Living with Jackie Chan
-
-
4.3 • 11 Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive. This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with his Jackie-Chan-obsessed uncle, Larry, and trying to forget. But Josh can’t forget. So many things bring back memories of last year and the night that changed everything. Every day the pain, the shame, and the just not knowing are never far from his thoughts. Why is he such a loser? How could he have done what he did? He finds some moments of peace when he practices karate with Stella, the girl upstairs and his one real friend. As they move together through the katas, Josh feels connected in a way he has never felt before. He wonders if they could be more than friends, but Stella’s jealous boyfriend will make sure that doesn’t happen. And maybe it doesn’t matter. If Stella knew the truth, would she still think he was a True Karate Man? Readers first met Josh in Jumping Off Swings which told the story of four high school students and how one pregnancy changed all of their lives. In this companion book, they follow Josh as he tries to come to terms with what happened, and find a way to forgive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In an afterword, Knowles writes that this companion to Jumping Off Swings (2009) sprang from readers asking what happened to Josh, whose one-night stand with Ellie led to a baby given up for adoption. Teen pregnancy stories from a male perspective are few and far between, and this one deals with regrets rather than responsibility, since Josh bails completely, never speaking to Ellie about their encounter and changing high schools to avoid seeing her after she gives birth. He moves in with his ber-energetic Uncle Larry and agrees to help him teach karate summer camp at the Y, where he's paired up with Stella, a pretty classmate who lives in their building. This is an especially well-crafted sequel readers need not have read the first book to get caught up in Josh's agony but there isn't a lot of plot. It follows Josh's interior journey from self-hatred to self-forgiveness, as he slowly accepts that he's a good person who made a bad choice, and takes the first step toward moving forward from it. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
It's wonderful!
This is absolutely one of the best books I've ever read! Jo Knowles is an amazing author that I will definitely be reading more of. Read the first book, Jumping Off Swings, and you will fall in love with this one just like I did.