It's Kind of a Funny Story

by Ned Vizzini

Overview

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job—Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That’s when things start to get crazy.


"Intimate, real, funny, ironic...This book offers hope in a package that readers will find enticing.”, Booklist


“Insightful and utterly authentic...this is an important book.”, The New York Times Book Review

At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he’s just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping—until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it’s definitely a funny story.



“Funny… Vizzini supplies personal insights and a clever, self-deprecating tone that make the book an entertaining read.” - The Washington Post

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786851973
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/01/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	21,795
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ned Vizzini began writing for TheNew York Press at the age of fifteen. At nineteen, he had his first book published, Teen Angst? Naaah…. Ned is also the author of Be More Chill, the first young adult novel ever chosen as a Today Show Book Club pick, as well as one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top Ten Books for 2004. Ned lives in Brooklyn, New York.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This book offers hope in a package that [listeners] will find enticing, and that's the gift it offers." —-Booklist Starred Review

Editorial Reviews

"This book offers hope in a package that [listeners] will find enticing, and that's the gift it offers." ---Booklist Starred Review

From the Publisher

After acing his entrance exam for an elite high school in Manhattan and beginning his studies there, teenager Craig Gilner is cracking under the pressure and feeling more and more depressed by the day. His thoughts of suicide lead him to check into the mental ward of his local hospital. Robert Fass portrays the introspective teenager in an age-appropriate and evocative manner, laying out his insecurities, worries, and desires in the straightforward voice of a 15-year-old. Fass varies his depiction of the colorful cast of characters Craig meets in the hospital, providing distinct voices and mannerisms for each one. Craig's progress and growing self-awareness throughout his crisis are evident, and Fass's characterization is befitting throughout. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2012 - AudioFile