Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

James Hoff is an angst-ridden high school student, whose environmental streak is a little radical for most. Well, it might be if he actually did anything for environmental causes instead of railing against them in his English compositions and his blog. Blake Nelson’s new book, Destroy All Cars, opens with a paper written by Hoff about cars and how they are “completely screwing over the planet.” The story is told through an epistolary format and reads quickly.

According to a recent interview with the author featured on the blog Abe Lincoln’s Hat, the lead character is loosely based on Nelson when he was in high school. Nelson went through a revolutionary phase, where he read The Communist Manifesto, drank espresso at the library, and crushed on artsy girls. However, there is more to Hoff’s character than a teen boy full of frustration. Like many teens James recognizes the flaws in the world and how adults tend to ignore them. There is a helplessness to Hoff because although he sees the problems he not necessarily in a place to provide solutions.

Instead of working to evoke change, James complains- and he is very good at it. In addition to complaining about cars and consumerism he also finds issue with his activist ex-girlfriend, Sadie, who he feels tries to evoke change by using the system. James thinks the system is broken, and offers little solution to solving problems. It’s not until Sadie gets him involved with one of her system-based do-gooder petition projects that he realizes there are proactive ways to work toward establishing environmental change. It also changes his perspective of Sadie, who seems pretty awesome.

Other books by Blake Nelson available at the Library: Girl, They Came from Below, Paranoid Park, Gender Blender, Prom Anonymous, Rock Star Superstar, and The New Rules of High School

If you like Destroy All Cars, you might want to pick up Jennifer Cowan’s first novel, Earthgirl. It is currently available in the New Books area of the library.

A Matter of Trust by Anne Schraff (from the Bluford High Series)

A Matter of Trust, written by Anne E. Schraff, focuses on Darcy Wills, a high school student, who helps take care of her grandmother with her younger sister, while her mother works overnight at the local Emergency Room. Darcy was once close friends with Brisana Meeks, who stopped being her friend when Darcy started hanging out with Tarah, Copper, and Hakeem. Brisana sees these new friends are losers, and Darcy is missing out on a more popular high school experience. Darcy has been seeing Hakeem, who often gets made fun of by the other students because he stutters. When Brisana finds out that they are dating she tries to make Darcy jealous.

A Matter of Trust examines the trust we can or cannot place in people. Darcy is not only grappling with the drama started by a former friend but also trying to figure out if she can forgive her father, who walked out on her life when she was younger. Based on his track record she isn’t sure she can place her trust in him. The story also addresses violence acts, including fighting and a drive-by shooting.

The Bluford High Series focuses on the lives of high school students, their family, and friends in contemporary urban America. Many of the characters attend Bluford High School, which is named after Guion “Guy” Bluford, who was the first African-American astronaut. The stories focus on complicated issues that are relevant to many of today’s students, including love, friendship, family, peer pressure, violence, and jealousy. The series has male and female protagonist, who are primarily African-American, and contain elements of mystery, suspense, and romance.

The Bluford High Series is new to the Moore Memorial Public Library. Currently the library has nine of the fifteen books that have been published to date. Anne E. Schraff and Paul Langan are the authors. The books are located on the New Book Shelf area, but will eventually be located in the Young Adult section of the library. A Matter of Trust is the second book in the series. The following books in the series are currently available:

Books by Anne E. Schraff
Someone to Love Me
Until We Meet Again
A Matter of Trust
Secrets in the Shadows
Lost and Found

Books by Paul Langan
Payback
The Bully
Brothers in Arms
Summer of Secrets

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

Punkzilla is considered an epistolary novel, which is a story told through documents. In this case, Punkzilla’s (Jamie is his real name.) story is told through letters. He is conversing with his brother, Peter (referred to as “P”), who is dying of cancer. Jamie is writing to him on a bus on his way from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee to see his brother before he dies. Jamie writes his brother of the adventures and experiences he has while on this cross-country journey. Travelling by bus is pretty sketchy, which is made abundantly clear based on the things Jamie sees while staying at seedy motels, stopped at eerie bus stations, and with the bevy of oddballs who accompany him on his journey. Jamie’s language is blunt, lucid, at times raw, but still poetic as he describes his current adventure and his memories. This is also an emotional journey for Jamie as he tries to reach his brother in time. The reader is fully in-tunes with his roller coaster of emotions as he travels across the country.

