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Rats Saw God
Steve details his descent from bright star to burnout in this newly repackaged edition of the definitive, highly acclaimed novel from the creator of Veronica Mars and Party Down .
Houston, sophomore Steve is on top of the world. He and his friends are the talk of the school. He’s in love with a terrific girl. He can even deal with “the astronaut”—a world-famous hero who happens to be his father.
San Diego, senior Steve is bummed out, drugged out, flunking out. A no-nonsense counselor says he can graduate if he writes a 100-page paper. So Steve starts writing, and as the paper becomes more and more personal, he reveals how a National Merit Scholar has become an under-achieving stoner. And in telling how he got to where he is, Steve discovers how to get to where he wants to be.
Houston, sophomore Steve is on top of the world. He and his friends are the talk of the school. He’s in love with a terrific girl. He can even deal with “the astronaut”—a world-famous hero who happens to be his father.
San Diego, senior Steve is bummed out, drugged out, flunking out. A no-nonsense counselor says he can graduate if he writes a 100-page paper. So Steve starts writing, and as the paper becomes more and more personal, he reveals how a National Merit Scholar has become an under-achieving stoner. And in telling how he got to where he is, Steve discovers how to get to where he wants to be.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Rob Thomas
52 books1,129 followersRobert James "Rob" Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God, creator of the critically acclaimed television series Veronica Mars and co-creator of 90210 and Party Down.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 456 reviews
March 31, 2017
I thought this book was really good, and I think it's one of the better YA books. I think it's easy to tell that this was pre-Veronica Mars and Party Down, though. You can see the same writing style and a lot of similarities between this book and Veronica Mars but I think Veronica Mars feels more advanced and you can tell he improved on his weaker areas by the time it came to writing the show. Of course, with a show you have more episodes and more time to flesh characters out and to make the viewer bond with the characters, which may be a factor, but I felt like a lot of the characters in Rats Saw God weren't very fleshed out at all. They were very much side-lined and we never quite got to find out more about them which I would've liked. It wasn't a big issue, though, as, unlike V Mars where a lot of the side characters are very important to the story and their development is just as important as Veronica's, this story is pretty much focused on Steve so it worked well in that context and it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.
I thought it felt very realistic (at least, much more realistic than most YA reads) and I thought the teenagers sounded like real teenagers. If one of them spouted off some quote or weird philosophy about life, it was made clear that they were trying very hard to be cool or wise or pretentious and they didn't just naturally come out with things like that. I was initially worried because I thought Dub (who shares her full name with a character from an episode of V Mars) was going to be a classic Manic Pixie Dream girl but, although she certainly had traits that fit the criteria, she never went full MPD. She had obvious flaws and it's made obvious to the reader that it's only the way that Steve sees her that makes her seem like she could be, because he's infatuated with her he can't see past it sometimes. I liked Steve a lot, he definitely shared V Mars' wit and sense of humour and I liked the fact that he was very three-dimensional. He had a lot of obvious flaws and they weren't brushed over to try and make him seem more sympathetic. He was an incredibly realistic teenage boy, and I loved that.
The story was interesting, I enjoyed the flashbacks (again, similar to V Mars, especially in season 1) and I felt like they were well placed throughout the story so that you didn't lose track of one or the other. I liked the revelations with Steve's family and I thought they were handled well. Steve (like Veronica) learns that things are not always black and white, and that there are often shades of grey in life.
I liked the twist although I did guess it before it happened. However, I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't inadvertently spotted another review while I was reading it that likened it to an episode of Veronica Mars and actually specified which episode it was like, so that made me already on the right track to working out what it was. Without that, I doubt I would have guessed it as Rob Thomas is fantastic at twists and I've never managed to guess one of his before.
I love the title and I liked the part of the book that used the title. The title is also the name of an episode of Veronica Mars, but the book and the episode are nothing alike. The title also means completely different things in both.
Overall, I really liked this book and I had a great time reading it. I would definitely recommend it to Rob Thomas fans but I would also recommend it to all YA readers. You definitely don't already need to be familiar with Rob Thomas' work to appreciate or like this book but if you are then you'll just recognise his style slightly more. I think this is a book that works well for teenagers and adults alike as I'm sure everyone can find something to relate to in it and enjoy.
I thought it felt very realistic (at least, much more realistic than most YA reads) and I thought the teenagers sounded like real teenagers. If one of them spouted off some quote or weird philosophy about life, it was made clear that they were trying very hard to be cool or wise or pretentious and they didn't just naturally come out with things like that. I was initially worried because I thought Dub (who shares her full name with a character from an episode of V Mars) was going to be a classic Manic Pixie Dream girl but, although she certainly had traits that fit the criteria, she never went full MPD. She had obvious flaws and it's made obvious to the reader that it's only the way that Steve sees her that makes her seem like she could be, because he's infatuated with her he can't see past it sometimes. I liked Steve a lot, he definitely shared V Mars' wit and sense of humour and I liked the fact that he was very three-dimensional. He had a lot of obvious flaws and they weren't brushed over to try and make him seem more sympathetic. He was an incredibly realistic teenage boy, and I loved that.
The story was interesting, I enjoyed the flashbacks (again, similar to V Mars, especially in season 1) and I felt like they were well placed throughout the story so that you didn't lose track of one or the other. I liked the revelations with Steve's family and I thought they were handled well. Steve (like Veronica) learns that things are not always black and white, and that there are often shades of grey in life.
I liked the twist although I did guess it before it happened. However, I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't inadvertently spotted another review while I was reading it that likened it to an episode of Veronica Mars and actually specified which episode it was like, so that made me already on the right track to working out what it was. Without that, I doubt I would have guessed it as Rob Thomas is fantastic at twists and I've never managed to guess one of his before.
I love the title and I liked the part of the book that used the title. The title is also the name of an episode of Veronica Mars, but the book and the episode are nothing alike. The title also means completely different things in both.
Overall, I really liked this book and I had a great time reading it. I would definitely recommend it to Rob Thomas fans but I would also recommend it to all YA readers. You definitely don't already need to be familiar with Rob Thomas' work to appreciate or like this book but if you are then you'll just recognise his style slightly more. I think this is a book that works well for teenagers and adults alike as I'm sure everyone can find something to relate to in it and enjoy.
October 6, 2008
Now clearly (clearly), we all remember Rob Thomas as the creator of dearly-beloved teen-noir series Veronica Mars and as such, were collectively delighted to find that before providing us with savvy, chronically suspicious proto-feminist heroines armed with one-liners, tazers, and bulldogs, Thomas had a successful stint as a writer of the YA variety. (The title of this offering, Rats Saw God was, coincidentally, used in a second season episode of V. Mars to very different effect.)
So I know you'll all be very happy to know that the snappy dialog and measured approach to teenage substance-use and sexual exploration was going strong for Thomas pre-Mars. You won't find young women cataclysmically preggers after violating their pristine virginity. Rather, they research different types of birth control pills and suggest that their boyfriends think seriously about condoms before doing the deed. You also won't find testosterone-ridden young men pounding beers and then driving their cars off cliffs, and even pot gets a fair shake--it's not the smoking that bothers Rob, it's the smoking-as-emotional-anesthetic that's at issue.
Thomas gives teens the benefit of a basic intellect, a sense of ethics, and an informed sense of choice and consequence. It's absolutely refreshing. And, of course, adolescence is traumatic and conflicted and unfair and illuminating and turbulent and often just totally sucks, but in Thomas' renderings, it's a fully-realized phase of life that means something both within the moment and after one's had a chance to reflect and mature.
And, oh yeah, Rats Saw God is a total 90s fest. That means shout-outs to The Screaming Trees, Soul Asylum, and Mudhoney, a beach bonfire on the night after Kurt Cobain committed suicide, Doc Martens--the whole deal. Which, even if it weren't for the rest of it, would make this a book worth reading.
So I know you'll all be very happy to know that the snappy dialog and measured approach to teenage substance-use and sexual exploration was going strong for Thomas pre-Mars. You won't find young women cataclysmically preggers after violating their pristine virginity. Rather, they research different types of birth control pills and suggest that their boyfriends think seriously about condoms before doing the deed. You also won't find testosterone-ridden young men pounding beers and then driving their cars off cliffs, and even pot gets a fair shake--it's not the smoking that bothers Rob, it's the smoking-as-emotional-anesthetic that's at issue.
Thomas gives teens the benefit of a basic intellect, a sense of ethics, and an informed sense of choice and consequence. It's absolutely refreshing. And, of course, adolescence is traumatic and conflicted and unfair and illuminating and turbulent and often just totally sucks, but in Thomas' renderings, it's a fully-realized phase of life that means something both within the moment and after one's had a chance to reflect and mature.
And, oh yeah, Rats Saw God is a total 90s fest. That means shout-outs to The Screaming Trees, Soul Asylum, and Mudhoney, a beach bonfire on the night after Kurt Cobain committed suicide, Doc Martens--the whole deal. Which, even if it weren't for the rest of it, would make this a book worth reading.
September 17, 2007
This is one of the realest YA books I've read (helped, of course, by the fact that the narrator is from my generation). I've never empathized so much with a teenage boy, and all the characterizations made me feel "Yes, I knew this person." The descriptions of high school are spot-on. It's also laugh-out-loud funny in many places. I was impressed at how well the author seemed to understand my micro-generation, if that's a word (kids who were in high school when Kurt Cobain died).
October 4, 2013
"Do you learn to write better in College?"
"It's not so much learning as it is living. You can improve your technique though classes and though reading, but you've got to have some truth to put behind the language...for example it's tough to write about love until you've had your heart broken."
Reminiscent of Perks of Being a Wallflower or Looking For Alaska this novel, written by the innovative creator of Veronica Mars, follows Steve though his high school experience. It started off very unassuming, before sucking me into the rambling narrative.
Very much a 'coming of age story', but accompanied the wit and realism that Rob Thomas displays in Veronica Mars this was a very enjoyable read.
And now lets end on a Veronica Mars quote because...well this is one of the few situations I can justify using one.
"It's not so much learning as it is living. You can improve your technique though classes and though reading, but you've got to have some truth to put behind the language...for example it's tough to write about love until you've had your heart broken."
Reminiscent of Perks of Being a Wallflower or Looking For Alaska this novel, written by the innovative creator of Veronica Mars, follows Steve though his high school experience. It started off very unassuming, before sucking me into the rambling narrative.
Very much a 'coming of age story', but accompanied the wit and realism that Rob Thomas displays in Veronica Mars this was a very enjoyable read.
And now lets end on a Veronica Mars quote because...well this is one of the few situations I can justify using one.
May 29, 2013
4.25 Stars. Whether you're an old hag like me who grew up watching 90210 or you're a young'in "liking" anything to do with TFiOS, this is one to add to your "to read" list. Steve is a pot-head who is about to fail his senior year. If he can complete a supplemental writing assignment for English, he'll pass. The only limitation to the assignment - write about something he knows. After a severe case of writer's block, Steve chooses to write the history of his high school years. He tells how he has survived his parents' divorce, experienced first love and first loss and went from an honor student to a burnout.
This was recommended to me by the library and made pretty clear I should love it because of my age/reading preferences/the 90210 connection, but this was so much deeper/just flat out BETTER than shows like that. It was a superfast read and proved (yet again) that I would choose a PG-13 love story over "Grey" any day of the week.
This was recommended to me by the library and made pretty clear I should love it because of my age/reading preferences/the 90210 connection, but this was so much deeper/just flat out BETTER than shows like that. It was a superfast read and proved (yet again) that I would choose a PG-13 love story over "Grey" any day of the week.
March 22, 2015
I really wanted to love this one! To be clear, it's not a bad book, not by a long shot. It's actually really good. For me, "Rats Saw God" definitely suffered from raised expectations. I mean it's Rob Thomas! Creator of one of my two favorite shows of all time! (The other is Buffy. Don't make me choose between them. I won't.) I know the man can write. He created Veronica, who is so near and dear to my heart. So between the good reviews and getting myself all hyped up, it was inevitable that "Rats" would fall short.
That said, when I look at the book detached from all expectations, I did enjoy it. Normally I am not a fan of switching timelines, but I thought that it worked here to develop Steve's relationships, the one with his father especially. Steve could have very easily been a character I hated. But Steve, and really all the other characters who had annoying quirks, were developed nicely, not just left as flat set pieces.
Overall, it was good. Not Veronica Mars good, but if I start comparing everything I read to Veronica Mars I'm going to be one disappointed marshmallow.
That said, when I look at the book detached from all expectations, I did enjoy it. Normally I am not a fan of switching timelines, but I thought that it worked here to develop Steve's relationships, the one with his father especially. Steve could have very easily been a character I hated. But Steve, and really all the other characters who had annoying quirks, were developed nicely, not just left as flat set pieces.
Overall, it was good. Not Veronica Mars good, but if I start comparing everything I read to Veronica Mars I'm going to be one disappointed marshmallow.
June 2, 2024
A brainy high school senior, whose severe weed habit is about to cost him a second senior year, is tasked with writing a 100 page autobiographical paper in order to get the credit he needs to graduate. In witty, snarky prose, Steve York details his wretched relationship with his astronaut father and his first love, betrayal, and heartbreak.
