Teach Me

The layout was a little different and the author portrayed the PC as crazy in my opinion. I was bored for the whole story but stuck it out and the ending tied it together better than I expected.

This is one of my favorite books, because it lifted me out of the rut of the ordinary teen novel. This was a book I found in a bin for 4 bucks. I was bored and I thought that it would be just another book to take my time to read. The truth is it pulls you into the story. All of the characters are interesting very few were cliche and all of them were rounded. Some may find the plot "inappropriate" but if you are a mature enough reader, it should be OK, it doesn't urge the reader to jump on the first teacher they see. In fact the story is so smooth and linguistic it makes you forge the age difference of Nine and her teacher. The only down point is that at a certain point of the novel, Nine's character changes and he plot gets a bit unbelievable at the the end, but Nelson handles it well enough and the reader isn't taken out of the fictional dream. It urges you to read on. I felt the end was kind of so so compared to the rest. But I don't feel the end is worth forgetting the book, Overall great book.

I suppose I'm unable to give true constructive criticism to this book simply because I love it too much. I was highly dismayed when I read the editorial review saying that Nine was hard to identify with because she thinks she is better than everyone else. I couldn't disagree more. I was originally drawn to the book because it resonated so deeply with what I feel. The thoughts that I have in my head, I feel that so many people I know will never even get past thinking of day-to-day ideas, and it scares me. Basically, I could identify so deeply with Nine that it scared me. She's not aloof, she's a visionary. The main reason I love it so much, however, is R.A. Nelson's writing. Aside from telling a beautiful story, there are times when the writing just oozes poetry. I think my favorite line in the book that I can remember now is: "There is not a name for what I'm feeling. There is no description for it. To call it yearning would be like calling an ocean water." I don't know of anybody who hasn't wanted something so much it hurts. I'm done. Any words I write down here can not match the book. I know I sound like I'm raving mad, but read the book, and maybe you too will discover the sweetest madness there is.

. . . . . . before you start this absorbing, intelligent, funny, scary, infuriating and thought-provoking read by newcomer R.A. Nelson. It is one of those books you will not want anything to get in the way of you finishing. There is a ton of plot here, but most memorably there is Nine, a super smart girl who makes one dumb mistake after another, learning the hard way that even those "top-heavy in the sciences" can be blindsided by good poetry. Nelson has drawn her so vividly, don't be embarassed if you start yelling at her to stop what she's doing. I did.

R. A. Nelson's debut novel has certainly caused quite a stir since its publication in September. With its salaciously taboo subject matter (a doomed love affair between teacher and student) and an unrelenting pace that keeps readers gripped until the very last word, TEACH ME approaches the line of what defines groundbreaking, controversial YA fiction --- and barrels right through it. With plenty of passion, intensity and reckless behavior throughout, this tornado of a book illuminates a number of haunting life questions and shocking answers that will gnaw away at readers' consciences long after the final page has been turned. Seventeen-year-old Carolina "Nine" Livingston is what most adults would call "a good kid." She excels in school, doesn't drink or do drugs, and gets along with her parents. She has one friend (Schuyler Green, a boy) whom she's known since grade school, and spends much of her time thinking about the universe and reading poetry. For most of her life, she has lived a fairly normal existence until the day she locks eyes with Mr. Mann, her English teacher --- the split second when everything changes forever. From that moment on, Nine and Mr. Mann are inseparable. From the classroom to the bedroom, the two exchange more than their fair share of witty banter and clandestine touches (including Nine's virginity, when she is safely eighteen), until Mr. Mann's decision to end the affair with an abrupt "Everything has to stop." Naturally, Nine is heartbroken --- especially when she finds out that he is getting married to a girl she's never heard of before. It is at this point that the novel gets interesting, albeit twisted. Aside from the shocking ending that verges on the unbelievable, TEACH ME's premise is not that far-fetched and poses a number of questions that are relevant to teens today. It presents an honest and somewhat grotesque picture of what is possible between a grown man and a young girl (however implausible to some more conservative readers), and illuminates what could happen when that connection gets out of hand. Nelson's first novel is a mouthful to digest, and one that certainly should be taken seriously both as a crossover work of fiction and as a commentary on what's possible in the world today. --- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

This book is truely amazing. The love they share is utterly breath taking. I reccommend it very much! In the beginning it's a little slow. The middle and ending parts kept me guessing each word I read. It's such a powerful book.