This book is dark, edgy, and contains some graphic content, which is typical of Adam Rapp’s work. I would recommend Punkzilla for older teens (Grades 10 & up).

Author Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Other books written by Rapp available in the Moore Young Adult collection are: Under the wolf, Under the Dog; 33 Snowfish; Little Chicago, The Buffalo Tree; and Missing the Piano.

Ten Things I Hate about Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Unwilling to identify with her Muslim culture, Jamilah dyes her hair blond and wears blue contact lenses when attending her Australian high school. She also goes by the name “Jamie” and sits by when her friends and fellow students make racist remarks about Muslims and other cultures. When at home, Jamilah observes the Muslim culture and attempts to obey her father’s strict rules. She’s living a double life and eventually her lies begin to catch up with her, especially when the cutest boy in school asks her out. Her father will not allow her to hang out with boys and her friends grow suspicious as to why they can never come over to her house after school. Jamilah/Jamie is torn between who her friends and family expect her to be and who she really is. Writer Randa Abdel-Fattah crafts a poignant tale that demonstrates the difficulties faced by teens when grappling with identity.

Teens who read Does My Head Look Big in This? should also enjoy Ten Things I Hate about Me. Both books are available at the library.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Beloved young adult author, Sarah Dessen, recently published her ninth book, Along for the Ride. This story focuses on recent high school graduate, Auden, who slowly begins to realize all the things she missed out on during high school because she chose to focus on her education. Spending the summer with her father, step-mother, and newborn baby sister, in the remote cottage, beach-side community of Colby, only furthers this realization. During her last summer before going off to attend university, Auden, works at her step-mother’s boutique, which exposes her to a whole new world of “girl”: gossip, boys, and friendship.

Auden, in addition to having missed out on many social forays of teen-dom, also suffers from insomnia. She hasn’t slept normally for years, and she spends her night driving around the small cottage town drinking coffee. These all-night adventures eventually lead to a friendship with Eli, a local loner, who also seems to also suffer from insomnia. Both have emotional obstacles they need to overcome, and during the summer they learn to rely on one another and face the many things that may hold them back from living the lives they desire.

Similarly to other Dessen works, this story is character driven. Readers will find themselves attached to the characters and the world in which they live. Other books in the Moore Young Adult collection by Dessen are: That Summer, Lock & Key, Just Listen, The Truth about Forever, This Lullaby, Dreamland, Keeping the Moon, and Someone like You.

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

Bliss Cavendar cannot wait to finish high school so she can get out of Bodeen, Texas as soon as possible. The small town only seems to offer her misery with its Miss Bluebonnet pageant, lack of hot, cool guys, and cowboy mentality. If it weren’t for her best friend, Pash, and a mutual love of all things indie rock there would be little happiness in the world that imprisons them. That is until Bliss discovers the extreme excitement of roller derby, which takes place an hour away in her cool, indie-dream capital, Austin.

According to Bliss roller derby is her ticket out of small town, narrow-minded living and an escape from her reality of having to soon compete in the Miss Bluebonnet pageant. She leads a double life, high school attending teenager by day/ 18-yr-old heartbreaker roller derby babe by night, which bring her both happiness and pain. She meets and dates the hottest band guy and becomes a roller queen. However, this new life comes with sacrifices, like best friendship, which Bliss discovers is more important that making out with a boy.

The author Shauna Cross is from Austin, which is apparent by her description of the city and hipster hot spots. For those high schoolers who feel stuck and out of place in the typical high school setting, Bliss’ story will make you wish you could transport yourself to Austin’s Lamar Street or South Congress to do some vintage clothes or record shopping. Bliss’ journey around the rink is full of hilarity and growing pains, but it is also dressed in fish nets and roller skates.

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

New to the Moore Memorial Public Library Young Adult collection is Gentlemen by Michael Northrop. The story is centered on four boys, who are known for their bad behavior. Growing up in a small town, Mike (the narrator), Tommy, Bones, and Mixer, are largely ignored and reviled at their high school and among the community. They spend their school days hating their remedial classes and most of their teachers and peers. They are outcast and constantly reminded of this fact.

