Being Henry David

I imagined myself in the shoes of Hank and thought I might not survived what he'd been through. It was already pretty crazy remembering where you put something or where you lost it, so imagine how insane I'll get trying to remember who am I and where I'm from. Plot-wise, I think it was unique and really has a strong impact to readers. I admit, I wasn't able to grasp it not until I reached nearly half of the book. I was familiar with Henry David Thoreau's name but have not got the chance to read his works. So I need to be able to understand how things will work without a background about the mentioned books. But I was able to weave through it and I think it is good that even those who are not familiar with the story that inspired it would be able to understand and still relate to it. Another good point that helped me to be able to adapt was how the author interrelated her own to Henry David Thoreau's. It was patterned on the latter and was fused together to create a new one. I love how it was able to both inspire and motivate the protagonist.

With the characters, I personally love Hank. He is a potential fictional boyfriend (or a potential one in real life). I find him sexy. Oh yes, definitely in a mysterious and intellectual way. I see him as the typical heartthrob but what makes him standout is his enigmatic presence that you will eventually discover while reading the book. I seriously saw myself swoon all over him. He was almost perfect. Hank is one of the few male protagonist that I think can be actually real but as usual difficult to find. I also love Thomas! I adore his character! I love how he was into history and books. He is such an animated character that every reader will enjoy.

This book values love, friendship, reading books and most importantly, finding oneself (literally and figuratively speaking).

Started a little slow for me but then wow. I loved it. Great ending.

As a lover of Walden and other Thoreau writings I wish that Hank had ended up living more of his philosophies. However, there are lots of references to his work and life throughout the novel and the librarian is definitely a Thoreau-esque role model. For teens who have likely not been introduced to his work there is plenty to chew on. But the inclusion of Thoreau things is really a small issue, probably only important to his fans. The meat of the story is something that will capture teens' attention beginning with the gritty New York setting and the events that happen there, including the odd homeless man who eats anything he finds - both good hooks for selling the book. Hank's memory loss coupled with the few things that come back to him - such as the fact that he's a great guitar player - keep the reader interested to find out what's going on. His girlfriend in Concord has secrets of her own that are woven in which also builds suspense. This is a good piece of realistic fiction with a bit more depth than some other YA titles. My only complaint is that I got tired of Hank running away from help. The librarian was clearly non-judgmental and tried to make a couple of deals with Hank which he kept breaking. If he hadn't the book couldn't have included the importance of the mountain, but I was a bit exasperated with Hank by that point.

I really enjoyed this book. I have recommended it many times to kids looking for realistic fiction with heart

The writing alone makes this book worthwhile. The book starts off with a character who doesn't know who he is in New York City. What a hook! I love using first chapters with my students to discuss suspense, conflict, setting, and characterization. When the writing is quality, you know that the students will be engaged and devour not only the first chapter, but that they will beg for the rest of the book! This would be an interesting read aloud at the high school level, and would be great for a classroom library.