Winger

Smith, A. (2013). Winger. NY: Simon & Schuster. This book is about a “skinny-ass loser” that is two years younger and lots of pounds lighter than his classmates at a boarding school for rich kids. Ryan Dean West, nicknamed Winger, is the main character. He is smarter than his classmates, but also a little rebellious which is what gets him sent to the bad boys dormitory. The story shows us his love for his older best friend, Annie. It also chronicles his relationship with his gay best friend, Joey. We also see first hand what it’s like to be repeatedly bullied. Sadly, the story ends with Joey being merciless beaten to death. You can’t help rooting for the scrawny, smart, athletic guy that gets bullied by his classmates. This reminded me a lot of “Looking for Alaska” with the boarding school setting and the small group of friends just trying to get from one day to the next. The cartoons and diagrams drawn by Winger really add a relatable touch to the story. I felt the death of Joey should have been written earlier in the book so the characters could deal with it more extensively. I appeared to be an after thought and then the book just ended. This is a good example of contemporary realistic fiction. In this novel, we see the good, the bad and the ugly and that is real life. The reader can sympathize with Winger dealing with the bullies. They can also sympathize with his love for Annie and his dedication to his best friend Joey.