They lay together while watching tv and movies. It’s a crush that he’s allowed to act on in seemingly innocent ways. For him, it’s an attraction to an older girl. Jacob’s relationship is Megan is far from innocent, except that it’s not. The bar mitzvah thank you letters, the letters to Megan, and the family rules are a great vehicle to glimpse into Jacob’s thoughts without a lot of exposition or forced dialogue. It should be crude, but Braff’s skilled writing turns it into innocent discovery. We experience a London’s Blitz of slang terms for genitalia. He’s getting his knowledge from his older brother, Asher, the family boarder, Megan, and his school friend, Jonny. He’s at the height of his sexual awakening in an era when all things sexual weren’t available with the press of a few keys. Jacob is a young Jewish boy growing up in the late 70s- early 80s, starting when he’s ten and going until he’s fifteen. And parts of it are extremely funny, but other parts are heartbreakingly sad. Based on the vlog, I was sure this book was a comedy. I read it in its entirety in one sitting. But, I’d had my library order Joshua Braff’s (yes, that family of Braffs) The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green for their collection, so I felt like I should give it the old college try. I’ve tried 3-4 of the books from the list, but haven’t finished any of them. A couple months ago, John Green put out a list of book recommendations in one of his vlogs.
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