Reviews

Alan Cole Is Not a Coward by Eric Bell

sourjapes's review

5.0

Alan Cole is Not a Coward is one of those rare stories that seem to be processed more in your gut than your mind.

And my gut is still processing Alan's journey. The surprise belly laughs continue to be savored. And the terrors remain chilling.

Many of Alan's experiences feel like amplified versions of near-universal experiences. Like building self-esteem in a rapidly changing environment, finding your friends, and stepping out of your comfort zone. And Alan faces significant adversity, especially in a competitive, bullying brother and a very unhealthy home environment.

As we know from the blurb, Alan's brother forces him to engage in a no-win challenge that will out Alan's gayness to the world if he can't perform a list of impossible tasks. The game becomes Alan's primary quest as he finds his way in school and at home.

That Alan's zany, coming-of-age adventures should be the counterweight to the prospect of forced out of the closet comes off a bit tasteless. But the ill manners come from our society, from the hardship that comes from growing up different, particularly being gay. Cole-vs-Cole is absurd and seems arbitrary, but no more so than in life. And the comedy in Alan Cole is Not a Coward is intoxicating against such a bleak backdrop. When you laugh, it will be triumphantly because it means Alan's starting to win.

Then there's Alan's family. It is rough. All of us have experienced or know many others who have grown-up in similarly hostile environments. Following Alan into his home is challenging as a reader. That he comes to understand his father and brother can be tough to swallow. But an idealized moral victory, in which the hero resoundingly defeats his antagonists, isn't realistic here. He still has to live with his family. Progress is celebrated because total victories are rare in complicated situations.

I enjoyed the read, which made me audibly laugh and cry.

suzannedix's review

5.0

Wow! From the laughable dialogue between the members of the Unstable Table to the tense and disturbing emotional abuse within Alan’s house, this book is unputdownable! I wish I had grabbed book 2 when I had the chance because I am hooked!

Themes of bullying, coming out and what it means to be brave in a non-superhero way will really resonate with students.

Grades 6 and up.

alistairlowe's review

5.0

It's a cute book but I mean this is straight family abuse from literally every member. I don’t care about apologetic brother arc who is obviously under his fathers influence. His mother is an emotionally weak woman afraid of her husband, but listen lady you do not tell your son the truth about how his father "blames him for something" when he couldn’t influence it. He’s a 12 year old boy ffs. And his father? He is both mentally and psychically damaging his children. I just don’t like the ending of the book going with the idea everyone has battles and things will get better. His mother should have packed their stuff, take the kids and ask for a restraining order against her husband.

julieartz's review

5.0

I loved this. Some of the bullying scenes are tough to read, but incredibly poignant and realistic (that's what made them so hard to stomach, I'm sure!) but Alan and his "loser" friends, who are brace, sweet, and laugh out loud funny, will undoubtedly steal your heart.

klimatyczny_bluszcz's review against another edition

4.0

Porusza bardzo ważne tematy, takie jak: coming out, poczucie przynależności do grupy, prześladowanie w szkole, przemoc domowa. Nie odstaje od polskich realiów - wcale nie jest kolorowo, a queerfobia bardzo dotyka głównego bohatera. Jednak niektóre wątki, takie jak przemoc domowa, nie zostały według mnie dobrze poprowadzone. I zostały ucięte zamiast poświęcić im chwilę przy zakończeniu. Ale nawet biorąc to pod uwagę była to zdecydowanie dobra i potrzebna książka.

fell4's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I feel like this could be a 4 for other people, but not me. I didn't like the characters, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

thewordswillchangeme's review

4.0

3.5 stars! An unexpectedly moving story. Warning for abuse and some themes that may be too dark for some young readers. The first half didn’t really grab me, but the second half is touching and triumphant! An amazing story of a boy overcoming his fears!

tcbueti's review

4.0

Very Gary Schmidt: rage-filled father, art-inspired son—what will his “cretpoj” portrait be? Considering subjects makes him SEE them.

Although the fear of being outed by his brother drives the suspense of their desperate Cole v Cole challenge, finding his courage is much more of the point of this funny, heartfelt story. (In fact he outs himself, and it’s no biggie to his crush.) Captures the grinding tedium and terror of middle school (7th grade) really well. If not your own brother, (and father at home) there’s usually a bully somewhere.

His 2 friends are great: spacey, idiot-savant and chipper Zach (too clueless to worry?) (p152 “if the odds are better than zero, that means there’s hope”) and stuffy overweight Madison Wilson Truman , his swimming coach.

Ms. Richter sips her coffee, sees everything, tells Alan’s dad he needs encouragement not criticism. Who’s your hero?

Water: (father’s prohibition against) swimming, “goldfish” (father’s insult), grandparents drowning. Chapter heading waves, great cover. P173 why father never taught them to Swim: too painful, too scary for HIM, to protect them?

I gasped out loud when he asked THE QUESTION.

