A teenager holds the moral high ground, but doesn't know what to do there until wise advice sets him straight. Bo Brewster has already taken years of bullying from his father; when his football coach/English teacher tries the same tactics, Bo leaves the team, blows up in class, and winds up forced to join an early morning anger management group to stay in school. As both personal test and statement, he also begins to train intensively for Yukon Jack's Eastern Washington Invitational Scab- Land Triathlon. Crutcher's background as a family therapist comes out on nearly every page here, as Bo writes analytical letters to talk-show royalty Larry King, conversations within the group become confessions, and the presiding teacher—cast as a drawling Texan ex-bronco rider of Japanese descent—dispenses perceptive comments about anger, fear and self-knowledge. Bo is surrounded by a colorful array of sages (including Lion Serbousek, baddest of the bad in Stotan!, Greenwillow, 1986, and now, ironically, a school counsellor who is gay), jerks and journeymen adults with damaged souls—most of whom are groping their way toward maturity. As always, Crutcher tells a potent, well-knit story, with moments both horrific and hilarious, and a cathartic but not unrealistic ending. Less intense than Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes (Greenwillow, 1993), this is still strong enough to carry its messages with reasonable ease. (Fiction. 12+)"

When one of his frequent outbursts lands him in an anger management class, Bo interrupts his triathlon training to spend two mornings a week discussing personal issues with a group of emotionally wounded classmates. Crutcher again demonstrates his genius for tackling big issues and thought-provoking philosophies; the novel doesn't strive for easy answers but does ask many intriguing questions of its characters and its readers.

Crutcher reassembles some of the character types he used to riveting effect in his stellar Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes: a teenage misfit narrator enduring grueling athletic training; a tough heroine with a tragic past; a right-wing authoritarian heavy; enlightened teachers; and a sadistic father. At its best, the narrative crackles along in the author's inimitable style. Beauregard Brewster, a would-be Ironman triathlete, chronicles the events that ensue after he insults an oppressive teacher and is forced to take an anger-management class with other troubled students. But Crutcher's message sometimes overwhelms the cast and the story line. Beau's stern father, who has to be right at all costs-even if it means stacking the deck against his son-is one of the few fully fleshed-out characters. Many are either saintly multiculturalists (Beau's gay swimming coach, earlier met in Stotan; ``Mr. Nak'' the Japanese cowboy anger-management teacher; the black female high school principal) or, in the case of the offensive teacher, outright villains. In spite of these flaws, Crutcher achieves many memorable moments-exchanges between the students in the anger-management class, for example, are idealized but often deeply moving. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

Starred Review Ironman Beauregard Brewster yearns to excel in the upcoming Yukon Jack swimming-biking-running triathlon--not your run of the mill rapid-stroll-through-hell event either. Seventeen-year-old Beau carries around quite a bit of attitude, however, and has just been suspended for a major run-in with his football coach and English teacher, Keith Redmond. In a series of unsent letters to TV and radio personality Larry King, the novel's main narrative device, Beau pours out his rage, his dreams, and his life story. We meet Beau's father, whose difficult relationship with his son bears strong resemblance to that between Redmond and Beau. Then there are the anger management group sessions at school that Beau has been ordered to attend. The wonderfully offbeat group members and their adult leader ultimately nurture Beau in believable fashion. Stotan! readers will recognize Lionel Serbousck, now a young--and, incidentally, gay--journalism teacher and important mentor. With its highly charged intensity channeled into riveting prose, an array of eccentric and strong characterizations, and dramatic plot climax (messagey conclusion notwithstanding), Ironman is a combination of the psychological and the sports novel at their best. (Reviewed Mar. 1, 1995)

Gr 9 Up--Bo Brewster, a high school senior, is forced to attend anger-management classes after a series of run-ins with his English teacher/ex-football coach. Since those in the class are considered ``felons'' by outsiders, he figures the best he can hope to do is survive. The group's teacher, Mr. Nak, a Japanese American from Texas, deftly draws Bo into participating in the class, allowing him to learn plenty about himself and the running war that he has waged with his father for years. Bo spends most of his time outside of school training rigorously in preparation for a grueling triathlon. An added twist finds Bo's father providing his arch rival with an expensive bike, hoping Bo will lose and learn a lesson. The story is presented in both a third-person account of events, and through Bo's eyes in letters he writes to talk-show host Larry King, the only adult he believes will listen. Through Crutcher's masterful character development, readers will believe in Bo, empathize with the other members of the anger-management group, absorb the wisdom of Mr. Nak, and despise, yet at times pity, the boy's father. This is not a light read, as many serious issues surface, though the author's trademark dark humor (and colorful use of street language) is abundant. Crutcher has consistently penned exceptional reads for YAs, and Ironman is one of his strongest works yet.--Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI