Punkzilla (by Adam Rapp)
common sense media says
Grim account of a runaway teen is intense and disturbing.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this contemporary fiction novel offers an intense, graphic portrayal of a runaway teen who abuses drugs and steals with little remorse. Jamie's first-person voice is honest and raw, with lots of cursing. He engages in many risky behaviors, including hitchhiking. The sex and violence are graphic and disturbing at times.
Violence:
A boy Jamie knows sticks mechanical pencils in cats' anuses. With little remorse, Jamie hits joggers over the head to knock them out so he can steal their iPods. Jamie says he sometimes feels like putting his head through a window so "the jagged pieces tear my neck apart." Jamie wakes up with another boy's hand down his pants "like he was intending to finger me in my sleep" (the boy thought he was a girl). An older man tries to entice boys into his room; he gives one boy wine and when the boy falls asleep, stands over him and masturbates. Jamie gets jumped in a bus station restroom; they break a forty of Budweiser over his head and steal all his money and gear. An older woman slaps Jamie across the face and he punches her in the chest.
Sex:
Jamie describes getting a "hand job" from a prostitute on a couple different occasions. Jamie hears that taking black market Viagra "makes sex way more intense, like you feel like you grow fangs." A man who gives Jamie a ride gets a hotel room and gives him oral sex. Afterward Jamie is "mad disgusted" and wants to smash the man in the head with his radio. He later calls the experience the "d--k-sucking saga." One of the homeless boys charges other boys a quarter to see naked pictures of his mother. Jamie gets stoned and has safe sex with a fellow teenager (described in some detail).
Language:
Jamie swears casually and constantly. The language include "s--t," "f--k," "motherf-ker," "piss," "t-tties," and "faggot-ass."Â He calls women "skeezers;" his friend calls a junior-high girl named "Easy Elise" a "ho" and "skanky-ass juice box." Jamie says one of the military school cadets is associated with a group that screams, "Out with the n--gers." Jamie calls God a "f--king d--k" for letting his brother get cancer and dismisses a woman as a "f--king skanky bitch."
Consumerism:
Jamie steals iPods and abuses Actifed. There are several mentions of name brands, including drugs, alcohol, soda, electronics, shoes, and video games.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Jamie is a drug user. He smokes pot and wonders if that messed up his hormones. He describes the after-effects of using meth. He gets drunk, abuses Actifed, and smokes clove cigarettes.
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Most useful reviews by all members
Brittany Skye
parent of 16 year old
parent of 16 year old
Perfect for the deep minded teen
It is quite an amazing trip to say the least! This book made me feel more human, it showed me the ideas of lower income places and to get into the mind of this young, demented boy was almost the most amazing thing I have ever read in a novel.
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Slutguts
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
...
i haven't read this book yet but just by reading the summery i cant tell it's going to be an amazing book ^.^
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ellanaRox
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
Very Good! You should read it, I freaking swear it IS good!
This was one of the best books I've ever read! The reason I don't think it was inappropriate was because he was confessing to his dying brother in letters the entire book. He knew he was wrong for everything. How is that a bad person? It's also written the way a teen would speak. No commas in the entire book! Jamie points this out to. He also hangs with the wrong crowd to survive not to be 'cool'. A woman he meets pursades him to say breasts instead of t*ts. That's good right? And oh yeah he is also trying to quit his meth habit.
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kalealynn
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
A Truthful Masterpiece
overall, this is a good book. when i first read it, i thought the book had too much wearing, and sex. but after a while, you begin to put yourself if jamies position. this book is really honest. it dosent try to trick you into thinking the character is perfect. it gives an honest truth about jamie, and how his life is. Overall, it was a very good book.
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