Rash
by Pete Hautman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pete HautmanEdition: Paperback
Published: 2007-12-04
ISBN: 0689869045
Number of pages: 272
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Book Reviews of Rash
Book Review: A Football Book in Dystopian Wrapping
Summary: 4 Stars
Dystopia. It's the opposite of Utopia. It's a futuristic world where best intentions bring horrific results. And our protagonist, Bo Marsten, is stuck in one in the year 2074 in a country called the United Safer States of America (USSA), where just about everything with a whiff of danger is illegal.
But don't be fooled, especially if you are a teenage boy who likes football better than reading. This is really a football book, plain and simple, because football is illegal in the USSA, and when Bo gets sent to prison in the Canadian tundra for his violent temper (punching high school classmates -- not to mention calling them names -- is illegal, you see), he winds up on the warden's special "gold shirts" football team.
Turns out, Bo Marsten likes football. He likes hitting and running like the wind to avoid GETTING hit. The wrinkle here is that the football field at his prison is fenced in so that the polar bears of the tundra don't get in, and if the ball goes over the fence, then you have to go get it -- before the bear gets you, that is.
RASH is a bit predictable, but this is a small matter considering its strength is its fast-paced plot tailor-made for reluctant reading boys who love sports (and especially football). The heart of the book is the middle section, at the tundra prison, where you will meet wonderful characters like the warden, Elwin Hammer, a beefy menace who calls his charges "nails" (to be hammered into place if they act up, you see). Then there's Bo's 300-pound roomie, Rhino. His special play is the "nose dozer," where you give Rhino the ball and let him slowly gain momentum while opposing players try to tackle him. Lastly, there are the Bears. And I don't mean the kind from Chicago.
The beginning high school scenes and the anti-climactic final section are not as thrilling as the heart of the book, but that won't deter young readers. Trust me when I say that there's less "rash" and more "dash" to this book -- as in, the dash of a fullback heading upfield for a touchdown while an opposing prison football team gives pursuit. If you're a boy who likes football, check this book out. If you're a parent or teacher of a boy who likes football (but not reading so much), check this book out FOR him. You (and he) won't be disappointed.
Summary of Rash
Consumption of alcohol: Illegal.
Football and other "violent" sports: Illegal.
Ownership of guns, chain saws, and/or large dogs: Illegal.
Body piercings, tattoos: Illegal.
It's late in the twenty-first century, and the United Safer States of America (USSA) has become a nation obsessed with safety. For Bo Marsten, a teenager who grew up in the USSA, it's all good. He knows the harsh laws were created to protect the people. But when Bo's temper flares out of control and he's sentenced to three years of manual labor, he's not so down with the law anymore.
Bo's forced to live and work in a factory in the Canadian tundra. The warden running the place is totally out of his mind, and cares little for his inmates' safety. Bo will have to decide what's worse: a society that locks people up for road rage, or a prison where the wrong move could make you polar bear food.
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