Rush Hour : Sin

Publishers Weekly

Equally talented as a writer and an editor, Cart (Necessary Noise; Tomorrowland) unveils the first volume of a new venture: a "cutting-edge literary journal of contemporary voices" that will be published twice each year, each issue centering on a single theme. Here, stories, essays, black-and-white drawings and excerpts from forthcoming novels examine the topic of sin, usually from a young adult's point of view. Some selections are deeply personal. In her intimate poem, "Massage," Sonya Sones explores how lust turns to unfulfilled desire in an instant. An excerpt from Chris Lynch's next novel tests the fine line between innocence and guilt in describing how an ordinary boy becomes "unfairly famous" after accidentally crippling a football player. Marc Aronson and Hazel Rochman consider sin in broader terms as each interprets, respectively, social forces affecting the Salem witch hunts and the Holocaust. Other writers represented include Brock Cole, Joan Bauer and Nikki Grimes; artists include Mark Podwal, Martin Matje and Tom Feelings. Aimed for a mature teen audience, this anthology sheds light on harsher corners of history and takes readers to uncomfortable places in the soul. Offering few glimpses of redemption, the entries are sure to provoke thought. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 14-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This journal's first issue is sure to have an impact on today's youth with its poignant look at one of world's oldest topics of choice: sin. With a variety of short stories, excerpts from novels, poetry, art, and essays, each artist and writer takes a unique look at the seven deadly sins. The journal begins with a short cartoon by Martin Matje titled "Sinphony" which sets the stage by giving a humorous glance at confession and the wrath of God. Hazel Rochman's essay "What Would I Have Done," looks at the Holocaust and ponders the question, "what would [she] have done?" in the circumstances surrounding World War II and Hitler's insanity. The entire collection ends with a poem by Ron Koertage titled, "Museum Piece," which leaves the reader to contemplate the corruption of youth. Included in this eclectic collection are pieces from Joan Bauer, Tom Feelings, Nikki Grimms, Gary Miller, Alex Flinn, and many others. It would make an excellent choice for any high school English program. 2004, Delacourt Press, Ages 13 up.
—Zeta Shearill

VOYA

The first edition of this journal was very interesting. The stories and drawings examined the issue of sin, what causes sin, what constitutes a sin. They also asked the question "Does sin matter, even if it is small?" The questions asked made the reader think about sin, and the book was intelligent and well edited. This topic was presented logically and creatively, and I really enjoyed the drawings. Some of my favorite authors were also present. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2004, Delacorte, 240p.; Illus., PLB and Trade pb. Ages 15 to Adult.
—Andrea Alonge, Teen Reviewer

KLIATT

Busy high school students who do not have time to read an entire novel may find an alternative in this journal. Especially designed to attract youth, Rush Hour will be published twice a year, each volume focusing on a different theme. Billing itself as "neither a magazine nor a book," the journal intends to be "cutting-edge," its contributors' contemporary voices to be "at once artful and risk-taking, innovative and—always—eclectic." This inaugural volume explores sin in all its contemporary and past definitions. Stories by well-known young adult authors Brock Cole and Joan Bauer depict a young newlywed running away from a hasty marriage and turning to kleptomania, and an advertising agency intern needing a job for college finding herself selling cigarettes in spite of her uncle's horrible death from smoking-related emphysema. An essay by Marc Aronson discusses the Salem Witch Trials, and a short story by Gary Miller explores the feelings of a young boy in a fundamental Christian sect who found his mother's body hanging from the toolshed rafters. Art and poetry are interspersed among the prose pieces. At times lighthearted, at other times, painfully gritty, the journal should appeal to thoughtful, mature YA readers. In Volume Two, some boys are bad to the bone from birth, and some boys are good boys in disguise to protect themselves from pain. Some boys turn cynical from family violence. Other boys become ruthless in the worship of competitive sports. Some boys worry that they've gotten their girlfriends pregnant and might be forced to do "the right thing." All of them are found in the second volume of Michael Cart's new journal. Jack Gantos, a popular writer of YAfiction, writes an essay on bad boys reading. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan write about '70s bad boy, Andy Warhol. Robert Lipsyte writes a penetrating essay on the adverse effects of "jock culture." Michael Simmons writes a story about an older brother who is a psychopath from birth. Julia Jarcho has a one-act play that tries to find the common human thread that links school shootings. Another boy plots his abusive father's murder. Cart also includes a comic story by Chris Gall, and whimsical artwork and poetry that portray the bad boy as mask.This second volume of Rush Hour, like the first, does not back away from hard subjects but combines a variety of voices to explicate the bad boy phenomenon in American society. KLIATT Codes: S*—Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students. 2004, Random House, Delacorte, 230p., each. Ages 15 to 18.
—Myrna Marler

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-This title bills itself as neither a magazine nor a book, but a cutting-edge literary journal of contemporary voices to be published twice yearly. Contributors include authors who have distinguished themselves in young adult literature. Forms include poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and include contemporary and historical accounts that somehow touch on the broad topic of sin. Some pieces stand alone without any difficulty. A summer intern at a public relations firm learns firsthand an unappealing truth about marketing in Joan Bauer's story, "Smoke." The memory of an ever-advancing sexual experience is re-created in Sonya Sones's poem, "Massage." The witch-hunts of Salem are discussed in Marc Aronson's essay, "The Sins of Salem." Other examples of inhumanity against humans are revealed in Hazel Rochman's "What Would I Have Done?" While many of the selections, particularly the nonfiction, are well done, the book is likely to have difficulty finding an audience. The back cover copy is provocative, leading teens to believe what lies within will be entertaining and a bit "over the edge." While that's true of some of the selections, readers who expect pure and even provocative entertainment will be disappointed. The novel excerpts, most of which don't read well out of context, will be lost on everyone. In the end, the thread that unites the pieces is just too tenuous to make a satisfying whole.-Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

To be published twice a year, the inaugural issue of this journal of YA literature includes essays, short stories, poetry, artwork, and excerpts from novels. Just the first page of Cart's introduction hypes the volume as eclectic, innovative, cutting-edge, risk-taking, fresh, original, and provocative. Such promotion is unnecessary, as it is, indeed, a solid collection. Each issue will have a different theme; this time it's sin. The nonfiction stars here. Marc Aronson's superb essay on the Salem witch trials will send readers to his new work Witch-Hunt (2003), and Hazel Rochman's "What Would I Have Done?" is an excellent introduction to the range of writing on the Holocaust. The fiction is consistently strong, examining the many faces of sin, and Sonya Sones's subtly erotic "Massage" is the best of the poems. The art is provocative if not especially appealing. Nothing on the cover indicates the audience, so perhaps this fine journal will also find itself in the hands of adults. (notes on the contributors) (Anthology. YA)