Being Henry David by Cal Armistead - ADVISABLE

Armistead, Cal  Being Henry David, 304 pgs.  Albert Whitman and Company, 2013.  $16.99 

Content: Language: R (90 swears; 3 “F”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

A seventeen year old boy wakes up in a train station not knowing his own name.  He is holding Walden and decides to name himself Henry David, or “Hank”.  Hank is found by Jack and Jack’s sister, Nessa, and they both live on the street working for a scary man named Magpie, who deals drugs.  Hank runs away from Jack and the Magpie situation to Walden Pond, where he meets and falls for a girl, and finds a guy named Thomas who helps him learn who he is.  

I really enjoyed this book.  The main character’s past unfolds a piece at a time, while his current life is interesting as well.  The story moves quickly and the tragedy that causes Hank’s memory loss is slowly revealed, yet completely explained.  This is a good book for boys with a strong main character who learns to face hardship.  There are drugs and a few fights.  

HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.