The story quickly grows suspenseful when one of the boys, Tommy, who was kicked out of class for tossing a desk, goes missing. Around the same time of this event, the remaining three boys also notice their English teacher, Mr. Haberman, begins to act strangely. The combination of these two events allows the boy’s minds to draw wild conclusions as they try to figure out what happened to Tommy. Northrop creates a story that is both suspenseful and deftly communicates the bonds of adolescent friendship in his writing.

Gentleman is an easy read, as it is written like Mike is talking directly to you as he tells the tale. Crime and Punishment, which Haberman is teaching in his class, is referenced throughout the story; however, the reader doesn’t necessarily need to know this classic to be gripped by the plot and taken in by the suspense. Some of the language and content may be a little harsh for younger readers.

Gentlemen is Northrop’s first novel. He has published short fictional works in Weird Tales, McSweeney’s, and the Norte Dame Review. His second Young Adult novel, Trapped, will be out soon.

Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? Edited by Marissa Walsh

Body image is an issue many people struggle with, but teens can be especially afflicted because of peer pressure and an over saturation of celebrity-focused media. It seems that at least once a week some celebrity, like Lindsay Lohan or Jennifer Love Hewitt, is being attacked for being “too fat” or “too skinny.” Society’s influence on what is beautiful has caused both teen boys and girls to go to extreme lengths to fit into an unrealistic mold.


Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? stories about loving – and loathing- your body, edited by Marissa Walsh, is a collection of short fiction and non-fiction writings addressing body issues. The book features the work of Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Impulse, & Identical), Sarra Manning (Guitar Girl, Pretty Things, & Let’s Get Lost), Matt de la Pena (Mexican Whiteboy & Ball Don’t Lie), Megan McCafferty (Perfect Fifths, Fourth Comings, & Charming Thirds), and many other young adult writers. Much of the writing focuses on the issues young girls may face, but Barry Lyga (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl & Hero-Type) and Daniel Pinkwater provide a male perspective.

This collection demonstrates the common and often silent struggle teens go through and the effects it can have on their physical and emotion health. The book has a personal touch to it based on honest autobiographical contributions of some of the writers, which relays to the reader that they are not alone. Certain works are stronger than others, but overall the collection brings the message home that we are not alone with the struggle to feel “normal” and accepted.

In addition to appearing in this book, several of these authors are featured in the Moore Memorial Public Library Young Adult collection.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

"If an entire nation can seek freedom, why not a girl?"

Chains tell the story of thirteen-year-old Isabel, who is a slave living when the Revolutionary war begins. Isabel and her sister, Ruth, were promised freedom upon the death of their owner, but somehow ended up the property of a pro-British couple living in New York City. Isabel meets Curzon, who is also a slave, but has ties to the Patriots. Curzon urges Isabel to spy on her owners, who are privy to the invasion plans of the British, but is conflicted because of the potential danger. However, certain unfortunate events force Isabel to place her loyalty with those who can offer her what she and the Patriots wants most: freedom.

Laurie Halse Anderson was recently won the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the Young Adult Library services Association for her works Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak. These books, among others, are available at your library.

Nature of Jade

Nature of Jade

by Deb Caletti

YP FIC CALETTI

Jade has anxiety problems. On top of that, her friends are getting more extreme...more boy crazy, more grade conscious, more Christian. Her mother is trying to live her life for her, going to dances as a chaperone even when Jade herself doesn't go. Talking to Abe, her psychologist helps, and he challenges her to look beyond the obvious things in her life. Then one evening, through the zoo's online Elephant Cam she spots a boy standing in the elephant viewing area. He has a small baby with him, and she wonders what the connection is. Is the boy the baby's father, brother, uncle? Her curiosity peaked, Jade signs on to volunteer in the zoo's elephant exhibit. She bonds with the new baby elephant and its mother, and worries about an older female elephant that has seen many hard times. As the people in Jade's life begin to spiral more and more out of control, Jade finds an inner strength.