I thought June (at work dinner) was going to be an ally. SO disappointed! What is her purpose in the story? She nails his family dynamic, thinks everyone has bad inside

Father’s bitterness stems from losing his parents in drowning accident, although mom does say he always felt inferior to his parents’ intellects. They always pushed him. Unless he thought their deaths were HIS fault, though he outwardly blamed Alan. P174. Hiding your love from the world. Father’s criticism sets up a critical play for his approval.
Also, you don’t get sick From an open window. But blame doesn’t always make sense

Father too B&W. He never softens til the VERY end:”Today, do your best”, after Alan stood up to him. (What happened after, upstairs?) Mom comes around, finds her earlier courage and some happiness: wears her favorite cross, stops father from punching Alan. Nathan saves his sketchbook. Alan saves his wooden top. Small, brave gestures.

P 153 Zach: it’s not fun living a secret life. That’s why I try to be as open as possible with everybody.
“I’d rather have a hard time being myself than an easy time being somebody else.”

.

aspenazul's review

4.0

Alan Cole is Not a Coward is a touching coming of age novel about a boy who is lost. Lost in his feelings, his family, and his relationships. He hasn’t yet figured out who he is and the person he would like to be. This is common for children his age, however his family is far from decent and his one rule of life is to have no friends because if he had friends his brother would hurt them. One day this all changes for Alan. He finds himself in a competition with his brother, a game he was forced to participate in, may I add. (I won’t go into details) One trial after another, in the span of about a week and a half, he slowly begins to figure himself out. He learns that he is not a coward, how things are for him is not his fault, and it is possible to be happy.

By page one I was captivated by this character. He was likable, awkward, and innocent. The humor was simple, light, and refreshing. It was silly in a way that just took you back to your own middle school era. It was a bit nostalgic at times and I couldn’t help feeling for the characters. (They’re all just so adorable in their own ways!)

Eric Bell did a fantastic job depicting a child of middle school age who is dealing with low self esteem, mental abuse, bullying, his sexuality and the nature of friendship. This novel was a quick, fun read that ended up being a lot deeper then I had originally anticipated. It was a pleasant surprise. We get to view Alan beginning to question the things in his life, especially the people. He gains confidence in his art, his voice, his sexuality, and friendships.

I wouldn’t say this book is perfect. I did have one issue, which I will refer back to later, but first I want to address that this book was great for what it was and I’m judging accordingly. This book is targeted for middle schoolers so for adults reading this book it may seem to lack depth at times or be a bit simplistic or predictable. However, you have to keep in mind this novel was not intended for our age group. So for a book from the view of a middle schooler for a target audience of middle schoolers I personally think it was very well done and something 12 year old me most likely would have found quite enjoyable. If you are looking for a complex and mind provoking novel I would look elsewhere. This is not it. However, I truly encourage reading this book no matter your age because even though it is targeted for children it is still a very enjoyable novel with themes that everybody can take something from. For what it was meant to be and the target audience it is trying to connect to this book did an amazing job. Many middle schoolers most likely could relate to these characters in some ways, heck if I was still in middle school I would probably relate to some things. It depicted the struggles of middle school pretty well and Alan’s personal troubles as well. Go into this book not expecting some grand, eye woking thing and just take it as it is and I guarantee you, you will have a great time.

Now to my issue. At times it seemed as if the author would attempt to redeem the actions of some of his characters and put them into a better light, however, absolutely nothing can justify the actions of these characters. Their actions were horrible. Yet nobody seemed to face any consequences in this book. We see Alan grow exceptionally yet none of the other characters get any mental help or punishment. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is how it dealt with the abuse and bullying situation. In a way it seemed that Bell implied that these issues are just something you have to deal with. You should stand up for yourself but at the same time shrug it off. Of course, this book is told from a 12 year olds perspective and the character most likely didn’t realize just how messed up his situation is, what child would? In this way it was more realistic. However, considering this book is targeted for younger readers I think he could have done a better job at addressing these issues and clearly explaining how this behavior is not okay. It is not something you should and have to deal with. Especially on your own. It is okay to get help.

I felt I needed to point that out because some people may have concerns with how younger children may interpret this. Other then that the premise of the novel was still excellent, it brought up many issues, it was well written, and a great tribute to the beauty of friendship.

This book was an excellent reminder on the importance of friends and standing up for yourself. You have a voice for a reason, to use. Everybody needs a reminder of this at times. Also, your mistakes don’t define you. Everyday is a lesson, so try your best, be yourself and you’ll do okay. These are messages everybody can use, not just middle schoolers.

Even though I am not the intended audience I still thought it was a delightful read. I’d also like to add whoever designed the cover for this novel did a fantastic job. It is absolutely gorgeous.

My favorite line of the book said by the oh so sweet character Zack:

“I’d rather have a hard time being myself then an easy time being someone else”

kapitxn's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0