A review by leahegood
Boot Camp by Todd Strasser
Oof. I don't have a rating for this one. After watching a few YouTube mini documentaries on reform schools in the United States, I went in search of a fictional take on them and found Boot Camp. This is not a story for the faint of heart.
Summary
Garret is 15 years old. With a brilliant mind, tall stature, and early maturation, he looks and acts older than he is. When he resists ending a relationship with an adult woman, his parents, fearing for their reputation, send him to a reform school. Garret soon finds out, it's more of a concentration camp than a school.
Thoughts
I wish the author had chosen a different trigger than an adult/minor relationship to get Garret dumped into the reform school. It felt like the reader was meant to sympathize with the relationship and ... no. Not okay.
Setting that aside, the fictional reform school in this story mimiced the reality from the YouTube documentaries in brutal relief.
Garrett himself is a compelling character. He courageously sticks up for himself and others and gives careful consideration to what he is and is not willing to sacrifice. He doesn't shy away from making hard calls.
Finally, this is NOT a story to go into if you're looking for a happy ending. Try [b:Dirt Road Home|7739953|Dirt Road Home (Alabama Moon, #2)|Watt Key|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435791035l/7739953._SX50_.jpg|10546057] if you want that. I like to imagine that Garrett receives counseling, support from his friends, and love from his parents to help him process the trauma he experienced, but that isn't part of this book.
Content
Language: There was probably some, but it didn't stand out to me, so not as much as most stories in this category.
Romance: A large part of the reason Garrett was sent to reform school is because of his relationship with an adult woman. For most of the story, he clings to memories of the relationship as he endures horrors. None of his memories are described in detail.
Violence: Garret is subjected to frequent beatings, isolation, and insults. Other boys threaten, and eventual stab him, with shivs.
Religion: One of the girls at the reform school is there because she refuses to conform to her family's Mormon beliefs. Garrett is not religious.
Summary
Garret is 15 years old. With a brilliant mind, tall stature, and early maturation, he looks and acts older than he is. When he resists ending a relationship with an adult woman, his parents, fearing for their reputation, send him to a reform school. Garret soon finds out, it's more of a concentration camp than a school.
Thoughts
I wish the author had chosen a different trigger than an adult/minor relationship to get Garret dumped into the reform school. It felt like the reader was meant to sympathize with the relationship and ... no. Not okay.
Setting that aside, the fictional reform school in this story mimiced the reality from the YouTube documentaries in brutal relief.
Garrett himself is a compelling character. He courageously sticks up for himself and others and gives careful consideration to what he is and is not willing to sacrifice. He doesn't shy away from making hard calls.
Finally, this is NOT a story to go into if you're looking for a happy ending. Try [b:Dirt Road Home|7739953|Dirt Road Home (Alabama Moon, #2)|Watt Key|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435791035l/7739953._SX50_.jpg|10546057] if you want that. I like to imagine that Garrett receives counseling, support from his friends, and love from his parents to help him process the trauma he experienced, but that isn't part of this book.
Content
Language: There was probably some, but it didn't stand out to me, so not as much as most stories in this category.
Romance: A large part of the reason Garrett was sent to reform school is because of his relationship with an adult woman. For most of the story, he clings to memories of the relationship as he endures horrors. None of his memories are described in detail.
Violence: Garret is subjected to frequent beatings, isolation, and insults. Other boys threaten, and eventual stab him, with shivs.
Religion: One of the girls at the reform school is there because she refuses to conform to her family's Mormon beliefs. Garrett is not religious.