Jade makes for an interesting character. Her anxiety problems seem real, but since she has mostly gained control of them, those issues are not melodramatic and don't take over the plot. The boy's problems however are pretty massive, more than any of them seem to acknowledge. I'd have liked to see more resolution there. Each chapter opens with notes from a book on animal behavior--an author note about that would have been interesting. All in all though, Jade was fun to read about, and I find myself really interested in elephants now!

Schooled

Schooled

by Gordon Korman
J FIC KORMAN





Capricorn "Cap" Anderson has spent his entire life on what's left of a hippy-style commune. He has been home schooled by his fierce grandmother. His hair is long and shaggy and he wears homemade shoes. He's never seen a TV, rarely used a phone, and has had very little contact with the outside world. He doesn't know a single person his own age or even in his own generation. All that changes though when his grandmother is hurt, and she has to spend several weeks recovering. Cap moves into a foster home until she gets better.

Abruptly Cap is faced with modern life, and modern life in Claverage (C-Average) Middle School no less. The "popular crowd" quickly zeros in on Cap for bullying. As part of a prank, Cap is elected eighth-grade class president. An assistant principal looks the other way as Cap becomes target for spit balls, phoney press conferences in non-existent rooms, and other mean-spirited pranks. Through it all Cap stays true to the ethics of the sixties that his grandmother has taught him (All you need is love...and a little duck tape) and wins the heart of the student body. Of course, driving the school bus to the hospital in a police chase doesn't hurt his popularity either. Before long, Tai Chi in the morning on the school lawn becomes a social event and Tie-dye is the new fashion. When Cap goes missing just before the big dance of the year, chaos commences.

This book is classic Gordon Korman...funny, funnier, and even more hilarious with every page! Cap is a thoroughly likable character: kind and conscientious without a touch of malice. Which is good, because there is more than enough malice in the characters around him. All that changes with Cap's influence as each character undergoes a change of heart.

A fun, lighthearted read.

Keeping Score

Keeping Score

by Linda Sue Park

(J Fic Park)

Maggie is a huge fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The year is 1953, and she like everyone else in her neighborhood follows the games religiously. Jim, a new recruit at the local fire station, proves to be a good friend despite his being a Giants fan. He teaches her how to keep score of all of the plays during a baseball game. Soon Maggie is developing extra notations to keep track of the plays that interest her. When Jim is drafted to fight in the Korean War, Maggie applies her new skills as a Baseball statistician to help herself understand the conflict. Maggie sends Jim letters every month, but then Jim's answering letters stop coming. No one will tell Maggie what is happening. Is there a way for Maggie to help Jim?

Maggie is a great character. Despite her brother's frequently condescending attitude about her interest in baseball, she doesn't get discouraged. Instead she finds a way all her own to enjoy the sport that she loves. When her friend is hurt, she applies that same tenacity to finding ways to help him. There are several really good supporting characters in this book including Maggie's mother and best friend. The book includes several author notes both about baseball and about the War in Korea that add interest to the story.

Though I'm not at all a sports fan, I love stories about sports. Maybe it is the tension and conflict? This was such a fun book to read. I'm even thinking of trying to learn to keep score during a baseball game just because this book made it sound so interesting--and I'm horrible at math!

Superman True Brit

Superman True Brit

by Kim "Howard" Johnson, with some help by John Cleese

Art by John Byrne and Mark Farmer

YP FIC JOHNSON

In this Elseworld comic, a small variation makes for a big change in the traditional Superman story. Instead of landing in Kansas, Kal-el's rocket lands in Kent, England. The Clark family finds the surprising child and names the boy Colin. As Colin grows to a man they teach him to be careful with his gifts, always remembering the important creed which every Brit lives by: WWTNT (What Would the Neighbors Think?) A small slip of his powers (causing a nearly fatal accident), lands him an enviable job as a tabloid reporter at the Daily Smear. He finds new uses for his power as he attempts to spy out what the latest Celebrity Hotties are up to. The biggest change comes for Colin Clark when he sees two popular musicians trapped in a car. With his parents permission, he quickly dons a disguise and rescues them. Other rescues follow, some not fully appreciated, for example when he helps the British army safely pull a WWII bomb from the ground, but then accidently throws the old bomb into the Eiffel Tower. Eventually, Colin realizes that he must stand up for himself and even face down his tabloid boss.

