Ben Wolf discovers that he has an incurable illness, and has one year left to live--his senior year of high school. He makes two important decisions. First, he decides to live every day to the fullest, doing things he never expected of himself before. He goes out for the football team, even though he's a cross-country running star. He sets his sights on Dallas Suzuki, a girl who doesn't know he exists, yet. And he befriends an outcast in the town who has trouble with alcohol, and a secret Ben wouldn't have guessed. And for his second major decision, Ben decides that he's not going to tell anyone that he's sick.
I loved this book. Ben Wolf is an easy character to cheer for, and his attitude towards his disease, and the choices he makes are rationalized in such a way that it's easy to agree with him. The story isn't just about Ben. Crutcher deals with so many serious issues and characters all in one story, yet it all fits together like a puzzle. Dallas Suzuki isn't just the girl from the volleyball team that Ben wants to date, she's got issues of her own, and their relationship isn't as easy as a television movie might be. The town outcast Ben befriends has a secret so serious and shocking that it almost stalls Ben from creating the friendship. The relationship between Ben and his parents is painful and hard to read, but it's made up for by his relationship with his coach and his brother. The town bully even has a dark secret, and in the end becomes a character you have sympathy for. The only criticism I had of the book as a whole was the epilogue. I felt that it was unnecessary and took away from the seriousness and depth of the book. Overall, Crutcher does not disappoint. I highly recommend this book.
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