Book Review: The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner

Publisher: Astor + Blue
ISBN: 978-1938231018
Pages: 310
Format: eBook
Rating: 4
Age recommendation: Teen, Young adult, Adult

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1tWxLj7 
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/UkeQCO

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to review "The Car Thief" by Theodore Weesner. 

Alex Housman is a 16-year old kid who has already stolen fourteen cars. He skips school on some days, unbeknownst to his father who spends his after-work hours drowning his problems with alcohol. After being caught by the police, Alex is sent to the home for delinquent boys. Eventually released from the home, Alex shapes up his act only to fall into the rut again. The Car Thief is about hopelessness and hope, life going on in an imperfect world.

This story is different, one that isn’t easily forgotten. Looking through the lenses of Alex, the world seems grey. However, in the midst of the emptiness, we read about the characters who are kind, who care. These characters are the glimpses of hope and light that appear periodically despite the darkness.  In reading it, you could also feel Detroit and Flint, Michigan ooze from the pores of the pages. Alex’s father works at the Chevrolet car manufacturing plant and you can feel how the car culture embeds itself into the community.

This was a lovely is a coming of age story. I found "The Car Thief" to be poignant and beautiful and saddening all at the same time. I really liked the simple honesty in the telling of this story. Overall, I feel like the The Car Thief`s poignancy and honesty make it a book for all to read. It feels timeless and ageless, meant to reach a wide range of people. I think we all suffer from the pain and shame of life and can easily identify with Alex's need to reconcile and move on.