In this very funny interpretation, Howard presents an interesting scenario that not only makes for a fun story, but leads to a whole series of amusing variations. What if Superman's ship had landed in Germany, France, India, Kenya, Brazil or even Antarctica? The possibilities are endless!

This is a very quick, very fun read. The artwork at times presents the traditional square-jawed image of Superman and at other times presents a hapless geek who creates as many problems as he solves, but always with great enthusiasm!

Girl Overboard

Girl Overboard

by Justina Chen Headley

YP FIC HEADLEY

Daughter of a famous and rich business guru, Syrah has a lot to live up to and as much to live down. A fall down the wrong side of a mountain may have ended her chances of becoming a professional snowboarder, and now the press thinks she is a reckless and spoiled rich girl. Her adult half-siblings, old as in the same age as her mom, couldn’t agree more. Her perfect mother thinks she is too fat, and Syrah isn’t so sure that she is wrong. And just when she most needs someone to talk to, her best friend, Age, gets back together with his hyper jealous ex-girlfriend. Syrah must meet her parents’ demands and still be true to herself while trying to recover both physically and emotionally from her fall. Uncovering a family secret may provide her with the strength and understanding that she needs to cope with the challenges she faces.

In her second novel for teens, Headley has written a multi-layered story about wealth and families set within the Asian American Culture. While Syrah’s life is going forward, the story of her snowboarding accident slowly reveals itself like the layers of an onion coming off one by one. It is as though, at first she can’t even think about what happened. Then slowly, first with a passing word or two, then scene by scene the full story comes to light. Headley handles the family histories in much the same way. Headley describes Syrah’s manga journal vividly, but it would have been fun to see some actual artwork, especially as Syrah’s progression as a character is reflected in her artwork. Also, a short author’s note about the Chinese Cultural Revolution would have been interesting after seeing through the story how this historical tragedy could continue to adversely affect families even generations after it took place. These were small complaints though. Syrah’s lively character and the family dynamics set amidst current social trends and historic tragedy combined to make this an excellent book.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

By Gabrielle Zevin

YP FIC ZEVIN



Nadia slips while carrying her school's brand new camera. She manages to save the camera but not herself. She wakes up to find a handsome guy, James, telling the ambulance driver that he is her boyfriend. Nadia quickly realizes that she has lost some of her memories, and so she must reconcile her current life with the life that she remembers.



Where has her mom gone, and why won't her dad talk to her about it? She has a boyfriend, not James, who is good-looking and talented, but what did she see in him? She has a best friend who makes her a great mix cd, but what are the songs supposed to mean to them? And James, Mr. Mystery himself. She can't stop thinking about him.

In some ways this book is the typical girl-loses-her-memory book: Naomi had been a popular, multi-talented student in her high school, who seemed to have it all. Yet, Naomi finds that she had made several perplexing decisions before the accident, and no one can tell her why she'd made those choices. Despite a few genre stereotypes, Zevin manages to create a fresh story by not allowing Naomi any simple, black or white answers to the many questions she faces.

The Martian Child

The Martian Child

by David Gerrold

(FIC GERROLD)

In The Martian Child, Gerrold presents a fictionalized account of his own experience adopting a child. David, a single man, has been researching and preparing to adopt a child for years when he sees a picture of Dennis and realizes that he has found his new son. As a baby, Dennis had been abandoned by his mother, and due to custody and abuse issues, the boy remained in the Los Angeles foster care system for more than six years. Hyperactive and convinced he is an alien from Mars, Dennis is a handful for the inexperienced father. Despite these and other obstacles, the two eventually become a family.

This book is full of many sweet moments such as when David teaches Dennis a joke to help Dennis develop a sense of humor. Dennis has many agressive and self-preserving behaviors from being in the foster care system. David must help Dennis relearn social skills and develop new habits. I love the way that David lovingly speaks to Dennis throughout the book and gently teaches him to love and trust. There are plenty of moments where David seems to be in over his head with Dennis, but the book presents mostly the funny and sweet experiences. My one complaint about the book is the Martian child aspect. Amusing when Dennis believes it, David's obsession with it takes a lot of explanation to be believable and adds very little to the story. But that was only a minor complaint. All in all, I found this book to be a fun and quick read, a really touching story. And yay, the DVD goes on sale today!

