THE BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING BOOK WITH THREE CAPTIVATING STORIES2018 IndieReader Discovery Awards: Winner for Short Stories“The writing is sharp and unpretentiously thoughtful… An endearing collection that deftly captures the need for youthful fellowship.” — Kirkus ReviewsThese are the stories of three boys living in Texas: one growing up, one dreaming, and one fighting to stay alive in the … fighting to stay alive in the face of destitution and adversity. There’s second-grader William, a shy yet imaginative boy who schemes about how to get back at his school-yard bully, Randy. Then there’s Sam, a 15-year-old boy who dreams of getting a 1980 Mazda RX-7 for his sixteenth birthday but has to work at a Greek restaurant to fund his dream. Finally, there’s Seff, a 21-year-old on the brink of manhood, trying to survive along with his roommate, working as waiters and barely making ends meet. These three stories are told with heart, humor, and an uncompromising look at what it meant to grow up in Texas during the 1980s and 1990s.
The writing of Scott Semegran has been praised by bestselling author / Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Davy Rothbart as “Hilarious, poignant, and twisted.” Award-winning cartoonist Emily Flake described the fiction of Scott Semegran as “Funny, sweet, dark, and sad, Scott Semegran’s stories create a wholly convincing world of love, loss, and fear. His light touch with heavy subjects is a gift, and his forays into silliness are a delight.”
“Verdict: With nary a dull moment, Scott Semegran’s BOYS features short stories filled with unexpected nuances that draws readers right into the heart of his well-developed characters.” — IndieReader. 5 Stars. IR Approved. Best Reviewed Books of 2017.
“Semegran’s work is evocative and replete with relatable, recognizable characters… who find comfort in friendship. With its descriptive flair and flashes of humor, Boys offers an engaging read–one short fiction fans are sure to enjoy.” — BlueInk Review
“Raising difficult questions of morality, this slice-of-life narrative is as heartfelt as it is entertaining… Boys is compellingly realistic fiction. Its fantastic details, interesting construction, and humor make it worth the read.” — Foreword Clarion Reviews. Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5.
more
This is a very interesting look into the minds of boys and young adult males. This author has a way of writing that really pulls you in and makes you reflect. There are many parts I could relate to… especially the financial struggles with jobs that you need but sometimes hardly feel worth having.
I absolutely LOVED that the very first story in this collection took me back to The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island and gives a backstory to one of the friendships from that book. I also loved that this story ended on a positive note vs. the horror it could have ended in.
It is helpful to note that this isn’t a book for thrill seekers or readers who want a fast-paced page turner. While this is highly enjoyable, it is meant to be savored and reflected upon. I’m sure we all know someone who either went through these scenarios or we ourselves have gone through something similar.
I chose to listen to the audio for this one and while it wasn’t great throughout it’s entirety, it didn’t make me cringe either. I don’t listen to much audio and it says a lot that I finished this one AND, for the most part, enjoyed it. How I feel about the audio in no way reflects my love for the story itself. Overall, a good book, and one I would definitely recommend.
These short stories are great–funny, thoughtful, and endearing. Semegran has a knack for capturing the lives of young people. I’m going to reread this very soon. Highly recommended!
Not sure about some of these negative reviews for this book. Sounds like they aren’t the right audience and should stick to romance books. Pointless? I don’t think so. Trite? Are you kidding me?! Get this book.
I’m becoming quite a Scott Semegran fan. For charming, slice of life fiction, he’s pretty hard to beat. Boys is my second Semegran book after initially reading his novel To Squeeze a Prairies Dog. I thoroughly enjoyed that novel and found a common and engaging tone that runs throughout this book as well. With Boys, think John Updike’s early short stories meets the naturalistic films of Richard Linklater. There must be something in the water in Austin, Texas. Semegran and Linklater hail from that same town and seem to share similarities in their views on life and its representation through their respective art forms. But Semegran has his own way of presenting his fictional world.
