The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Chris Fuhrman

Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1994

Annotation: Francis and his three best friends (all artists, who learned under the great leader of the pack, Tim) are bored at Catholic school and in their last year. The novel starts with them getting in trouble for drawing Sodom vs. Gomorrah '74, a comic that depicts inappropriate scenes about the Nuns at their school. Francis is under the unfortunate circumstance of having a hernia and being in love with Margie Flynn. As the novel progresses, Francis deals with the issue of race and trying to understand that people of all different backgrounds can be good and bad. In the midst of this battle of knowing right from wrong he is faced with the test of hating certain people of different races and not basing this hatred on their racial profiling. In addition, Francis' relationship with Margie progresses as he learns her deep and dark secret, but does not know how to handle this information without the support of his friends. As an attempt for one last moment of glory with a mountain lion, the boys learn that being young does not always mean that they are invincible.

Reason for Nomination: This novel covers a multitude of issues that are prevalent to the early 1970's, such as racial backlash and trying to grow up. The lives of these boys revolve around their friendship, which is very normal for boys of this age group. In addition, I believe that Chris Fuhrman depicted the feeling of invincibility within most 14-year olds so well, that I nearly forgot that Francis was not actually a real boy writing this story. The heroic attempts of the boys to do something great and get revenge from the bullies keeps the reader cheering for something great.

Genre: Coming of Age Novel/Extra Credit