Head Over Knees by Eric Schlich, 2016
The magic trick:
Putting the extraordinary selfishness of adolescence on display
This story does a very nice job of highlighting that unfortunate yet all-too-familiar hallmark of youth: the stunning propensity for selfishness.
Here, our protagonist has a reaction to death that might make you wince. But before you judge too harshly, consider how much you can probably relate.
And that’s quite a trick on Schlich’s part.
The selection:
In seventh grade, on the bus ride home from school, I heard what happened to the Stokleys. How late Friday night the oldest Stokley son, Jared, had driven home from a movie he’d seen with friends and parked the family van in the garage. Jared Stokley was sixteen, he’d just gotten his license. He was a careful driver. Hands on ten and two, mirror checks, all that. His parents trusted him to knock on their bedroom door to let them know he was back, safe and sound.
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