Slam
 

Slam

by Nick Hornby

Just when everything is coming together for Sam, his girlfriend Alicia drops a bombshell. Make that ex-girlfriend?because by the time she tells him she?s pregnant, they?ve already called it quits. Sam does not want to be a teenage dad.
There?s only one person Sam can turn to?his hero, skating legend Tony Hawk. Sam believes the answers to life?s hurdles can be found in Hawk?s autobiography.... (read more)

Top tags: fictionyoung adultskateboardingteen pregnancycontemporary fiction (all tags)

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Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

DBRLTeen
  • Rated 4 stars

Sam is a 16-year-old without much purpose in his life besides skateboarding. He talks to a poster of his hero Tony Hawk, and has practically memorized Hawk’s autobiography Tony Hawk : Professional Skateboarder . Suddenly and unexpectedly Sam finds himself with a girlfriend named Alicia, and soon and in the usual way finds out she becomes pregnant. Unable to imagine himself as a father, Sam runs away from home to avoid dealing with the issue, throwing his cell phone into the ocean to avoid...

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Didn’t Like It

Pop Loser
  • Rated 2 stars

High Fidelity is one of my favorite novels, and I also love About A Boy. This book, sadly, isn't as good. Perfectly readable, even quite enjoyable in some spots, maybe I've just come to expect more from Nick Hornby. Regardless, this book is much like Long Way Down — you may like it, but I can't see anyone loving this book. It lacks the charm of his better stories and never seems to find its stride.

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Community:
  • Rated 3.493023 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Christopher N

    christopher n said:

    I didn't realize this was a 'young adult' novel (whatever that is) when I checked it out of the library. Maybe I would have approached it from a different place in my mind. As it was, it seemed like Hornsby was rewarming the first Adrian Mole book (which I love), adding bits of The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime (which I also love) plus lots of the comic strip Zits. I'm talking about the book's style, not its plot, obviously. But it didn't have the magic of those two wonderful reads. So, unforunately, I gave up before I even got to the male perspective on teenaged pregnancy. Maybe I should give it another go.

    posted Wednesday, September 10 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • az060693

    az060693 said:

    Amazing book, however, it doesn't have your fairy tail ending and it really makes you feel what the main character feels.

    posted Wednesday, March 5 2008
  • Val S

    val s said:

    Our school told us to write a report about teen pregnancy and suggest us to read this book. It wasn't winning my attention cuz i was tryin to do my report and thought it might help.But it turns out a really well done book that i really like. This story is talkin aabout life, luv, argue and mistake. SOme of the mistakes r able to make but the book is talkin abou the kinda mistake will change ur life.

    posted Monday, January 21 2008
  • Elizabeth S

    elizabeth s said:

    A fabulous look into a male teenaged mind. Really, really love the inner dialogue of the main character and how he comes to terms with his girlfriend's pregnancy. Characters are 3-D and story is fantastic.

    posted Thursday, January 10 2008
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