making that easier for him. At least Kevin now has a great haircut.
As thoughtful and entertaining as this story was, I’m glad it’s over. Like many kids, Kevin was really hard to take at times.
emilymroth's review
4.0
I reviewed this book for Chicago Literati. Check out my review here!
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-literati/2013/08/1780/
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-literati/2013/08/1780/
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