Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer, Peter Lerangis

Summary:

Ben has always had it pretty easy--with no acting experience, he landed the lead in his high school musical, and he's dating the prettiest girl in school. Haunted by memories of 9/11, he makes the decision to enlist in the army--with devastating consequences. Somehow nobody ever thought Ben would be one of the soldiers affected, but after his convoy gets caught in an explosion, Ben is in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is, and he doesn't remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres. Although he will never be the person he once was, this is the story of his struggle and transformation.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 160 pages (hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: February 7th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Last month I was lucky enough to snag this one from the library before too many people put it on hold since it was in the "New" pile and I had heard some pretty decent things about it. Luckily it turned out to be worth the read!

While the book is extremely short (by my standards at least) I thought that the author(s) did a bang up job setting the story up carefully and in a way that is accessible to read for the older and younger teens who may read this book.

The book itself was written really well. Since I really don't want to write any spoilers in the post for anyone who may pick it up in the future let me just say that the book was a commendable effort on the part of the authors. While there was a lot of sadness in the book there was also the resounding feeling of hope that lasted all the way through.

I really enjoyed how the whole book was written which is rare for me since I generally don't read contemporary YA novels. Since Ben was sent of to fight in the war it is a subject that touches home for many people not just the American people because The British and The Canadians are also dying in the sand with soldiers from other nations too. However the book makes a point that sometimes even if the men and women are lucky enough to come home sometimes they come back different.

This is a story of love, loss, forgiveness, redemption and the power of family no matter if that family is through blood or forged in bands of strong lifelong friendships. It was a dramatic and beautifully written novel that I highly recommend to those who enjoy contemporary YA novels.

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★