This book is an interesting look at the life of young adult author Chris Crutcher. It was a quick read. I think the book gives much insight to many of Crutcher's fiction novels. I liked the book, but wouldn't recommend it to someone that hasn't read at least a couple of Crutcher's books.

The strengths included an honest look at Crutcher's life, though he does acknowledge both at the beginning and end of the book that it is the story of his life as he remembers it and memories aren't always accurate. I also think that many of the stories Crutcher tells about sibling rivalry and the desire to fit in are ones that many readers can relate to.

The weaknesses would include many references to Crutcher's books that it really helps to have read. ( )

This will find some resounding chords with young adults and their mentors and advisors, as it makes us reflect upon our actions and the opportunities that we must grab and not let pass us by. Funny and...painful. ( )

Richie's Picks: KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: AN ILL-ADVISED AUTOBIOGRAPHY by
Chris Crutcher, Greenwillow, April 2003

" 'Wanna do something neat?' are four words that strike terror in my heart to
this day. My answer was always yes when the question came from my brother.
Then he'd tell me what the neat thing was, and it would always seem not so
neat until he explained how what seemed like something that could really get
you in trouble was, in fact, neat. Then I'd get in trouble."

Chris Crutcher's outrageous tales of being a little brother, a young scholar,
a doomed outdoorsman, and an athlete of questionable repute caused me to
convulse with laughter to the point where my head started to hurt, and I
began figuring that just one more story like the last one and I'd surely pee
my pants.

And lying just below the surface of this wacky World According to Young
Master Crutcher is a sparkling mine full of poignant vignettes and
profound-yet-simple truths about a youngster coming to terms with God, with
death, with family, with intolerance, and with his place in the world.

In KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER, Chris Crutcher goes on to talk from the heart
about his idea of real heroes and reveals several brief (and heartbreaking)
glimpses of his work as a child and family therapist. He gives us a look at
his path to becoming a writer. By the time he's done, readers have a sense
of how the experiences and revelations have melded together into those honest
and gritty novels that we know and love him for, and which earned him the
2000 Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring lifetime contribution in writing for
teens.

Chris Crutcher is a consummate storyteller. He's also a guy who knows how to
slice through the crap that authority figures often try feeding to kids.
Those two hundred plus pages of KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: AN ILL-ADVISED
AUTOBIOGRAPHY passed by much too quickly for me. Teens will be certain to
eat this book up in a hurry and rush out to meet all of those characters he's
brought to life over the past two decades.

Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy at aol.com ( )

Absolutely hysterically funny. One of the most enjoyable memoirs I've ever read ( )

Ever wonder what childhood was like for your favorite author? Not just the “born in the country, raised in a log cabin,” sort of thing, but the embarrassing, mind-boggling moments in high school or church or on the summer job? Well here’s your answer. Chris Crutcher writes his own ill-advised biography that will answer a lot of your questions about how he started writing and where his stories come from. Did you ever ask yourself how the term Stotan came into existence? Or how the author got the inspiration for Angus? Or maybe you just wanted to be let in on the secret of Esus, Jesus’s older brother. This hilarious biography tells the story of how the crybaby of the Crutcher family became one of the best writers for young adults.

Crutcher’s autobiography is funny and touching. While he brings up some difficult issues (particularly his relationship with his parents), he mostly keeps the story lighthearted. After reading about Crutcher’s life, you begin to understand some of the trends in his characters. He skillfully connects his childhood stories with deeper meanings that make the reader stop and think. ( )