potatomcgee's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a quick, easy read. It was compelling and interesting, but the focus was too widespread. It brought up too many issues through the eyes of too many characters. I would have appreciated either making the book longer to go more in depth or focusing on fewer characters.
beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
I realized that I can finally write about this one. When I read it last year, it was one of those books that stayed with me long after I finished it. I loved Ben and Chris and how it was through the sibling relationship that Ben begins to remember. Glad to have been part of the committee that honored this with a Schneider Family Book Award.
rfulleman's review against another edition
3.0
You should know a little about what you'd be getting yourself into before you start to read this book. It's not your typical YA book about a young man who goes off to war. "Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am" has a short period at the beginning of the story to tell who is who and their relationships. Things seem to change quickly before the young man, Ben, goes off to war. I don't think I'm giving away much to say he is wounded. This is where the story changes from most. This story not only goes into his healing but the healing of his family and friends who must come to grips with Ben's handicaps and loss of memory. It shows the strength of relationships to Ben and the breakdown of those relationships around him, due to his new condition. So, I'd say its a bit of an unusual read, but one that many people should read to get a better understanding of what a wounded soldier might be going through upon coming home.
beththebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
A highly realistic tale of a senior in high school who is bright and a gifted actor--and chooses to join the military reserves, to the shock of friends, family, and his girlfriend.
The characters are among the most three-dimensional and true to life I've seen in a YA novel, the parents as well as teens. In a brief but fully described section of this short novel, the authors pull no punches about the realities of military life and service in Iraq.
Harrowing and heartbreaking, but hope is never completely lost, and neither is love.
Highly recommended for teens who want a real-life story or a story of the struggles of dealing with traumatic injury. This is definitely both. Also good for teens wanting "a short book"--they will get a full novel's worth in comparatively few pages.
The characters are among the most three-dimensional and true to life I've seen in a YA novel, the parents as well as teens. In a brief but fully described section of this short novel, the authors pull no punches about the realities of military life and service in Iraq.
Harrowing and heartbreaking, but hope is never completely lost, and neither is love.
Highly recommended for teens who want a real-life story or a story of the struggles of dealing with traumatic injury. This is definitely both. Also good for teens wanting "a short book"--they will get a full novel's worth in comparatively few pages.
backonthealex's review against another edition
3.0
From the publisher:
Ben lives a charmed life - effortlessly landing the lead in the high school musical, dating the prettiest girl in school. When he decides to enlist in the army, no one thinks he'll be in read danger. But his decision has devastating consequences: His convoy get caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is - or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres. And as he triumphs, readers will relate to this timely novel that pairs the action and adventure of the best war stories with the emotional elements of struggle and transformation.
My Thoughts:
I have always like Harry Mazer's books, especially his World War II Boy at War series. Mazer was an underage enlistee in WWII and knows what he writes about. Now Harry, together with Peter Lerangis, tackles the Iraq War, a war still fresh in our minds as is the on-going war in Afghanistan.
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am is written in three parts. The first part, Before, is the shortest and briefly explores who Ben Bright is, why he made his decision to enlist and the impact it has on those closest to him. As he is leaving on the train for Boot Camp, he proposes to Ariela, his long-time girlfriend.
The second part, During, is somewhat longer and covers Ben's time serving in Iraq, the bomb that causes him to suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and, of course, the feelings and reactions of his friends, family and Ariela, now his fiancée, when they hear about his injuries.
After is the third and longest part of the story. Ben's family and friends struggle to come to terms with the way Ben is now, while he must relearn everything, including his memories. It is a hard struggle and takes its toll on everyone, but there is also a message of hope in this tragedy.
The duo of Mazer and Lerangis shine in Somebody, Tell Me Who I Am. By not focusing only on Ben, we see that one person's decision, however noble it may be, and the resulting consequences have serious repercussions on the lives of everyone involved. Oddly enough, Ben has the least amount of action in the novel, in fact, he is almost only a catalyst for his injury, since it is really his TBI that has the real impact on those around him.
Ben's story is a very poignant and very disturbing without being morbidly graphic. It is well-written and completely realistic. The characters are believable, compelling and strong and the transition from one point of view to another happens very smoothly.
