Castration Celebration is a 2009 young adult novel by Jake Wizner.[1] The book was released on May 26, 2009, through Random House and follows the events of a group of friends during their summer together at Yale University’s summer arts program. Shakespeare Shapiro from Wizner's previous novel Spanking Shakespeare makes a short appearance in this novel.
 | |
| Author | Jake Wizner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | May 26, 2009 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print Hardcover |
| Pages | 291pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-375-85215-2 |
Synopsis
editThe book follows Max and Olivia, two teenagers that are attending a summer arts program at Yale. Max is a drama student while Olivia is in the process of writing a feminist musical about the sex lives of teenagers and their often unrealistic portrayal in high-school movies. The two characters clash, as Olivia has chosen to stay away from men while Max has a goal of trying to pick up every woman he meets.
Critical response
editReception for Castration Celebration was mixed to negative,[2][3][4] with Kirkus Reviews commenting that the characters often came across as "caricatures rather than three-dimensional characters".[5] Publishers Weekly also gave a mixed review, saying that although American Pie fans would enjoy the novel, "the relentless and explicit banter can be exhausting".[6] Common Sense Media panned the book overall, giving it 2 out of 5 stars and an overall summary of "Crass, explicit novel tries to be provocative, ends up lame".[7] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books also panned the book, saying that "while some readers will undoubtedly find the banter amusing in a shock-jock sort of way, the book reinforces tired battle-of-the-sexes and horny teen stereotypes, showing little respect for the complex intellectual or emotional capacities of its audience".[8]
References
edit- ^ Peyser, Andrea (Apr 27, 2009). "DIRTY TEEN TALE IS A CUT BELOW". New York Post. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ Review: Castration Celebration. Booklist. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ "Review: Castration Celebration". School Library Journal (Review index). Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ "Review: Castration Celebration". Horn Book Guide. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ "Castration Celebration". Kirkus Reviews. May 20, 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Children's Review: Castration Celebration". Publishers Weekly. 2009-05-18. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Castration Celebration (Review)". Common Sense Media. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ Coats, Karen (2009). "Castration Celebration (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 62 (11): 465. doi:10.1353/bcc.0.1053. S2CID 145358520.
External links
edit
 | This article about a young adult novel of the 2000s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |