Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Fall in love with Ben...his last year, January 16, 2010

I think young adults and teens will enjoy this book about 18-year-old Ben's last year. During a routine sports physical, Ben finds out that he has a terminal illness and that, with or without aggressive medical intervention, he has about a year left to live. It's his senior year in high school and he decides not to tell anyone about the diagnosis and to forgo treatment. He has a few goals in mind, primarily to play football with his beloved brother and to get a date with his crush, the gorgeous volleyball player Dallas Suzuki.

Things don't go quite as he planned, but he does manage to cram a lot of life into the few months he has. The main part of the book centers on his interactions with his family, Dallas Suzuki, his friends, team members and other residents of the small town where he lives. Definitely the author crams a lot of discussion worthy themes into this novel including such topics as sexual molestation, abuse, racism, mental illness, and teen pregnancy. Ben's actual disease is never really identified nor is it the central subject of the book. The main premise of the book seems to be about relationships and not keeping secrets. There's a lot of semi-religious overtone, and at times, the discussion about Malcolm X seems to go on for far too long as do the descriptions of the football games and the American History classes.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. Recommend.