It’s a testament to Rob Thomas’s writing skill that I didn’t loathe this literary model of teen angst. It’s funny and fun, awkward and painful. Steve’s motivations and fuckups make sense, and his pain is real. Resolution is messy and fractional, as in real life.
If this had been about almost any other subject it would have been a five star experience for me.
---------------------
Update: Five years on, the suffering and raw authenticity of this book are with me like I read it yesterday. I gotta bump my rating to five stars.
It’s a testament to Rob Thomas’s writing skill that I didn’t loathe this literary model of teen angst. It’s funny and fun, awkward and painful. Steve’s motivations and fuckups make sense, and his pain is real. Resolution is messy and fractional, as in real life.
If this had been about almost any other subject it would have been a five star experience for me.
---------------------
Update: Five years on, the suffering and raw authenticity of this book are with me like I read it yesterday. I gotta bump my rating to five stars.
October 8, 2019
Strictly run-of-the-mill YA, written in the mid-90s, with a decidedly dated feeling. I picked it up because of the author -- Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars. It's fun seeing certain names and hints of story elements that would make it into the TV show. Other than that Rats Saw God isn't particularly worth seeking out.
January 10, 2009
I couldn't get into this book until I put it in context. I couldn't understand the cultural references and where today's teens fit into it. I did the obvious and flipped to the publication date:1996. Then it all made sense. And the book became exponentially better. Especially since it takes place in high school, and mid-1990s high schooling is one of my areas of knowledge.
Kurt Cobain references; Sinead ripping up a photo of the pope; the casual dress of a non-girlie girl; the entire Seattle slacker vibe, as interpreted by a super-smart high school boy.
Steve York's parents have divorced, and despite the arrangement that he spend the school year in Texas with his father -- a semifamous man he refers to as "the astronaut" because he is an astronaut, Steve is back in California with his mom. His guidance councilor, meeting him over an infraction involving weed on school property, discovers that Steve York is smart. One of two merit finalists in the school. So why is he in danger of flunking English? Good question. The councilor assigns him a 100-page writing assignment. The story shoots back and forth between present day in California and why he was driven out of Texas. Obviously, this story involves a girl.
This book is really cute and written in that sassy Veronica Mars voice that I love.
"I spent the next hour in front of my bathroom mirror on a blackhead search and destroy mission. The assignment was treacherous. Squeeze one before it's properly aged and you end up with a pinball stuck just inside your cheek. Allow one to fester and you learn on a midnight trip to the men's room that your face resembles Pompeii. Concluding the job with a Q-tip and alcohol rubdown, I skipped the standard intermission for the red pinchy marks on my face to return to uniform paleness, confident I would run into neither Winona Ryder nor Dub before I regained an unscourged look."
This book totally took me back to high school and early college. The smell of beer breath, the silk shirts boys wore to dances. The way girls could be cute without being conventionally pretty in a way that doesn't seem to exist now. And students making a grand show of being nonconformists. Sometimes I think the 90s were better than I gave them credit for.
Kurt Cobain references; Sinead ripping up a photo of the pope; the casual dress of a non-girlie girl; the entire Seattle slacker vibe, as interpreted by a super-smart high school boy.
Steve York's parents have divorced, and despite the arrangement that he spend the school year in Texas with his father -- a semifamous man he refers to as "the astronaut" because he is an astronaut, Steve is back in California with his mom. His guidance councilor, meeting him over an infraction involving weed on school property, discovers that Steve York is smart. One of two merit finalists in the school. So why is he in danger of flunking English? Good question. The councilor assigns him a 100-page writing assignment. The story shoots back and forth between present day in California and why he was driven out of Texas. Obviously, this story involves a girl.
This book is really cute and written in that sassy Veronica Mars voice that I love.
"I spent the next hour in front of my bathroom mirror on a blackhead search and destroy mission. The assignment was treacherous. Squeeze one before it's properly aged and you end up with a pinball stuck just inside your cheek. Allow one to fester and you learn on a midnight trip to the men's room that your face resembles Pompeii. Concluding the job with a Q-tip and alcohol rubdown, I skipped the standard intermission for the red pinchy marks on my face to return to uniform paleness, confident I would run into neither Winona Ryder nor Dub before I regained an unscourged look."
This book totally took me back to high school and early college. The smell of beer breath, the silk shirts boys wore to dances. The way girls could be cute without being conventionally pretty in a way that doesn't seem to exist now. And students making a grand show of being nonconformists. Sometimes I think the 90s were better than I gave them credit for.
December 12, 2012
This was a great story that was full of verisimilitude and pathos, both serious and humorous. The narrator (unlike other teenage narrators like the one in The Perks of Being a Wallflower) sounded like an intelligent teenager. I wasn't surprised or shocked by his language usage or big words because that is who his character was.
The humor was what really kept me hooked, and it started right away. Every time I read the slogan for the "Grace Order of Dadaists," or GOD, I chuckled. They made shirts "emblazoned with [their] club slogan, Go With GOD" (28)and drew hilarious criticism from the president of the Christian club with the headline of their brochure which read, "GOD isn't for everyone" (29).
Although the story is about a boy who spends a couple years of high school getting drunk and high a lot, those scenes do not really figure much in the plot, at least not as far as Steve (the main character) is concerned. The most graphic scene is when Steve and his girlfriend each lose their virginity, which did actually make me a bit squeamish; however, I felt it was necessary because this was a big moment in both of their lives. It also helps that he doesn't dwell on scenes like this; he says them and then moves on.
My only criticism is that the last third or so of the book seems very rushed. The book is set up in alternating sections between the two places that Steve lived, either in Houston with his father or in San Diego with his mother, and while this kept the overall pace always moving forward, it caused a lot of issues at the end with wrapping everything up. It all happened a bit too suddenly for me. It felt like the closer I got to the end, the faster the plot moved.
That being said, the actual ending (which I will not give away) was satisfying and might even have brought a little cloudiness to my eyes.
The humor was what really kept me hooked, and it started right away. Every time I read the slogan for the "Grace Order of Dadaists," or GOD, I chuckled. They made shirts "emblazoned with [their] club slogan, Go With GOD" (28)and drew hilarious criticism from the president of the Christian club with the headline of their brochure which read, "GOD isn't for everyone" (29).
Although the story is about a boy who spends a couple years of high school getting drunk and high a lot, those scenes do not really figure much in the plot, at least not as far as Steve (the main character) is concerned. The most graphic scene is when Steve and his girlfriend each lose their virginity, which did actually make me a bit squeamish; however, I felt it was necessary because this was a big moment in both of their lives. It also helps that he doesn't dwell on scenes like this; he says them and then moves on.
