Rating:  Summary: Thumbs Up! Review: 20-year-old Marty Beckerman is doing his part to keep us old folks on the cutting edge with his fictionalized memoir, Generation S.L.U.T. (That stands for "Sexually Liberated Urban Teen," if you're wondering.) It's the story of Max, a naïve and inexperienced teen, and his best friend Brett, a shallow party boy, attempting to navigate the murky waters of the so-called "teen hookup culture." Easily evading the clumsy disciplinary efforts of their clueless parents, Max and Brett's crowd gather at parties for anonymous sex, meet online for hasty late-night trysts, and regularly attempt suicide in despair over their tragic, tragic lives. Brett drags a reluctant Max into the scene just as Max meets, and falls for, a new neighbor: the lovely Julia, who's conveniently emancipated from her parents. Brett is also attracted to Julia, and has no compunctions about stealing her away from Max, but first, he's got other business to attend to - revenging himself upon Trevor, the multimillionaire whiz-kid investor and all-around sleazebag who's wooed Brett's true love away from him, only to use her for his own diabolical ends. If this is really what the teen years are like, it's a miracle anyone makes it out alive. Still I must admit I enjoyed this novel -- it's entertaining and oddly compelling. So thumbs up! Another book I enjoyed was The Losers Club by Richard Perez -- somewhat different in tone, yet also about the nuttiness of youth and yes relationships.
Rating:  Summary: Nothing new under the sun Review: Anyone praising this novel as original has likely not read its multitude of predecessors, and many are so much better.Beckerman is certainly a talented writer and may have something more to offer as he matures, but he provides little here that hasn't been done much better by Bret Easton Ellis (LESS THAN ZERO) and Jay MacInerney (BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY). Even the mediocre TWELVE by Nick McDonell has a little more to offer. The sexual subject matter here is descriptive but seems rather silly at some points, and no more shocking than your basic MTV video. I'll keep an eye out for his next book, but this one is second rate.
Rating:  Summary: Nightmarish indictment of contemporary teen life Review: As a novel, this isn't much. The writing comes across as somewhat amateurish and it doesn't help that huge chunks of the book are devoted to large print statistics or the author's autobiographical sexual experiences.
But this book is worth reading if you want to understand contemporary teen despair (at least for some). Ashley's explanation for her promiscuity and her resulting suicidal tendencies at the end of the book are poignant and don't come across as stilted or preachy. And the brutal gang rape of Quinn (Brett's flighty star-struck ex-girlfriend) literally gave me nightmares. At one point, Beckerman (in one of his copious footnotes) blames feminism and the resulting absentee parenting on the screwed-up life of these teens. But the adults who are in the book are either inept in a beaurocraticized way, or completely dysfunctional (like Julie's alcoholic parents.) It all ends badly for everyone, except maybe for Max, the one teen who hasn't (yet) gone completely emotionally numb or haywire.
Rating:  Summary: Disturbingly Honest Review: Generation S.L.U.T. is not for everyone. Some readers will find the fictional story as literary pornography, while others will appreciate its fresh candor on the sex lives of today's teenagers. No doubt, if a reader were to consume only certain parts of the book, many different descriptions could be made of it. However, its sum total is a truthful and necessary message for parents, teenagers, and educators. Marty has taken the veil off of a once secretive subject, and has served it as a full course meal to the unaware, and uninitiated. The book maintains a status of being for everyone, yet it's not for everyone. If you have a strong stomach, much like the kind needed to hear stories about surgery or bathroom mishaps at the dinner table, then you'll be able to handle this book. You can read the full review at FamilyResource.com
Rating:  Summary: Ehhhh.... Review: I was very excited to receive this book, but I wasn't really all that impressed after reading it. It had some interesting facts in it, and the storyline was something a 14 year old would write, so all in all, it was just okay. Wasn't really a waste of time to read, just a waste of money to purchase.
Rating:  Summary: All right Review: The book was readable, and not as shocking or controversial as I was expecting. I got an amorphus message from it- I wasn't sure what the writer believed motivated his characters, and maybe that was the point- a lack of clarity and direction drives teens to destructive behavior.
Rating:  Summary: Scary, Yes. True, No. Review: There are two very frightening things about this book: the fact that the author seems to believe what he's saying, and the fact that others who haven't recently been teenagers may believe him also. But there aren't any actual facts in Generation S.L.U.T. Even many of the statistics that Beckerman has compiled are disputable and based on questionable data collection methods. His analysis of why today's adolescents are "sex-crazed" is that the feminist movement is to blame, yet he does no analysis of the male villain of the fictional sections of this book, a young man who turns disturbing power fantasies into reality. In fact, all of his fictional characters lack development-Beckerman created so much external drama that the real internal struggles are never apparent. Which is sad, because there is a lot to be said for the young and depressed who are often feeling too alone to say anything for themselves.
This book purports to be a voice for Generation Y, but Beckerman is too caught up in his own misogynistic universe to really analyze the situation with true depth. If you want to find out what's really going on with today's young people, I suggest you speak to someone a little more balanced . . . unfortunately, the balanced ones don't seem to be published.
Rating:  Summary: whoa. *stunned* Review: This book is an amazing compilation of all the unspoken ravages of teenage sex life. The beauty of the book is that it intertwines great fiction with the real life statistics to back up the message. We ARE creating a generation devoid of the capability to equate sex with true emotional attatchment. Marty Beckerman is one of the first authors I've seen slam that reality into our faces in prose that speaks to everyone. Its a reality that cannot be ignored, and he is an author that refuses to be ignored. This book has changed my life and showed me why I feel such an innate disdain for emotionally vacant sex fiends. If it would cost $1000 I would sell my possessions to get a copy, because it is one that is worth owning, one that I know I will read again, and probably again and again. Once you experience it yourself and wrap your brain around the message, you'll understand and you'll be forever grateful that you did.
Rating:  Summary: REALITY CHECK Review: This is a work of fiction.
Please try and remind yourselves of this before writing any further reviews. It is fiction...... Not based on true events either. No supporting interviews. Geezum this is a portrayl of teenage life in the authors fictional world.
Its just a lame story.
Rating:  Summary: Worth Reading? Review: This may be the truth for a good sum of today's youth, but not for everyone of this generation. There are people, young men and women, who feel self worth and respect for themselves and their bodies. This book should be a wake-up call to today's parents. If you don't know what's going on with today's kids, read it. If you do know what your kids are doing or have a good idea, you definitely don't need to read this book. Birth control has changed the rules, giving women a lot more freedom and choices. Birth control shouldn't give men the right to be disrespectful. The passages in this book paint a reality that is sad and alarming. Our kids' behavior reflects a culture and society that has lost its sense of meaning and value for our bodies, our selves, and our sense of family.
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