Reviews

All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers

neotears's review

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

soffox's review against another edition

2.0

I had to read this book for my History class, and I have to say that I was pretty disappointed. I came in pretty hopeful despite not finding the description appealing. But as I was reading, I just wasn't able to get into it. I did't find the characters especially interesting or the plot very intriguing. I think that some of the parts of the story could have gone onto something more, for example Paul's dad, instead of just another example of the social contract. I see why this book could be good for learning about the social contract, but I did not find it enjoyable at all.

afro8921's review against another edition

4.0

This book poses an interesting question about personal responsibility. Loved it!

roadoutsidemyhouse's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.75

sunbear98's review

3.0

I liked it, but I think it was too preachy for kids today. I love Walter Dean Myers, but this one might not be a good fit for teen readers.

aimeekessell's review

2.0

This book wants to be non-fiction, but wants to be fun and engaging to the reader. As such, it is a story about an educational philosophical belief, and it's not fun or engaging. Paul learns to make soup while Paul learns the Social Contract. That's truly it.

On that note, it would be great for high school students in a philosophy class, in hopes of getting them to understand the Social Contract in a more mordern setting with modern examples.

afro75's review

4.0

This book poses an interesting question about personal responsibility. Loved it!

aprilbooksandwine's review

4.0

The thing that I love best about reading a book by Walter Dean Myers is that I get a different story every time. While I may not always love that story or find it to be the best ever, I like that Myers is not a one note author. All The Right Stuff is no different, it was a story I had not read before. There is no romance. There’s not exactly a gang. The main character, Paul isn’t exactly having a huge dilemma. Rather, All The Right Stuff is an examination of the social contract, you know stuff you learned in Social Studies during the Enlightenment unit (I kind of want to trot my BS in social studies education out), thus making it stand out for me, even among other multicultural books.
Read the rest of my review here link goes live 10/4/12

foreveryoungadult's review

Graded By: Erin
Cover Story: Not Too Shabby
BFF Charm: Meh and a HELL YES!
Swoonworthy Scale: 1
Talky Talk: Can You Dig It?
Bonus Factors: Soup, The Social Contract
Relationship Status: Let's Do The Required Reading For Social Studies Together

Read the full book report here.

kevinhendricks's review

2.0

It's a Socratic dialogue about the social contract, the unwritten rules that determine our behavior, wrapped around the barest of plots. I'm not a big fan of philosophy and I love a good plot, so this one didn't do it for me. In some ways it reminds me of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with the philosophic conversation broken up by manual labor (in this case, preparing soup). But I want a story that actually tells a story.