Buddha Boy
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS
The kids at Edward Rucher High School call Jinsen "Buddha Boy" - he wears oversize tie-dyed dragon t-shirts, shaves his head and always seems to be smiling. Jinsen certainly doesn't help matters when he starts begging for lunch money in the cafeteria. Then Justin is paired with him for a class project. All Justin wants to do is get it over with and go back to hanging out with his friends...until he discovers Jinsen's incredible artistic talent. And the more he gets to know Jinsen, the more Justin questions his own beliefs. But being friends with Buddha Boy isn't simple, especially when Justin realizes he's going to have to take sides. What matters more: the high school social order or getting to know someone extraordinary?
Kathe Koja's classic novel of bullying introduces an unforgettable young man who reminds us of the true meaning of friendship and shows us how to draw strength from the little gods inside each of us.
"Koja accomplishes quite a feat with this novel...A compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people."
- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"By combining the elements of art and the tenets of Buddhism, Koja takes readers past the stereotypes of the picked-on kid, the relenetless bully, and the rescuing friend...A compelling tale of friendship and finding one's own inner strength."
- VOYA
"Quickly paced, inviting, and eye-opening, this is a marvelous addition to YA literature."
- School Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Koja (Straydog) accomplishes quite a feat with this novel narrated by high school sophomore Justin: she explores the tenets of Buddhism via an unlikely friendship between two classmates. Justin does not understand the odd behavior of transfer student Michael Martin, why he has a shaved head and begs for his lunch ("Like a monk, you know?" says Michael). But after a teacher pairs Justin with Michael who goes by "Jinsen," his spiritual name for a project, he begins to gain some insight into Jinsen's actions. The author cleverly structures the novel as a flashback, even as events unfold chronologically, so that readers can benefit from Justin's newfound knowledge of Jinsen's spiritual practice. For instance, the second chapter begins with a brief explanation of "karma" ("Karma means that what you do today, and why you do it, makes you who you are forever: as if you were clay, and every thought and action left a mark in that clay... but there are no excuses,... no I-didn't-really-mean-it-so-can-I-have-some-more-clay"), allowing Justin to circle back to this idea throughout the narrative. Koja convincingly paints Justin as "somewhere in the middle" of the high school social strata, so that when he takes a risk for Jinsen, who is taunted (called "Buddha Boy") and physically threatened by his classmates, readers see how far Justin has progressed in his own self-realization. A compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people. Ages 12-up.