My only criticism is that the last third or so of the book seems very rushed. The book is set up in alternating sections between the two places that Steve lived, either in Houston with his father or in San Diego with his mother, and while this kept the overall pace always moving forward, it caused a lot of issues at the end with wrapping everything up. It all happened a bit too suddenly for me. It felt like the closer I got to the end, the faster the plot moved.
That being said, the actual ending (which I will not give away) was satisfying and might even have brought a little cloudiness to my eyes.
January 13, 2015
Waaaay back in 1998, I was in the middle of my senior year of college. I was in love with my best friend, who was also in the middle of her senior year of college. As graduation and the Real World loomed large, we had different coping strategies. Mine was to smoke a bunch of weed and drink, hers was to lose herself in all things teen, from boy-band music to teen movies to YA books. I made fun of her for indulging in all three.
For Christmas she gave me a trade paperback copy of Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas and made me promise to read it. I rolled my eyes as I agreed. And from the opening pages, I identified, and I was in love. I soon read and purchased every other Rob Thomas book in existence (there are three), and when I finally came back to regular, habitual reading in 2013, YA became my genre of choice.
This girl from college, I inboxed her when I started reading YA again, both of us in our mid-thirties, married with kids. We'd been mostly out of touch with each other for the past decade or more. But when we started to trade notes on YA titles we'd both read or were currently reading, there was that spark again of what made us such great partners in crime in the first place. Thank you, Rob Thomas.
For Christmas she gave me a trade paperback copy of Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas and made me promise to read it. I rolled my eyes as I agreed. And from the opening pages, I identified, and I was in love. I soon read and purchased every other Rob Thomas book in existence (there are three), and when I finally came back to regular, habitual reading in 2013, YA became my genre of choice.
This girl from college, I inboxed her when I started reading YA again, both of us in our mid-thirties, married with kids. We'd been mostly out of touch with each other for the past decade or more. But when we started to trade notes on YA titles we'd both read or were currently reading, there was that spark again of what made us such great partners in crime in the first place. Thank you, Rob Thomas.
August 10, 2007
I had high expectations for Thomas’s first novel because I’m a fan of Veronica Mars, the teen noir television show he created. Ultimately, I ended up being thankful that he found his voice on the small screen, because he was a bit disappointing as a novelist.
Even so, despite long passages that seemed to serve no purpose in advancing the plot (although they were interesting to read for their own sake), Rats Saw God stands out as a teen classic because of Thomas’s signature wise-cracking, pop-culture-referencing style. The descriptions of Steve’s all-consuming headrush of first love – and the fall-out in his male friendships – are spot-on, and most teens would probably be intrigued by the somewhat graphic but faithful (and funny) descriptions of Steve and Dub’s first forays out of virgin territory: "We undressed each other as if the process would later be described in sonnets. ... Okay, the part involving shoe removal would have best been described as a limerick."
Even so, despite long passages that seemed to serve no purpose in advancing the plot (although they were interesting to read for their own sake), Rats Saw God stands out as a teen classic because of Thomas’s signature wise-cracking, pop-culture-referencing style. The descriptions of Steve’s all-consuming headrush of first love – and the fall-out in his male friendships – are spot-on, and most teens would probably be intrigued by the somewhat graphic but faithful (and funny) descriptions of Steve and Dub’s first forays out of virgin territory: "We undressed each other as if the process would later be described in sonnets. ... Okay, the part involving shoe removal would have best been described as a limerick."
August 12, 2007
I wish I knew this book existed when I was in high school. The book is about a high school senior who has to write a personal essay in order to graduate. He basically recalls his life up to that point, and in his hindsight he figures out a lot about himself, and life.
This is an excellent read for teens who feel out of place in their world - and what teen doesn't?
This is an excellent read for teens who feel out of place in their world - and what teen doesn't?
June 3, 2012
4.5.
Steve, despite being a National Merit Scholar, is in danger of not earning the last English credit he needs to graduate senior year. But his counselor makes him an offer: write his story. Explain what's going on. Get to the truth. After initial hesitance, Steve starts to write.
This is an older book (1996!) but it's so relevant and still speaks to the teen experience today. Steve has an authentic and believable male voice and one which reminded me of so many of the boys I used to work with.
Everything that's been bothering Steve and causing him to quit caring about school is testament to that time when you realize you're not a product of other people but in fact, you're an independent, thinking, feeling person. This is the quintessential bildungsroman, in that as readers we get to see Steve "come of age" right before us in more than one way. We get him at the point where it seems he can't be redeemed, but through the essay he writes, we watch as he has his huge growth and experiences his moments of clarity. We watch as he's feeling okay about his lot in life in Houston, but then as he navigates the tricky territory of making and keeping friends of his own, of falling in love and experiencing intimacy with a girl, of having his heart trampled on by that self-same girl, of determining what his parents are to him, of having adults just plain let him down or give up on him completely. As he starts figuring these things out, you can't help but love him just a little bit more and hope nothing but the best for him.
Even if Steve is so far removed from his feelings and his experiences (he chooses to get high and not do work for a reason), we know it's because he's working through so much alone. But it's that essay and that reaching out from his counselor -- the first adult to actually care about him and not give up on him in years -- that helps him through. At least, that's what we're led to believe because that's how Steve feels; but as the back story develops and the current story progresses, we learn that there were many more allies in Steven's life than he was aware of. But this is precisely the teen mentality (and hell, it's the human mentality, isn't it?). It all comes to a head when Steven learns the truth about his parents, about his father and mother's divorce, about how, despite feeling like his father has been worthless, he's actually just been reading and treating Steve the way he felt like Steve needed and wanted to be read and treated.
There are drugs and there is sex in this book. I was actually a little surprised how detailed the sex scenes were, but . My heart also ached when And the smart and savvy weaving of the dada element into the story and into Steve worked on so many levels, too. Because life is and isn't a series of disconnects. Steve shows us this and understands it for himself.
Though the references are older in this book, I wonder if it matters. I actually loved the slice of time the references gave the story because Steven's voice and experiences are timeless. So even if the death of Kurt Cobain isn't quite as relevant to today's world as it was in the 90s, what Steve experiences rises above it. There's not a disconnect at all. Maybe the dated elements give the book even more relevance as a classic of YA lit.
This is a slower paced book, which is good given it's also a shorter book (my paperback had only 200 pages). Writing-wise, it was reminiscent of Paul Zindel and Blake Nelson (even though James from "Destroy All Cars" was much louder than Steve would ever be, their voices and stories reminded me so much of one another).