Ben's story will probably resonate for a lot of young people whose siblings, cousins, friends, husbands or wives may have served in one of this country's wars recently. And as a result, there are families all over the country whose loved ones may have suffered a traumatic injury while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. This short, but complex story deals with so many of the issues they are facing for real. And, at a time when there is talk about cutting veteran's benefits and services, I think this novel is certainly food for thought.
This book is recommended for readers 12+
This book was purchased for my personal library.
Ben lives a charmed life - effortlessly landing the lead in the high school musical, dating the prettiest girl in school. When he decides to enlist in the army, no one thinks he'll be in read danger. But his decision has devastating consequences: His convoy get caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is - or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres. And as he triumphs, readers will relate to this timely novel that pairs the action and adventure of the best war stories with the emotional elements of struggle and transformation.
My Thoughts:
I have always like Harry Mazer's books, especially his World War II Boy at War series. Mazer was an underage enlistee in WWII and knows what he writes about. Now Harry, together with Peter Lerangis, tackles the Iraq War, a war still fresh in our minds as is the on-going war in Afghanistan.
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am is written in three parts. The first part, Before, is the shortest and briefly explores who Ben Bright is, why he made his decision to enlist and the impact it has on those closest to him. As he is leaving on the train for Boot Camp, he proposes to Ariela, his long-time girlfriend.
The second part, During, is somewhat longer and covers Ben's time serving in Iraq, the bomb that causes him to suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and, of course, the feelings and reactions of his friends, family and Ariela, now his fiancée, when they hear about his injuries.
After is the third and longest part of the story. Ben's family and friends struggle to come to terms with the way Ben is now, while he must relearn everything, including his memories. It is a hard struggle and takes its toll on everyone, but there is also a message of hope in this tragedy.
The duo of Mazer and Lerangis shine in Somebody, Tell Me Who I Am. By not focusing only on Ben, we see that one person's decision, however noble it may be, and the resulting consequences have serious repercussions on the lives of everyone involved. Oddly enough, Ben has the least amount of action in the novel, in fact, he is almost only a catalyst for his injury, since it is really his TBI that has the real impact on those around him.
Ben's story is a very poignant and very disturbing without being morbidly graphic. It is well-written and completely realistic. The characters are believable, compelling and strong and the transition from one point of view to another happens very smoothly.
Ben's story will probably resonate for a lot of young people whose siblings, cousins, friends, husbands or wives may have served in one of this country's wars recently. And as a result, there are families all over the country whose loved ones may have suffered a traumatic injury while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. This short, but complex story deals with so many of the issues they are facing for real. And, at a time when there is talk about cutting veteran's benefits and services, I think this novel is certainly food for thought.
This book is recommended for readers 12+
This book was purchased for my personal library.
martha_schwalbe's review against another edition
3.0
This was a tough book to read, I tried several times before I committed to reading it. As I read it, I was reminded of Tomas Young's War. I think it's an eye-opening read for teens who have a romanticized view of war.
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Ben Bright is about to graduate from high school. He's an accomplished student, a talented actor/singer, dedicated boyfriend and brother. He's got everything going for him, except for the fact that he has yet to explain to all his loved ones that he's about enlist in the US Army.
Boot camp gives way to deployment, everyone's worst fear. While on a routine mission, Ben's vehicle rolls over an IED, leaving all of its passengers with life-threatening injuries. Ben receives a massive brain injury that essentially re-wires his entire brain. Everything must be relearned. Ben doesn't remember or recognize anyone from his past, making his homecoming more bitter than sweet. Hope seems elusive until Ben finally recognizes someone: his autistic brother, Chris.
This is an extremely fast-paced read. Ben is not the typical soldier type. He's really altruistic about the whole enlisting thing and genuinely believes he can make a difference. His best friend and girlfriend take a considerable amount of convincing before they feel they can support his decision. Ben's brother, Chris, is underdeveloped in the first half of the book, but makes more of a showing post-deployment. I can't help but feel that more development of Chris's character would have greatly benefited the trajectory of the story. We see very little of Chris and Ben interacting before Ben leaves. A lot of focus is placed on Ben's best friend, Niko, and his girlfriend, Ariela. All three of the older kids are too good to be true and come across as a bit two-dimensional. The issues, however, are very timely, which makes this a good choice for book discussions, particularly where reluctant readers are involved.
