A Two-time suicidal failure

Ajani John-Charle

Professor Rau

ENG 101 M

November 3, 2014

 

             The book contains its own type of dialogue. The term “popped” caught people’s attention. While attending a reading for Dan Josefson’s that’s Not a Feeling, Josefson described the meaning of the word and the word means that something is forbidden or taken away. The book is about a sixteen - year old boy named Benjamin that attempted to commit suicide twice and failed. This caused his parents to bring and abandon him at a therapeutic boarding school in upstate New York.   The overview of the novel is enough to draw an avid reader in.

            During the reading, Josefson read a section from the book. In that section, a couple of characters were introduced. Pudding is one of the characters that I only remember from that section. Pudding’s caricature gave the novel a refreshing comedic relief.  Hiding delicious pancakes in his pants, Pudding was tormented and abused by the other kids. I also picked up a sense of common sense from Pudding. After him getting smacked by a shovel, Pudding, kid w/ a shovel, and a higher-upper had an argument.  Pudding was angry about the fact that everybody was questioning the pancakes in his pants and neglecting that some boy hit him across the head with a shovel. This part of the novel enticed my thoughts.

            In an excerpt on a Tumblr page from Josefson’s book, I pointed out certain moments of crude and vulgar type humor. A character named Dedrick said - “But try to make them look as retarded as you possibly can,” he said. “Misspell things, write with your left hand if you need to. Pudding, you just write the way you always do” (Josefson). This type of humor will hook onto the reader’s attention and subconsciously persuade the reader to keep on reading.

            The setting and tone of the reading was refreshing and positive. People who were present at the reading, including me, was enjoying following section of the novel. Josefson’s dry sense of humor and nonchalant attitude allowed us to lean in and closely pay attention to him. After Josefson finished reading, he accepted questions from students and professors. He enjoyed our questions and said they were very good.

            The reading overall was virtuous. Josefson is a respectful man and a remarkable author. He was a little timid and hesitant at first, but towards the end his body language showed that he was relaxed. Even though I haven’t read the book completely, I would definitely recommend it to someone. Josefson’s novel put me in the same giddy feeling when I first read a novel by James Peterson.