Steve, despite being a National Merit Scholar, is in danger of not earning the last English credit he needs to graduate senior year. But his counselor makes him an offer: write his story. Explain what's going on. Get to the truth. After initial hesitance, Steve starts to write.
This is an older book (1996!) but it's so relevant and still speaks to the teen experience today. Steve has an authentic and believable male voice and one which reminded me of so many of the boys I used to work with.
Everything that's been bothering Steve and causing him to quit caring about school is testament to that time when you realize you're not a product of other people but in fact, you're an independent, thinking, feeling person. This is the quintessential bildungsroman, in that as readers we get to see Steve "come of age" right before us in more than one way. We get him at the point where it seems he can't be redeemed, but through the essay he writes, we watch as he has his huge growth and experiences his moments of clarity. We watch as he's feeling okay about his lot in life in Houston, but then as he navigates the tricky territory of making and keeping friends of his own, of falling in love and experiencing intimacy with a girl, of having his heart trampled on by that self-same girl, of determining what his parents are to him, of having adults just plain let him down or give up on him completely. As he starts figuring these things out, you can't help but love him just a little bit more and hope nothing but the best for him.
Even if Steve is so far removed from his feelings and his experiences (he chooses to get high and not do work for a reason), we know it's because he's working through so much alone. But it's that essay and that reaching out from his counselor -- the first adult to actually care about him and not give up on him in years -- that helps him through. At least, that's what we're led to believe because that's how Steve feels; but as the back story develops and the current story progresses, we learn that there were many more allies in Steven's life than he was aware of. But this is precisely the teen mentality (and hell, it's the human mentality, isn't it?). It all comes to a head when Steven learns the truth about his parents, about his father and mother's divorce, about how, despite feeling like his father has been worthless, he's actually just been reading and treating Steve the way he felt like Steve needed and wanted to be read and treated.
There are drugs and there is sex in this book. I was actually a little surprised how detailed the sex scenes were, but . My heart also ached when And the smart and savvy weaving of the dada element into the story and into Steve worked on so many levels, too. Because life is and isn't a series of disconnects. Steve shows us this and understands it for himself.
Though the references are older in this book, I wonder if it matters. I actually loved the slice of time the references gave the story because Steven's voice and experiences are timeless. So even if the death of Kurt Cobain isn't quite as relevant to today's world as it was in the 90s, what Steve experiences rises above it. There's not a disconnect at all. Maybe the dated elements give the book even more relevance as a classic of YA lit.
This is a slower paced book, which is good given it's also a shorter book (my paperback had only 200 pages). Writing-wise, it was reminiscent of Paul Zindel and Blake Nelson (even though James from "Destroy All Cars" was much louder than Steve would ever be, their voices and stories reminded me so much of one another).
January 15, 2012
Rob's debut novel seems to get all the attention; it's the one teachers will use in their classes if they do that sort of thing. And it's definitely a good book. It follows two timestreams: Steve York's senior year in San Diego, and his sophomore and junior years in Houston, when his life went horribly, terribly wrong. We get his first-person narration of the present; the story of Houston is his English project.
It took me fifty to eighty pages to really get into it, honestly. I was having trouble imagining these words coming out a seventeen-year-old boy's brain. And the narrative drive was...slow. It's carried along by the strength of the prose, whether or not something actually interesting is happening.
Another strength is best described by Chris Lynch, who gets a quote on the back of the book: "Rats Saw God does something special—it treats teenagers as if their lives are complex and interesting....Thomas brings to the party one more thing that YA lit can never have enough of: attitude." I never read a lot of YA lit, so I don't really know how much more complex and interesting Rob's characters are than the norm, but he does do a good job of making the characters people. Which is necessary since the basic story is nothing extraordinary, even though it has its quirks here and there. It's a kid in high school, doing high school things. So in that respect, I was a little disappointed and didn't see what all the hoopla was about. It was competently done, and I was satisfied with the way things ended up and were resolved, for the most part. One thing I really liked was how Steve would make throwaway references to things people had said to him in the past, and then later on, as we read about the past, we get the context of the scene. The narrative was pretty tightly held together, and I appreciated that.
It took me fifty to eighty pages to really get into it, honestly. I was having trouble imagining these words coming out a seventeen-year-old boy's brain. And the narrative drive was...slow. It's carried along by the strength of the prose, whether or not something actually interesting is happening.
Another strength is best described by Chris Lynch, who gets a quote on the back of the book: "Rats Saw God does something special—it treats teenagers as if their lives are complex and interesting....Thomas brings to the party one more thing that YA lit can never have enough of: attitude." I never read a lot of YA lit, so I don't really know how much more complex and interesting Rob's characters are than the norm, but he does do a good job of making the characters people. Which is necessary since the basic story is nothing extraordinary, even though it has its quirks here and there. It's a kid in high school, doing high school things. So in that respect, I was a little disappointed and didn't see what all the hoopla was about. It was competently done, and I was satisfied with the way things ended up and were resolved, for the most part. One thing I really liked was how Steve would make throwaway references to things people had said to him in the past, and then later on, as we read about the past, we get the context of the scene. The narrative was pretty tightly held together, and I appreciated that.
January 3, 2008
Nobody is more surprised than Steve York when he’s selected as a National Merit finalist. He's trouble. He cuts class. He spends all of his time stoned. And he planted a marijuana seed in his guidance counselor’s fern. That’s today in San Diego. But two years ago in Houston, he was a straight-A student and a member of the most talked about group in school.
When his guidance counselor investigates, he challenges Steve to write a 100-page paper on the topic of his choice in return for a passing English grade. Steve chooses to explore the last two years of his life in the paper—which may be just what the counselor ordered.
Steve is funny, intelligent and irreverent. Young adults should love the character. The story of how he changed from a straight-A student to apathetic loner is authentic and compelling. The book switches organically between present-day San Diego and Houston two years in the past.
Young adults who have a challenging relationship with their parents will relate to Steve, but the appeal stretches further. Rats Saw God is a very funny book that is an easy read. The author, Rob Thomas, is also the creator of the CW television show Veronica Mars; fans of the show will enjoy the connections between the two. For example, Wanda Varner is the name of a character in both the book and on the show, and Rat Saw God was the name of an episode of the show.
When his guidance counselor investigates, he challenges Steve to write a 100-page paper on the topic of his choice in return for a passing English grade. Steve chooses to explore the last two years of his life in the paper—which may be just what the counselor ordered.
Steve is funny, intelligent and irreverent. Young adults should love the character. The story of how he changed from a straight-A student to apathetic loner is authentic and compelling. The book switches organically between present-day San Diego and Houston two years in the past.
