I totally fell in love with this book. Alex is upset as his parents are getting divorced and he decides to confront his father but when all the cards fall, Alex is doing community service for driving under the influence and it is a life changing experience for everyone involved. Working off his time in a local senior center with an older man Solomon, Alex has a hard time understanding him with his snide wisecracks and Yiddish remarks, the two are quite the pair. Alex tries to ditch Sol but changes his mind when he suddenly begins to understand his biting mannerism and there is no turning back. Alex decides to bring his guitar to the senior center and when the patients residents hear the music, everyone’s life is changed. Who is actually helping who in this story? Between home, his community service and his school life, 16-year old Alex has a lot to handle but with his sarcasm and wit he seems to balance everything without falling off the edge. Alex thought his punishment was not fair for such a simple crime as drinking and driving and killing a cement gnome in the process but nothing is ever simple and this was not a simple crime. He needed to learn a lesson and sometimes that lesson is not a straight forward one. This book was laugh-out loud funny and also so tender at moments that you grabbed your tissues to dab your eyes. The sarcasm of both Sol and Alex had me going throughout the book that I looked forward to seeing what they were going to say or think next. If you have not read something by Jordon Sonnenblick, what are you waiting for??
