You Don't Know Me

Rating:
Summary: Convincing
Review: You Don't Know Me was, in the end, a pretty good book. The descriptions the narrator, John, gives of the abuse he goes through at home and what he endures during school hours seemed very realistic and believable. I could easily believe it if someone told me that the book wasn't actually fiction at all.

One thing that sort of bothered me, however, was the way the book could have been about half as long as it was. The narrator uses a lot of descriptive language, and a lot of metaphors and the like when he's talking, which is interesting for the first few chapters. Beyond that it just sort of gets repetetive. I admit, some of the stuff he says is pretty interesting, original, and it sort of makes you think. But then he starts saying the same type of thing again and again and it really starts to grate on your nerves.

The only other thing that bothered me, which was very, very minor, was the way what's-her-name Gloria had a pony. That was the only actual element of the book, besides the blown-up descriptions, that really rubbed me the wrong way.

But besides that, You Don't Know Me really is a good book, and is very convincing. You tend to feel a lot of sympathy for John. He is, as well as all the other characters, very well-developed. It's a book definately worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: You Don't Know Me
Review: I never thought I'd find myself laughing at a book. Being a 13 year old boy, it's very hard to find a book to read an actually enjoy it. I can't say I've ever really enjoyed a book that I read. I picked this book up at the book fair, the first pages had my doubts because of its freakish begininning. I really got into the book as I encountered realistic situations that would occur through the eyes of a teenage boy. I almost felt as if I was in a virtual reality game while someone else was controlling me. I often found myself staying up late night to read the book, and even found myself reading it in school. In school many people starred me down because I was laughing so hard. This book is truely well written and will make anyone entertained within seconds.

Rating:
Summary: You Don't Know Me
Review: I have to admit the first time I picked up this book I was a little doubtful. The first few pages confused me so much that I nearly stopped reading. But I was intrigued so I plowed through. Never have I been happier. This book is amazing. The main character John, narrates from a second person view and it works like a charm. Basically John is a boy who lives in a home thats not a home and has friends that aren't friends. He also has a man, who's not his father, physically abusing him. Despite the serious subject the book can be hilarious at times. He uses sardonic humor to completely draw the readers in. Put simply, this book has vaulted on top of my all-time favorite list, and I've read alot of books. Hilarious and thouroughly moving to the very last page.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: I liked this humorous book, and even laughed out loud.
ITs a cleverly written yet hard to follow book, about a teenage boy trying to make it through his homelife and school.
I strongly recommend this book because it was funny and sometimes you could relate to how he was feeling.

Rating:
Summary: You don't know me (but read my review anyway)
Review: OK, I know that was lame. But this book isn't. It's about real issues, serious and funny, told in a sardonic, sarcastic, realistic way. John's habit of answering people in his head is one of those strange things I thought only I did, and when you read this book you'll find out that you have more in common with this strange fourteen year old boy than you might expect.

Rating:
Summary: An Average Book
Review: You Don't Know Me
By: David Klass
Reviwed by: S.Ali
Period: P.6

The book You Don't Know Me is a very interesting book. At first John doesn't think he has a home, father, and he has a tuba that is really a frog. He thinks as if his home is not there. His father, actually his mother's boyfriend. Treats his badly, he abuses John. Later, his mother;s boyfriend gets caught. John and his mother are closer than they ever were.
I can't really say I liked the book. And, I can't say that I disliked the book. It was kind of in between. At times I liked the book but at other times I didn't. I liked it because he had a weird life."The frog seems to have gone to sleep in my arms, and no sound at all is coming out of the tuba that us not a tuba."
The reason I dislike the book You Don't Know Me. Is because his life doesn't seem real. I don't know why, but his life seems fake. It doesn't pop up at me. All i can say is at times the book is great. At other times it's not at it's best.
My favorite part in the book is when, John is finally away from his mother's boyfriend. I liked this part of the book for many reasons. One, being that he is reunited with his mother. Second, he is away from the one that beats him. Third, he is safe and he is getting better. I enjoyed reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: I do now.
Review: Funny and serious at the same time? Hard to accomplish when it comes to a book. David Klass did it perfectly. He uses soft words to promote a hard lesson in life - not everything is going to come out perfect. From the mall accident, to his first date with the-girl-who-swallowed-the-note, all the way to the final scene, you can get an idea as to what is going on, and how he feels throughout.
By the end of the book, you'll be able to distinguish a story from a truth. This I promise.

Rating:
Summary: Hard-hitting
Review: I've just finished reading You Don't Know Me, and there are still tears in my eyes. When I bought this book, I was reluctant. There are so many sob-story teen books on the shelves now, and I was almost positive I was going to ditch this book after one chapter. When I started reading, I was intrigued by David Klass' style of writing. His character, John, so unlike any other character I'd read of before, convinced me to continue reading. I ended up finishing the entire novel, slowly, one chapter at a time. The story was always compelling, never monotonous. As I read the last chapter, I felt a soaring sense of pride and sadness for John, as he comes out, his face mashed and his body bruised, from the beatings of 'the man who is not my father.' This book is not another teen sob-story. There are no words to describe this book, except, you don't know John until you've read this wonderful novel.

Rating:
Summary: You don't know me at all
Review: You don't know me is a wonderful book even though I haven't read the ending yet. When you first start reading it is kindof confusing. But it just pulls you in he says "I live in a house that is not a house with a man who is not my father" when i first read this i thought he was nuts but then it turns out it really isn't his father and the man is abusive. The main character John likes this girl Gloria who he call Glory Halleluja. So he give her a note and after she reads it she eats it. Why? Well he trys to figure it out this is a great book and I encourage everyone to read it.

Rating:
Summary: An orginal story
Review: Do you know that boy or girl in your class that seems to always be alone. He might be a bit quiet. He might talk strange. He might have very few friends. He might be in band. He might show up to school with bruises on his face but never really explains them because no one really cares about him. You may not even know his name. In fact you don't even know him. But you should because one day he might surprise you. This is a story about this person that you don't know.

John spends his life half hidden in the shadows. He goes to an anti-school, a place that claims to be a school but no one is really learns anything anyway. He has a teacher named Mrs. Gabriel that he calls Mrs. Moonface that doesn't want to be there. His band teacher wants to reach out and "help" him. He has an insane crush on a girl he calls Glory Hallelujah and a tuba that is really a bullfrog pretending to be a tuba. His mother is dating a man who is not his father who beats him. His father ("the man who named me after a toilet") left John years ago.

If your in the mood for a moving story about someone you've never really encountered before this is for you. Although John may seem strange at first you will lean that he is incredibly easy to relate to and most of the stuff he writes about is laugh out loud funny. Although he write s and talks in a way that is not very real, the world he lives in is the same world that we have all lived through freshman year of high school. David Klass has written a story that is both moving and funny at the same time, both touching and mysterious. This is the kind of book you'll be reading late into the night (I did!) I highly recommend it to fans of YA fiction with substance.