Young adults who have a challenging relationship with their parents will relate to Steve, but the appeal stretches further. Rats Saw God is a very funny book that is an easy read. The author, Rob Thomas, is also the creator of the CW television show Veronica Mars; fans of the show will enjoy the connections between the two. For example, Wanda Varner is the name of a character in both the book and on the show, and Rat Saw God was the name of an episode of the show.
January 5, 2008
A high school senior faces the risk of not graduating, so his guidance counselor offers him an option: write a 100-page paper on any topic Steve chooses. If it passes muster, Steve can graduate. Steven begins to write about his past, realizing how he got to the low point he is at today, and realizing that he can set a better path for the future.
Gritty, with a very “real” feel. There’s a lot of dark humor, including the reason behind the title of the book and Steve planting a marijuana seed in the fern he gives to his school counselor. Teens will follow Steve as his present and past lives unroll – through his first serious girlfriend and first sexual encounter, his finding his way, his shaky relationship with his mother and sister and his hostile relationship with his father (whom Steve calls The Astronaut). There’s a lot of going back and forth in time, but Steve’s narration of past events is in a different typeface, so I don’t think teens will have any difficulty keeping the past and present separate.
Recommended for 16 and up, for sexual situations, raw language and drug use
Gritty, with a very “real” feel. There’s a lot of dark humor, including the reason behind the title of the book and Steve planting a marijuana seed in the fern he gives to his school counselor. Teens will follow Steve as his present and past lives unroll – through his first serious girlfriend and first sexual encounter, his finding his way, his shaky relationship with his mother and sister and his hostile relationship with his father (whom Steve calls The Astronaut). There’s a lot of going back and forth in time, but Steve’s narration of past events is in a different typeface, so I don’t think teens will have any difficulty keeping the past and present separate.
Recommended for 16 and up, for sexual situations, raw language and drug use
April 7, 2007
I'm still laughing. Steve is a senior in high school, he's incredibly bright but has given up on all the bull. Skips school, gets high, doesn't talk to his fam- the usual teen angst. But his guidance counselor gives him a chance to graduate without summer school- he has to write a paper- 100 pages- and tell his story. So this book bounces back and forth from senior year (stoner) to sophomore year (A-Student). He was always a non-conformist, as are his friends, but something in him changed. His story takes in real world events that we can remember- suicide of K. Cobain and the bands we remember from high school. Most of all- it is funny, no hilarious, and easy to identify with (even if he's a boy). This one gives you bellly laughs- I couldn't put it down! They say reading while driving is a no-no... it was worth the risk! I went and checked out 2 more thomas' books. ~Emily
October 21, 2014
I did not enjoy this book, because I thought that the way it was written was not very engaging. Additionally, there wasn't enough in the plot to really hold my interest with the book.
The story was about a high school student (Steve) who was extremely intelligent, but felt like he was living in the shadow of his astronaut father. He gets into a relationship with a girl who he stays with for a little over a year. Things don't end well, and the heartbreak gets Steve off of the good track that he was on. He lets his grades slip and goes through some tough times. By the end of the book, he finds himself and there was closure to the issues he was facing in the story.
The story was about a high school student (Steve) who was extremely intelligent, but felt like he was living in the shadow of his astronaut father. He gets into a relationship with a girl who he stays with for a little over a year. Things don't end well, and the heartbreak gets Steve off of the good track that he was on. He lets his grades slip and goes through some tough times. By the end of the book, he finds himself and there was closure to the issues he was facing in the story.
December 25, 2018
came across this a long time ago when i was looking for something similar to the perks of being a wallflower!
the book was a little too much daddy issues (which i got tired of at the time i was reading it cause my other 2 earlier reads were also about dudes with daddy issues) but i will say this : this book felt very realistic and had some normal portrayal of teenagers that didnt feel exaggerated or embellished! so do read it!
the book was a little too much daddy issues (which i got tired of at the time i was reading it cause my other 2 earlier reads were also about dudes with daddy issues) but i will say this : this book felt very realistic and had some normal portrayal of teenagers that didnt feel exaggerated or embellished! so do read it!
January 16, 2008
I liked this book, okay. I guess I expected more though. The book is touted as an edgy book, likened to Crank by the publisher, but I just didn't find it that edgy. The edge seems to be pot usage, a somewhat frank description of first time teen sex, but nothing so overly risque. what i found to be the edgiest was somewhat downplayed and not even discussed by anyone in the book, POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT, one the teen characters has an affair with a teacher and other than being caught by her boyfriend there is nothing said about. It is not discussed as being unacceptable or just fine and dandy with their shared friends. I was kind of let down by that. There was a great big lead up to this and then, meh, nothing else.
The writing was good and the story had promise, but I felt it lacked the drama that seemed to be promised. Steve needs on English credit to graduate highschool, his guidance counselor makes a deal with him writes a 100 page story on anything and he gets to graduate. So Steve writes about what brought him from Texas to San Diego, which is a 14 hour drive after the last day of class of his junior year. Steve had friends in texas, a girlfriend, was part of one the most talked aobut school groups and hates his father. I thought there would be some real reasons for why that all feel apart. Some examination of it collapsing but there isn't. There isn't really even a reason he dislikes his dad, other than that is what so many teenagers seem to do. Dislike the parent that wants the teen to more like the parent. Frankly the dad doesn't even push that as hard as I have in other books or in real life.
What i really did like was the school group of Dadaist that the protagonist and his best friend start and how the group seems to whole heartedly embrace Dadaism. It was a nice twist Dadaism isn't often a main point in teen fiction.
So maybe while writing the review I realized I didn't like the book that much at all. I really feel like something could have been addressed in this book. If nothing else than a teacher having an affair with a student. But I guess that wasn't really what the book was about it was about a teenage boy feeling like the world was against him and nobody understands him and his heart was ripped to shreds. It has been done so much better.
The writing was good and the story had promise, but I felt it lacked the drama that seemed to be promised. Steve needs on English credit to graduate highschool, his guidance counselor makes a deal with him writes a 100 page story on anything and he gets to graduate. So Steve writes about what brought him from Texas to San Diego, which is a 14 hour drive after the last day of class of his junior year. Steve had friends in texas, a girlfriend, was part of one the most talked aobut school groups and hates his father. I thought there would be some real reasons for why that all feel apart. Some examination of it collapsing but there isn't. There isn't really even a reason he dislikes his dad, other than that is what so many teenagers seem to do. Dislike the parent that wants the teen to more like the parent. Frankly the dad doesn't even push that as hard as I have in other books or in real life.
