• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 15.

• Is it any good?

  2.0

• Common Sense says

  Crass, explicit novel tries to be provocative, ends up lame.

Why We Rated This for Ages 15–17

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  The book tries to seem feminist by having lesbian characters in Olivia's play sing about a "land where the men do the chores" and there are "no macho guy wars." But this simplistic, throw-back view of the sexes does not seem very fresh or contemporary.  Indeed, lesbians are portrayed as man-haters, saying "Down with men!" Max, Trish, and Olivia try to support Zeke after Zeke's friend dies, but this death is treated as a minor subplot with a character who did little else other than smoke pot; it's hard to work up much empathy. Although the novel starts by making it seem like Olivia is working through issues about her dad through her writing, nothing is resolved.
• Role models:

  When Zeke asks if Max would date Trish, Max says she is a little overweight but "she's got big t--s." Boys in Olivia's play are disrespectful of girls, saying such things as "Drunk girls rule" and "Go bag some chicks." They discuss how they "slam," "bang," and "screw" chicks. Max gets drunk and has sex with an older college student he met one time; he confesses this to Olivia to prove his honesty. Olivia forces Max to pass a "test" but later admits it was rigged to force him to prove he would fight for her. On the positive side, Dick promises to be loyal and faithful to Jane at the end of the play. Unfortunately, the message is he can't do this without the threat of castration.

• Violence:

  In Olivia's play, a group of lesbians at a meeting sing a song called "Castration Celebration," saying "Every boy in this nation/ is subject to castration . . . Take a knife, drop the mop,/ All is takes is just one chop." One girl suggests "trashing" the boys' locker room but none of the others go for it.
• Sex:

  Sexual innuendos and talk about sexual acts of all kinds pervade the novel. Olivia walks in on her father "being blown" by one of his graduate students. There are several discussions about castration, penises, and genital-related toys. There is an ongoing riff about having sex with sheep. Two boys dare each other to "jack off" on a desk during class. Max says midgets' mouths "are a perfect height" and finds Pat the Bunny "highly erotic." Max writes a song about Twilight's Edward "going down" on Bella during her period. Sluggo notes that lining up Wilt Chamberlain's "p---y" would stretch to China. They sing a song about "wackin' off," mentioning STDs, threesomes, and "pornos." Jane loses her virginity to Dick. Biff sees his parents having sex, "riding her like a horse." Two boys kiss; one says gay sex "hurt a little in a good way." Olivia and Max sleep naked but don't have sex because he doesn't have a condom. Girls gossip about a teacher hitting on students and sleeping with one. Characters turn "Shakespeare" into "baby, shake my spear."
• Language:

  Frequent swearing, including" "f--king," "f--k," "s--t," "holy s--t," "bulls--t," "p---y," "faggot," c--ksucker," "t--s," "asshole," and "Oh my God."
• Consumerism:

  The novel is set at Yale. Some product mentions, such as Barbie, iPod, Sour Patch Kids, and Pringles. Several celebrities are mentioned by name. Max goes shopping at J. Crew and Urban Outfitters.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Olivia jokes about getting drunk and taking painkillers. With a fair amount of detail, Zeke and Max get high on pot several times (Zeke brings a half-ounce stash to last him through the summer); they get caught by the police once. Max says (with admiration) that Zeke "is like a professional pot smoker." One of Zeke's friends dies from substance abuse (vaguely mentioned). Max gets drunk at a party and has sex with a young woman he met on the train.

What Parents Need to Know

About Castration Celebration

Families Can Talk About