about the book
Drugs, violence, racism, and the Irish mob rule Bellmont, the hometown of high school senior Finley. At home, Finley has to take care of his disabled grandfather by himself when his father goes to work, and though he knows it is the right thing to do, he secretly loathes his responsibilities. When he puts on his 21 jersey, however, everything seems to be all right.
The dribbling of the basketball soothes him, the sinking of a perfect shot the perfect outlet for his angst. He dreams of going on to become a star, his skills in basketball propelling him into a better life. Being the only white guy on his high school team is sometimes a challenge, though…
Then his coach introduces him to Russ, a young African American boy traumatized by the murder of both his parents. Now in a confusing and strange internal world of his own design, Russ only responds to the name “Boy21,” his former number, and says he is an alien from outer space. He is exceptionally good at basketball—a phenomenon, his school used to call him—but now he won’t even look at a ball.
As their senior year progresses, both Finley and Russ learn a lot from one another as they slowly reveal their past lives and tragedies. In the end, maybe all each of them needs is a good friend…
about the author
Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Matthew Quick lived in a blue-collar neighborhood. He was raised in a Protestant household on simple Bible stories and parables that have influenced his books thirty years later. As a teen. Matthew filled notebook after notebook with poems and stories, but coming from a family of bankers, he was not encouraged to write. He was even told his poetry was not good.
Majoring in secondary education and English, Matthew earned a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and a master’s degree in fine arts from Goddard College. After graduating, Matthew taught high school, but as he encouraged his students to follow their dreams, he felt hypocritical not following his.
Finally, his wife told him to go for it. Matthew quit his job and sold the house. He paddled the Amazon river, backpacked through southern Africa, hiked the Grand Canyon, thought a lot, and moved into his in-law’s unfinished basement to write.
Three years later, Matthew completed a manuscript, got an agent, and sold the adult novel The Silver Linings Playbook. Even before the book was released, the film rights were optioned, and the movie became an Oscar winner!
The young adult novel Boy 21 came about because of an observation Matthew made while he was teaching high school. He realized our culture doesn’t encourage boys to speak about their feelings, especially when it comes to boyhood friends. Yet, it is the intense friendships boys form during their teen years that shape much of their identity later on in their lives.
Matthew considers himself “a writer” only while he is actually writing! He makes his home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his wife, novelist Alicia Bassette, and their greyhound.
Source:
Author website
Author interview : Forever Rewrighting
Also by Matthew Quick:
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2013.
Sorta Like a Rock Star. Little, Brown and Company. 2010.
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