Boot camp gives way to deployment, everyone's worst fear. While on a routine mission, Ben's vehicle rolls over an IED, leaving all of its passengers with life-threatening injuries. Ben receives a massive brain injury that essentially re-wires his entire brain. Everything must be relearned. Ben doesn't remember or recognize anyone from his past, making his homecoming more bitter than sweet. Hope seems elusive until Ben finally recognizes someone: his autistic brother, Chris.
This is an extremely fast-paced read. Ben is not the typical soldier type. He's really altruistic about the whole enlisting thing and genuinely believes he can make a difference. His best friend and girlfriend take a considerable amount of convincing before they feel they can support his decision. Ben's brother, Chris, is underdeveloped in the first half of the book, but makes more of a showing post-deployment. I can't help but feel that more development of Chris's character would have greatly benefited the trajectory of the story. We see very little of Chris and Ben interacting before Ben leaves. A lot of focus is placed on Ben's best friend, Niko, and his girlfriend, Ariela. All three of the older kids are too good to be true and come across as a bit two-dimensional. The issues, however, are very timely, which makes this a good choice for book discussions, particularly where reluctant readers are involved.
kalistark's review against another edition
2.0
I have had this book for a while, and I picked it up because it was only 150 pages. I wanted a quick read to catch up on my reading goal. I wouldn't say this book was fun, but it really showed how the family of a solider may react to a more intense injury. Not only did it show how the family would react, but his process of recovery and grasping to remember who he was. After the explosion during the war in Iraq, Ben Bright suffered brain damage to the point of losing his memory all together. This focuses on his struggles in trying to not only remember his family, but who he was in the first place. I believe that many middle grade students may enjoy this, especially those who are interested in serving in the war.
whatcanisay's review against another edition
2.0
This book reeks of potential just from reading the front flap. Seriously, this book sounds relevant, important, deep, gripping, and perfect. Then, I took a look at how thin the book is. Good stories can come in mini packages, but this book is just far too short for the plot and set up.
The first third or so was setting up for the story, and it was done rather poorly. Rather than show us the dynamics between characters and letting the reader get to know the characters, the authors cram a ton of information into a tiny amount of space, and simply tell us everything that they should have showed us.
The second third was unnecessary in my opinion. Interesting, but unneeded. Rather than read about Ben's time at war, I would've rather spent more time with Ben after his accident.
The third half was rushed. Wildly rushed. I wanted to watch the family come to grips with Ben's predicament, and see Ariela learn to cope. Instead, things began to resolve almost instantly, making the whole amnesia plot seem very pointless.
My overall complaint, is that this book needs to be drastically longer. The characters would then be fleshed out infinitely better, and then maybe I would actually care about anything. I did feel for Ben, but I just didn't care enough, or about anyone else.
The first third or so was setting up for the story, and it was done rather poorly. Rather than show us the dynamics between characters and letting the reader get to know the characters, the authors cram a ton of information into a tiny amount of space, and simply tell us everything that they should have showed us.
The second third was unnecessary in my opinion. Interesting, but unneeded. Rather than read about Ben's time at war, I would've rather spent more time with Ben after his accident.
The third half was rushed. Wildly rushed. I wanted to watch the family come to grips with Ben's predicament, and see Ariela learn to cope. Instead, things began to resolve almost instantly, making the whole amnesia plot seem very pointless.
My overall complaint, is that this book needs to be drastically longer. The characters would then be fleshed out infinitely better, and then maybe I would actually care about anything. I did feel for Ben, but I just didn't care enough, or about anyone else.
engpunk77's review against another edition
3.0
Due to my graduate work, I'm interested in literature that portrays characters with autism, which is why I chose to read this. The character with autism plays a major role in the plot and his issues are handled realistically and sensitively, in my opinion. Mostly, this is a book about Traumatic Brain Injury and how a family and friends cope with this ordeal after the protagonist trades in a bright future to be "heroic" and get himself blown up in Iraq. The dialogue between teens and their behavior at times was unrealistic, and I didn't love or even relate to a single character, but I did appreciate being taken into what Mazer & Lerangis imagine to be the mind of someone recovering from TBI, and I kept reading even when I had other things to do, which makes it a 3 in my book. So while there are enough problems to justify this book as just okay, it has enough qualities do qualify it as a worthwhile read, and I will recommend it to some HS students.