book thoughts: Too Cool to be Forgotten
Aug. 22nd, 2009 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orangerfulAndy has tried everything to quite smoking, but nothing ever seems to work. In one last desperate attempt to kick the habit, he goes to a hypnotist. He's skeptical of her abilities, but tries to go along with the process...and he feels himself getting sleepier, going under, but then wakes up in 1985! He's back in high school, his middle-aged brain stuck in his 16 year old body. But Andy realizes that he's just moments away from his first cigarette ever. If he stops himself from taking that first puff, could he keep himself from ever starting - or is there more to Andy's addiction than he really knows.
Too Cool to be Forgotten by Alex Robinson is a fun graphic novel for adults. I say "for adults" not because it has violence/sex/nudity or even a lot of swearing - it's just that most of the humor comes from adult-Andy interacting with his high school friends, his adult mind trying to manage the high school world. While teens might find it amusing, I think those of us that have survived high school and moved on will end up chuckling and nodding a lot more.
Playing in the world of classic 80s movies like Back to the Future and Big, Too Cool reminds us of how rough it is being a teenager and how all the little things we did back then are part of the person we are today - even if we have forgotten most of it. It's not about nostalgia for those teen years, but more of a look back to say "wtf? I lived like that?" The book has a great sense of humor about the whole thing, but just the right amount of heart to bring readers back again. I really enjoyed Robinson's style and I am looking forward to reading other books by him.
If you get a chance, definitely give this one a try.
Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com
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Date: 2009-08-23 01:25 am (UTC)