The Poison Apples

The Poison Apples

by Lily Archer

(YP FIC ARCHER)

Three girls meet at an elite boarding school and find they have one thing in common: wicked step-mothers. The girls join forces and form the Poison Apple club as a way to regain control of their lives. What initially begins as a simple desire for revenge eventually evolves into deep friendships between the three girls.

The three girls featured in this story are each quite different, but equally entertaining: a cocky shopaholic from Los Angeles, a silent almost-Goth girl from New York, and a super-smart small town girl with a passion for the Oxford English Dictionary. The stories about how each girl "aquired" a step-mother are quite sad, ranging from the death of a mother, to mothers having nervous break downs. The step-mothers get all the blame from the girls, but it is clear that many of the problems the girls face can be attributed to the fathers, the mothers, and, even to some extent, the girls themselves. Considering that the title of the book relates to the step-mothers, the women themselves feature very little in the story. Instead the story centers on the girls. They must first learn to be friends to each other, no small task. Then, with the emotional strength gained through these new friendships, they must face and accept their new family situations.

The author could easily have gone the route of hijinx and manipulation a la Parent Trap, instead she focused on the emotional aspects of the changes in the girls lives. This was an emotionally gripping book, and days after I've finished reading, I still can't stop thinking about it.

Field Guide to High School

A Field Guide to High School

by Marissa Walsh

(YP FIC WALSH)

Andie's older sister, Clare--now a college freshman, wrote a book about high school for Andie by pasting pages over an old Petersen Field Guide. Andie and her friend Bess read through it together reflecting on Clare's suggestions and contrasting them with Clare's own behavior in high school. A secret chapter at the end just for Andie, explains a little more.

As an information book, the information is pretty stereotypical high school stuff. Suggested books and movies are fun, but personality type characterizations stick to the hollywood clicks. As a ficition book, the story is pretty scrawny...really just comments on the information. I would really have like to see a story where Andie was trying to follow the advice and what resulted. Still, it was fun to read and at 133 pages, it was a quick read. It does seem like Clare needed the book more than Andie did, but since Clare did fine with out it....

Really, what I think would be the most fun is to create your own field guide to school either as a class project or with a group of friends.

Yellow Flag

Yellow Flag

by Robert Lipsyte

(YP FIC LIPSYTE)

Kyle is focused on his music. He loves the quintet he plays in. He especially likes the French Horn player, Nicole from New York. With his mother's help he has avoided getting pulled into the family business of professional race car driving. Racing is his brother's business. All of Kyle's goals and dreams are clear and focused.

Everything changes when his older brother gets hurt. Kyle agrees to race for a couple of weeks--to keep Kris's seat warm. For Kyle, things quickly get a whole lot more confusing. His family seems to be making plans for him. Plus, Kyle can't stop thinking about Jimmie, the new girl on the racing crew. Even more confusing, Kyle begins to question whether he really dislikes racing at all. Does he want Kris to get better? When an amazing opportunity opens up for Kyle's band and his band mates demand more of his time, the pressure begins to squeeze in from all sides.

The family dynamic is interesting in this novel. Kyle constantly worries about being forced to race just like his father and perhaps even his grandfather before him. But the author completely skipped over my main question: Can anyone who doesn't really want it, be truly successful in a sport as competitive as racing? Kyle is a talented guy, gifted even, both in music and racing. While his brother, Kris, seems to be a very intuitive driver, Kyle thinks things out first. He makes all of his decisions like a chess player. The strategies and his analysis of the other racers are interesting--especially when he is faced with racing bullies. His talents come so easily and naturally to him that what Kyle really fights for and works for in this story is the freedom to choose his own future.

This peak into the life and technicalities of race car driving was really interesting. Despite a complete lack of mechanical understanding, I followed the story just fine. While the ending resolved several plot points, it lacked force. So I'm waiting for a sequel, both because I want the story to continue and because I'm waiting for a more complete ending.

FYI: Another book by Lipsyte, Raider's Night (YP FIC LIPSYTE), made it onto the 2008-2009 Tayshas list. It's about a football player who must choose to join in his team's out-of-game behavior or stand alone and risk losing out on his football dreams.