Overview
Eighteen year-old Andy Logan has finally made it to his first year og college, but not without some struggle. As he tries to settle in this new environment, he cannot help but recall the events and experiences that have led him there.
It is in these recollections that we meet a vast array of people—those who had either helped Andy along the way or had threatened his hope to escape. These are the stories of his hope to escape. These are the stories of his great-uncle, the one person who seemed to understand him; his father, who domineering presence and unwavering anger were the rules, not the exeptions; and Evan, an older boy who became his first true love.
Rarely does a writer capture the essence of the journey from a child to adult so acutely. Cart's dazzling novel is a potent reminder of the pain and the euphoria that come from growing up and how we remember our family, friends, and first loves.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"My Father's Scar takes us deep into Andy Logan's mind and heart through finely crafted metaphor and visceral drama. Like Andy who loves literature and long runs, the prose of this book is both poetic and full of physical energy." —Francesca Lia Block"Andy's voice is authentic, and he is surrounded by well-realized minor characters...intense, but blessed with flashes of humor." —Library Journal
"Andy's growing awareness of his gayness is handled well, with action and dialogue revealing to reader what Andy hasn't full recognized in himself...emotionally satisfying...a sensitive tale." --Kirkus Magazine
Publishers Weekly -
Cart (From Romance to Realism), a YA columnist for Booklist and former librarian, joins the rank of YA novelists with a courageous if not entirely successful story about a gay youth's coming-of-age. A college freshman in 1969 or '70, Andy Logan has a crush on his high-profile literature professor; meanwhile, the professor's teaching assistant seems to have a crush on Andy. As relationships advance (primarily through the trading of literary quips), Andy flashes back to pivotal moments in his adolescence. He sees himself as a fat and bookish 12-year-old, bullied by classmates and the object of his own father's disgust; he recalls his bookish great-uncle, the object of Andy's grandmother's disgust; he remembers a charismatic older classmate who is viciously beaten after publicly announcing that he's gay; he describes his senior-year romance with a high school football player. Despite many memorable turns of phrase, the episodic structure undermines the cohesiveness of the plot. As Andy skids from turning point to turning point, the other characters are left to play theatrical roles, from quaint old men who speak to each other in Latin, to Andy's brutal, alcoholic father. On the other hand, the Ugly Duckling motif of the intellectual outcast who eventually finds acceptance, admiration and love is bound to win a sympathetic reading from like-minded teens, straight or gay. Ages 12-up. (May)School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-College freshman Andy is smart and fit, but he's a loner haunted by memories of an awkward adolescence in a small town in the `60s. In chapter-length flashbacks, readers learn that Andy's father, a drunken former football hero (his scar is a result of his aggressive playing style), hated his chubby son's love of reading. "What the hell's wrong with him?" he would say. But reclusive Uncle Charles, a poet and scholar, encouraged Andy to "value your differences." Then, when Andy's only friend was driven from town after publicly declaring himself homosexual, Andy secretly realized that he, too, was gay. The convincing first-person narrative moves easily from the present, in which Andy craves acceptance from a pompous professor but captures the attention of a gay T.A., to his recollections of the early relationships that shaped him. Characterization is the strong suit here. Andy's voice is authentic, and he is surrounded by well-realized minor characters. Sex occurs but is not described. This is Cart's first novel, intense but blessed with flashes of humor. The novel shows a psychological passage that will seem familiar to anyone who has collided with rigid adult expectations that threaten self-esteem.-Claudia Morrow, Berkeley Public Library, CAKirkus Reviews
Andy Logan is a college man recalling his childhood and the formative incidents of his teenage years, when he was isolated from both family and peers by his weight, his intellect, and his love for books. He discovers running and conquers the weight problem—but knows he'll never please his bullying, alcoholic father. When an older boy, Evan, whom Andy deeply admires, comes out, the swift and brutal reaction of the townspeople reveals the depth of their anti-gay prejudice. Andy can't go public about his own homosexuality, but he suffers from hiding his true self.Andy's growing awareness of his gayness is handled well, with action and dialogue revealing to readers what Andy hasn't fully recognized in himself. Cart's first novel does a good job of characterization, lifting the book beyond the category of a problem novel, although Evan's coming-out scene isn't quite credible (the reaction of the community is). The emotionally satisfying conclusion wraps up a sensitive tale.