Stoner and Spaz

Stoner and Spaz (2002) will surprise you. Forget your preconceptions of whatever a "stoner" or "spaz" might look or act like.  Colleen and Ben a.k.a. "Stoner" and "Spaz," respectively, are likely far different than what you initially imagined. This book confronts a lot of taboo issues: drug use and abuse, sex, disabilities, and absentee parents. The suprisingly light, but authentic manner they're handled with make them approachable to teens and conducive to classroom discussion. When Ben makes a documentary about his high school classmates, his film mentor, Marcie, urges him to get beyond the stereotypes. That's exactly what the book does. Of course, there's a token jerk jock, but Ben, Colleen, and others are much deeper. That's part of what makes the story so raw, so real. It's not a fluffy portrayal of high school.

Here are a few salient quotes which I think best embody that sense of rawness that seep through the pages:

"Remember when Marcie asked us what kids were passionate about? Well, I like drugs. I'm passionate about drugs" (Koertge 114).

"You should watch who you're calling names. You're this fucking loser who limps" (Koertge 71).

"Maybe you can start with them defined by race and sexual preference and move deeper. You're not going to know until you really talk to them" (Koertge 141).

The last quote is an especially piercing reminder for all of us. Even if we don't intend it, we often judge based on physiognomy. I think it encapsulates the inclusive ethos of our Edgewood experience thus far: don't judge, don't assume, and keep an open mind toward others.

Stoner and Spaz could be a stepping stone to the canon, as well as older films. Ben is a film junkie, but not the for the contemporary Hollywood crap, he loves the classics like you see on AMC. Literature classics like The Great Gatsby are mentioned as well as dozens of films, including Bride of Frankenstein and Apocalypse Now. It's likely to at least get students googling and IMDB-ing some of the titles.

Ben has a sharp, self-deprecating sense of humor which makes him very endearing. He's on my YA all-star protagonist team batting third behind Auggie Pullman and Arnold "Junior" Spirit (Don't worry, this is not an all-male team! Lucia Alvarez, Queen Elisa, and Katniss and her infinite "coolness" are in the lineup too.) At the crux of the story is Ben's initially befuddling, then touching, and always complicated relationship with Colleen. You've never met a pseudo-couple like Stoner and Spaz.