The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

My mom brought this book home one day after she stopped at the bookstore to get a book I needed for school. When I opened the bag to grab my book to go to school the next morning, and I saw a book with an apparently insane kid riding a book wielding a machete, I was a bit disturbed and concerned. When I got home from school, I read the back jacket and the book sounded pretty funny. When I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Being a sophomore in highschool and being in a private, Catholic highschool after going to nothing but public school before that, I could perfectly relate to the characters. Francis is almost entirely relateable, and funny. Tim Sullivan reminds me of a bunch of my friends. All in all this book was hysterical, until the end when the book suddenly shifted tone, and really became sad and moving, and I really sympathized for Francis. And I'm also really glad my mom didn't read it, like she was planning to. This book reminds me a lot of the movie "The Sandlot," both having real-to-life kids in a close group of friends, who you really begin like and feel like you know, and then ends in retrospect, telling of the kids' futures.

I came across this book ... I almost didn't buy it, but the fact that I did will go down in my own personal history as one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. After merely the first chapter, I was ready to call this book my all time favorite, and the rest of the novel does not disappoint. I don't know that I've ever been so moved before by a book, and I can't say for sure that you will (unless you're an alienated kid from the suburbs looking for love), but the book is a true gem and a pleasure to read nevertheless. After all of the ups and downs of the emotional ride that this novel presents, the biggest blow of all came when I discovered that the author, a newfound god in my estimation, had never lived to see its publication. If there is one single book that can totally sum up the joy, terror, beauty, humor and horror of youth and coming of age, it is Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.

I have repeatedly read The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys over the past five years. It has been swapped from family member to family member and from friend to friend. The ability the book has to appeal to such a wide audience, and continually gain a person's interest (even after reading it several times before) amazes me. This charming coming of age novel speaks to the experiences and innocent emotions each of us encounters during the akward age of adolescence. Chris Fuhrman captures the true essence of growing up, and tells his story in a way that will captivate each of his readers

After reading 'Altar Boys', I fondly looked back at the creation of other coming of age novels. Nothing I've read comes close to telling the trials and the daily struggles of being that misfit kid. Almost a parody, this tale of catholic life had me laughing, but shaking at the same time. It's not very often a book is this honest and understanding. A personal favorite.

I personnally think that "The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys" is the best book I've ever read. I am a teenager and it totally captured a tremendous amount of my thoughts as they really are, not "fake" ideas about teenagers like some authors do. I tried to do what the love of Francis's life did, and to see some of my feelings written out like this was simply amazing, and also very breath-taking. Never have I read a book like this before, and never willl I read one like it again. The ending of this book was so unexpected, it made me cry (honestly.) Then, to find out after I read the book and was ready to look for more work by Mr. Fuhrman, i was terribly shocked to read that he died. That made the book even sadder. This book cannot even be rated on the scale, it's to good to be put in a number.