As the title implies, it is a book about boys. The stories in this collection generally take place at some coming-of-age point in a boy’s life. Some of these are centered around subtle changes, others are more monumental. The first in the series – “The Great and Powerful, Brave Raideen” – is the one that holds the most drama. My heart beat pretty fast as I read dreadfully onward toward what I assumed would be the inevitable conclusion of this little gem about a young boy and his tormenting bully. But in a turn of artistic mastery, Semegran takes it in an unexpected direction. The mastery continues throughout the rest of the stories in the collection. We often see the same boyish characters appearing in story after story, watching as their life adventures progress through their teen years into different rites of passage. Sometimes these separate stories happen in sequence, like chapters, causing us to wonder if we’re reading a novel. At other times, especially in the pieces presented in first person, it feels a little like we’re reading a series of personal essays. There seems to be quite a bit of autobiography in these pages. How else could the author have written and peopled them so intimately and with such vivid personalities?
These stories are not for the action-packed thrill seeker, but for readers who appreciate a more artful and character-driven sort of fiction. It’s as if Semegran has turned a movie camera on his special corner of the world during the not so distant past of the 80s and 90s. Readers will see themselves in these stories. I know I did. And maybe that’s what makes them successful. There’s something pleasingly nostalgic in them, causing us to reflect on our own younger selves.
Funny and entertaining
I am not a fan of short stories, preferring to be engaged longer, therefore the 4 stars instead of 5. I read this book because I live in TX, and was interested in the viewpoint, and was so delighted with what was presented, that I will now search out other books by this whimsical, unique author. Not your run-of-the-mill pulp. Very creative, and enjoyable.
This book was a delightful read, funny at times, sad at other times. Very realistic regarding growing up and its pitfalls. Enjoyed it so much bought a copy for my 2 grandsons, age 17 and 20.
Insightful characterizations in thoughtful stories. They are slice-of-life with well written scenes, but it would have been great if the plots were stronger.
I really enjoyed the first short story. The rest of the book was a little slow.
As I lived in Austin and graduated from UT and then worked in the service industry at roughly the same time as the author, I happily read the book and took a trip through memory lane for the last segment of the book. I also enjoyed being in the brain of boys growing up for the first segments of the book. Even if you’ve never even been to the Hill Country, I recommend this book as highly enjoyable.
Boys was a really great book. Semegran does a great job of describing the scene and the characters’ personalities. I like how he worked in some real life recognizable situations for those who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. I felt like I traveled back in time and was hanging out with the boys as they went about their days. The story with Seff and Alfonso was the best. It felt like I was right there living in the same world as them. Smoking, drinking, working for crappy tips and free food. Thanks for the terrible memories, jerk face! Just kidding, loved every word and read this book in one day because I couldn’t put it down! Looking forward to reading his other books, especially the latest one, Sammie & Budgie.
Unique insight into the life of this young man
This book was a very light read. I enjoyed the storys, but not the way it was written. I felt the story did not flow as it should. It was like reading a first draft book without being edited. I will read other books the author has written to see if it was just this book.
Good characters with insight to how a young man rationalizes the world.
I liked the idea of this book but it didn’t deliver. The writing was meh – there were way too many similes that were forced and disrupted the flow of the book. The characters were mildly interesting but very simply drawn and some of the situations they found themselves in had me rolling my eyes. I stuck with it because I did want to see what happened to the “Boys” but was disappointed. 1 1/2 stars but I round up so 2 stars.
Thought this would be more storyish.
Three stories about boys growing up in Texas. The first was the best of the stories, but that’s not saying much. It’s about an elementary school student who has to deal with a bully. But the remaining stories were not good at all. In story number two a teen is planning on buying his first car, gets his first job, falls in love with a girl. The third is about a 21-year-old who is living with his best friend/roommate, working a crappy job and just getting by month to month.
There was some awkward writing here, a bit sloppy, and it became off-putting. Pretty thin story lines, and it didn’t hold my interest long after the first story was done. Really not entertaining at all.
Too simplistic
Very boring. First story was sweet. Second was pointless. Third was long a boring.
A coming of age and onward into adulthood of a boy born in the early 1960s. I grew up in this same era. The book became boring for me early on but I pushed through several chapters. Maybe the course language is the author’s way of portraying the characters personalities but I tired of it quickly and deleted the book from my Kindle. The characters were not persons I enjoyed.
Not sure what the point was…?