What i really did like was the school group of Dadaist that the protagonist and his best friend start and how the group seems to whole heartedly embrace Dadaism. It was a nice twist Dadaism isn't often a main point in teen fiction.
So maybe while writing the review I realized I didn't like the book that much at all. I really feel like something could have been addressed in this book. If nothing else than a teacher having an affair with a student. But I guess that wasn't really what the book was about it was about a teenage boy feeling like the world was against him and nobody understands him and his heart was ripped to shreds. It has been done so much better.
July 31, 2013
Let me preface this by saying that Rob Thomas is a fabulous director and his writing on Veronica Mars was top notch.
If i could give this book less than one star I would have. The writing was horrible and the story was mundane.
i'd say the characters were boring but they were so one dimensional that calling them boring would be an insult to boring people.
Some bullet points as this book isn't worth writing a full review of:
1. the phrase "in body if not in spirit" was used at least three times
2. lines such as '"you know what he said in his note' i shook my head no" proliferate the book, because clearly he doesn't trust his audience enough to figure out that shaking ones head is the equivalent of saying no.
3. another example of this special writing "'i pushed the earphones back. in my ears i heard the words, 'i'm not like them, but i can pretend.'"
4. Sometimes he decides that his audience is rather smart and so uses big words, but he will suddenly clump them together, as though wanting to suddenly show in one sentence what he knows, such as "she surveyed the monastic austerity of my bedroom's decor". it sounds like he used a thesaurus and simply changed every word in the sentence.
5. The author also wanted to use words that he thought his audience might not understand so he writes ridiculous dialogue like this "'doesn't your banning only serve your image as young iconoclasts' "i'm not sure,' Doug said. 'what's an iconoclast'"
6. for some reason the author decided that "i said" needs to be put after every snippet of dialogue, such as "'how's school' 'fine,' i said. 'how's work?' 'fine.' i said"
This doesn't even cover the awful plot of the book. On one hand i don't want to give spoilers, on the other hand i would like to save anyone who is contemplating reading this book but wants to know the central plot for some reason.
i'll leave off any spoilers for now, but trust me, don't bother
If i could give this book less than one star I would have. The writing was horrible and the story was mundane.
i'd say the characters were boring but they were so one dimensional that calling them boring would be an insult to boring people.
Some bullet points as this book isn't worth writing a full review of:
1. the phrase "in body if not in spirit" was used at least three times
2. lines such as '"you know what he said in his note' i shook my head no" proliferate the book, because clearly he doesn't trust his audience enough to figure out that shaking ones head is the equivalent of saying no.
3. another example of this special writing "'i pushed the earphones back. in my ears i heard the words, 'i'm not like them, but i can pretend.'"
4. Sometimes he decides that his audience is rather smart and so uses big words, but he will suddenly clump them together, as though wanting to suddenly show in one sentence what he knows, such as "she surveyed the monastic austerity of my bedroom's decor". it sounds like he used a thesaurus and simply changed every word in the sentence.
5. The author also wanted to use words that he thought his audience might not understand so he writes ridiculous dialogue like this "'doesn't your banning only serve your image as young iconoclasts' "i'm not sure,' Doug said. 'what's an iconoclast'"
6. for some reason the author decided that "i said" needs to be put after every snippet of dialogue, such as "'how's school' 'fine,' i said. 'how's work?' 'fine.' i said"
This doesn't even cover the awful plot of the book. On one hand i don't want to give spoilers, on the other hand i would like to save anyone who is contemplating reading this book but wants to know the central plot for some reason.
i'll leave off any spoilers for now, but trust me, don't bother
March 16, 2016
Son of the 4th astronaut on the moon rebels against his uptight dad, who he blames for driving his mom away. Steve is an honor student who joins forces with an oddball group of classmates to push Dadism on a Texas school that lives for football; their efforts aren't appreciated. He falls hard for Dub, a girl in their group. They date for a long time but eventually things fall apart. He takes it hard and becomes a slacker, smoking pot, getting fired from his job and barely passing school.
To get away from Dub he moves to San Diego to live with his mom but continues his slacker ways. This story of what happened is the extra credit project he has to complete in order to pass English and graduate.
It was likable but I had to downgrade it because of some continuity problems:
1) His dad is born ~1941 and gets married in 1959, straight out of high school. His wife's family helps get him appointed to the Air Force Academy. Big problem; students at the service academies aren't allowed to be married so this wouldn't have happened.
2) Dad graduates USAFA in 1963, flies 60 missions in Vietnam, then becomes a test pilot and by 1969 walks on the moon. Somehow a 28 year old leapfrogs all the astronauts who'd been in the program before he graduated from the Academy.
3) Steve, the older of the 2 children, is born in 1975. So his parents are married for 16 years before they get around to having a kid? His mom is 2 years older than his dad, so she's 36 and he's 34 when they finally become parents. How likely is that?
4) Steve is 18 in the story, pushing 19, because Kurt Cobain kills himself near the end of the school year (making it 1994). But it also references his dad as being 55, which means he would have to have been 36 when his son was born (and 20 when he graduated from high school).
To get away from Dub he moves to San Diego to live with his mom but continues his slacker ways. This story of what happened is the extra credit project he has to complete in order to pass English and graduate.
It was likable but I had to downgrade it because of some continuity problems:
1) His dad is born ~1941 and gets married in 1959, straight out of high school. His wife's family helps get him appointed to the Air Force Academy. Big problem; students at the service academies aren't allowed to be married so this wouldn't have happened.
2) Dad graduates USAFA in 1963, flies 60 missions in Vietnam, then becomes a test pilot and by 1969 walks on the moon. Somehow a 28 year old leapfrogs all the astronauts who'd been in the program before he graduated from the Academy.
3) Steve, the older of the 2 children, is born in 1975. So his parents are married for 16 years before they get around to having a kid? His mom is 2 years older than his dad, so she's 36 and he's 34 when they finally become parents. How likely is that?
4) Steve is 18 in the story, pushing 19, because Kurt Cobain kills himself near the end of the school year (making it 1994). But it also references his dad as being 55, which means he would have to have been 36 when his son was born (and 20 when he graduated from high school).
August 23, 2017
Cover art
Let me just note that this is the latest edition of the book (book was published in 1996) so it already knows how to attract its target market SO: Ooh, such art! Such mystery! Such plaid! Such hipster!
In a nutshell
Senior high school dropout Steve writes a 100-pager on his tell-all of why he is flunking out of high school.
Spirit animal
I read this, like, two weeks ago and now I’m all, MEMORY, WER U
What does that say about the characters, let alone the whole book?
Magical moments
Words to live by
"I swear, you are the only person I know who makes decisions based on what will provide the best material for a diary."
Boo!
