The Obstacle Course

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME -- but different
Review: Awesome book, J F Freedman truly is a very gifted author. It's a complete 180 on his other books though. I recommed it highly.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME -- but different
Review: Awesome book, J F Freedman truly is a very gifted author. It's a complete 180 on his other books though. I recommed it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Tried To Write A "Holden Caulfield" Novel And Failed
Review: Freedman writes so well yet his plots go nowhere. I believe he is trying to teach the readers through his books, but - First of all - I'd rather be entertained, and - Secondly - I already know what it is he is trying to teach. This book is the story of a poor boy from the old drunken father/abused mother syndrome who dreams of attending the naval academy. He doesn't. That's it. If you want to know all of the mundane things he goes through to arrive nowhere, be my guest. Wish I had not read this.

Rating:
Summary: Sequel?
Review: I read 'Bird's-Eye-View' and really liked it. I decided to try Freedman's other non-legal titles starting with 'Obstacle Course'. It was great!!

I read at a quick pace. I found the first-person narrative through the eyes of 15 year old Roy Poole very interesting.

I agree with the other reviewers that the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. After 500 pages of reading through the eyes and thoughts of Roy Poole I could handle a good or bad ending for him but didn't like the question mark ending. I guess it's up to the reader to decide Roy Poole's fate.

Rating:
Summary: Hope there is a sequel
Review: I read the entire book and found it exciting to read. I could not help but root for this boy the entire way. I came from a similar back ground, white trash and living in some poor ghetto of South Carolina, and I too had a dream of someday going to the U.S. Naval Academy. I saw myself in him because of the sense of absolute hopelessness he had. He was trapped in an dysfunctional family and a nonsupportive environment and was doomed to go nowhere not because he was bad but because he had no opportunities. I never did get accepted to the Naval Academy but I did graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy - it sure was a rough way getting their. All those late nights studying, all those hours reading SAT study guides, an extra year in college and then to have gotten turned down by the Naval Academy twice but to get accepted by the U.S. Air Force Academy instead. I was disappointed in the book because the ending really left me hanging. I really hope that there is a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: VERY DIFFERENT from Freedman's other books
Review: OK, first, throw out of your mind all thoughts of Freedman's other books you've read (The Disappearance, Above the Law, etc). This book is TOTALLY different. No lawyers, no detectives, no murders...

Once you've done that, you're more ready to accept this book on its own terms: the coming-of-age story of Roy Poole, a young teen growing up in Maryland in the late 1950s.

This is Roy's story, told in his words. When you accept it as that, it is quite good, and at times enthralling. Young Roy is white and poor, and The Obstacle Course of his life takes him into contact with rich folks, black folks, and other folks. Through it all, he keeps his eye on his ultimate goal: to be a student at the US Naval Academy.

As a teen-age boy, Roy's thoughts return often to sex, and his gutter mouth will be offensive to some readers.

In the end, Roy finds out what all of us must at some point: that he's on his own in the world. He must stand with the results of his choices, and ultimately it will be Roy Poole that decides how much Roy Poole can accomplish. In that sense, the message of this book is a good one.

I was left unsatisfied, though, by the ending. Freedman did not seem to tie up the strings of the story into a satisfying knot. I was struck by the thought that the Roy we see at the ending is not consistent with the Roy we've seen before, and the central question of his future is not completely answered.

Or maybe the answer is up to the reader...to you and me.

Rating:
Summary: VERY DIFFERENT from Freedman's other books
Review: OK, first, throw out of your mind all thoughts of Freedman's other books you've read (The Disappearance, Above the Law, etc). This book is TOTALLY different. No lawyers, no detectives, no murders...

Once you've done that, you're more ready to accept this book on its own terms: the coming-of-age story of Roy Poole, a young teen growing up in Maryland in the late 1950s.

This is Roy's story, told in his words. When you accept it as that, it is quite good, and at times enthralling. Young Roy is white and poor, and The Obstacle Course of his life takes him into contact with rich folks, black folks, and other folks. Through it all, he keeps his eye on his ultimate goal: to be a student at the US Naval Academy.

As a teen-age boy, Roy's thoughts return often to sex, and his gutter mouth will be offensive to some readers.

In the end, Roy finds out what all of us must at some point: that he's on his own in the world. He must stand with the results of his choices, and ultimately it will be Roy Poole that decides how much Roy Poole can accomplish. In that sense, the message of this book is a good one.

I was left unsatisfied, though, by the ending. Freedman did not seem to tie up the strings of the story into a satisfying knot. I was struck by the thought that the Roy we see at the ending is not consistent with the Roy we've seen before, and the central question of his future is not completely answered.

Or maybe the answer is up to the reader...to you and me.

Rating:
Summary: Don't even bother
Review: This book is a total departure from his other works. A huge disappointment. I, too, wish I had not read it and encourage you not to waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: Good portrayal of a confused adolescent from poor family
Review: This is an excellent book. Realistic portrayal of a poor boy from a dysfunctional family who has dreams of a better life. Roy Poole builds ship models and dreams of going to the Naval Academy. His crude behavior, salty language and petty delinquency is in keeping with the socio-cultural group he hangs out with, actually the only group available to him until he meets the Admiral and his grand-daughter. All is going well until an unfortunate incident ruins everything. The one flaw in the book is the ending which leaves you unsatisfied. You hope for so much from this kid and its up to your imagination to sort out what his future brings for him. All in all its a worthwhile read and is a meaningful novel. Too bad the language and situations will keep it from being read in schools. I think it teaches a lesson---anyone can make a good life for themself if they make the right choices.