american boy by larry watson

our minnesota module comes to a close with american boy by larry watson. we have minnesota facts… but do we have more klobuchar facts? we play “say a nice thing about this novel” (and struggle, though point out it is a textbook example of what not to do in writing). we talk about the negative portrayals of literally every woman in the text, the lack of depth and the overabundance of explanation, a desire for horny writing (but failing in that regard), and needlessly over-explaining background info. we also have questions. would this novel be better if matthew was younger? what is the message? is there a message? why do we know nothing about johnny? joey tries to remember either a riddle or a joke (or… something). shreds reads the end aloud, which was buried behind a “thank you” page, and he also pitches an alternate ending. we close with a new game that doesn’t quite work, so feel free to skip to the end.

reading list for season nineteen

ruby and roland by faith sullivanvestments by john reimringeramerican boy by larry watson