See Spirit Animal
Yes, Maybe or No?
I WANTED to like this so much, as much as I do Veronica Mars (same writer and all) but I couldn’t.
Let me just note that this is the latest edition of the book (book was published in 1996) so it already knows how to attract its target market SO: Ooh, such art! Such mystery! Such plaid! Such hipster!
In a nutshell
Senior high school dropout Steve writes a 100-pager on his tell-all of why he is flunking out of high school.
Spirit animal
I read this, like, two weeks ago and now I’m all, MEMORY, WER U
What does that say about the characters, let alone the whole book?
Magical moments
Words to live by
"I swear, you are the only person I know who makes decisions based on what will provide the best material for a diary."
Boo!
See Spirit Animal
Yes, Maybe or No?
I WANTED to like this so much, as much as I do Veronica Mars (same writer and all) but I couldn’t.
October 23, 2012
I like how Rob Thomas flings the storyline back and forth over the giant "why" inciting event leaving me asking that question through more than two-thirds of the plot. I kept wondering if Dub dies, his dad, or Doug. Turns out the death wasn't the event, the black hole sucking at the plot, that caused Steve to fall into a drug induced academic coma. No, Steve expensed so much of his time and energy pissing off the astronaut, a giant mom sized whole opened in his life when Sara filled in the other part of the story, that his mother may not be the innocent Steve assumed. To increase the pain, Dub leaves him pulling out the plug and draining the remaining love that he lived for. Rob cleans up after the climax with Steve reconciling with his father, a little too easily for me, almost unbelievably so (4 stars).
Rob Thomas's narrative world is dead on. Steve is in high school during the same 4 years I was, and Rob nails those 4 years, down to fumbling for a hook and loop that just was not there. So accurate that I have to admit that though I didn't resort to the numerical form of pie, I did have my own tools for coping, leaving me laughing nervously at times, nodding my head at others, and sometimes in a full out blush. :)
Rob Thomas's narrative world is dead on. Steve is in high school during the same 4 years I was, and Rob nails those 4 years, down to fumbling for a hook and loop that just was not there. So accurate that I have to admit that though I didn't resort to the numerical form of pie, I did have my own tools for coping, leaving me laughing nervously at times, nodding my head at others, and sometimes in a full out blush. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2013
Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas was a great read all around. First off reading goes back and forth between the main character Steve York's Senior year in LA writing a story to pass a graduate, and his Sophomore/Junior year in high school in Texas. It takes you on the journey from a 4.0 student to a pothead that could care less about school, and then changing himself completely.
Rob Thomas is great at writing to teen readers in this novel. He narrates at times like he is talk teen to teen, but then there are other times when he use word that you have no idea what they mean and you need a dictionary so you can understand what he said was about. An example of one of these words is "esoteric" which means a number of people with a specialized interest or knowledge.
The ending of the book was very good. It really answer all questions a reader my have come up with while reading the novel. I wish the few questions I had left were answered or maybe made into a second book to read. I do recommend this book to all teens, who like reading in general, and for those who might not like. I liked it from start to finish and I hope who ever else reads it does as well.
Rob Thomas is great at writing to teen readers in this novel. He narrates at times like he is talk teen to teen, but then there are other times when he use word that you have no idea what they mean and you need a dictionary so you can understand what he said was about. An example of one of these words is "esoteric" which means a number of people with a specialized interest or knowledge.
The ending of the book was very good. It really answer all questions a reader my have come up with while reading the novel. I wish the few questions I had left were answered or maybe made into a second book to read. I do recommend this book to all teens, who like reading in general, and for those who might not like. I liked it from start to finish and I hope who ever else reads it does as well.
Lesen
October 11, 2013This is a coming of age novel set in the 1990s of a teenage middle class boy in Texas and San Diego. As a child of the 1990's I can see the appeal to this book. There are so many familiar references and feeling of "poor little me" in throughout the book. Reading this book as an adult left less than a positive opinion of the book. The book read more like a spoiled middle class boy who can't deal with his life. He has no realizations of his talents and privilege. I found while reading that I would have rather read about other characters in the book like Steve's sister, Sarah. She seemed to have more depth and a better story to tell. Also, I would have enjoyed a novel about Steve's second girlfriend, Allison. Allison's story of family tragedy and working towards her goal of college and higher education despite the hardships would have been a good story. I took offense to the fact that the writer did not address the statutory rape by the English teach and Steve's first girlfriend, Dub. By not addressing this issue to me it seemed like Rob Thomas was condoning the action. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
December 3, 2014
Rats Saw God is a young adult novel that tells the story of Steve York, a high school senior living in California. This book is set in the 1990s, right in the heart of the grunge era, and gives multiple references to the culture and events of that time - which personally only made this novel even more enjoyable to read, as someone who "grew up" (was a teenager) during the 90s. Steve, once a top student at his previous school, is in jeopardy of not graduating and is given the option of either writing a 100 page paper or going to summer school. Obviously he chooses the paper and we (the audience) are taken back and forth between his past and his present, piece by piece getting details as to what happened in his life that caused such a dramatic change in him. While there were moments in this novel that I felt could only be handled by a more mature crowd, the author did an excellent job at portraying the inside thoughts of a teenage boy and the emotions and issues that he was facing. (Ashley, read Fall 2014)
October 22, 2012
I found this particular short novel interesting but not a favorite genre of mine. In the novel Rats Saw God, the way that Steve York dealt with the disenchantment in life was by smoking pot and drinking. He was really a “bright” and “likable” teenager, but went sour on life because of the divorce of his parents. Even though to some his life outwardly was not all that bad; he lived in a five-bedroom house in a middle-class neighborhood, went to an above average high school, and has a famous father, an astronaut, but still he was a depressed and withdrawn student. Steve York did not really know who he was and/or wanted to be. In order for him to graduate with his senior class, he had to write a one-hundred page essay about “something” he knows about; he chose to write about his life. Throughout the novel, Steve always referred to his father as the “astronaut”, but in the end he discovered some things about himself along the way and finally accepted his father as “Dad”.
October 15, 2012
Good book! Four stars. Steve is the protagonist in this story. His parents divorce when he is entering high school. He has a rather toxic [on Steve's part] relationship with his father [the astronaut], blaming him for the divorce. He turns to drugs and his grades begin to fail until he is challenged by his school counselor to write a paper so he can pass English and graduate. He takes on the challenge. This novel weaves through his high school years, Texas and California where he attends school and spends vacation time separately with his parents. He has school drama; football floats, school groups, popularity, sex, drugs and relationship issues with parents and friends. Anyone that has attended high school may relate to some of the comical episodes that Steve and his friends experience.
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