Shakespeare Shapiro has always hated his name. His parents bestowed it on him as some kind of sick joke when he was born, and his life has gone downhill from there, one embarrassing incident after another. Entering his senior year of high school, Shakespeare has never had a girlfriend, his younger brother is cooler than he is, and his best friend's favorite topic of conversation is his bowel movements.
But Shakespeare will have the last laugh. He is chronicling every mortifying detail in his memoir, the writing project each senior at Shakespeare's high school must complete. And he is doing it brilliantly. And, just maybe, a prize-winning memoir will bring him respect, admiration, and a girlfriend . . . or at least a prom date.
Life has been spanking Shakespeare ever since his parents named him, well, Shakespeare, and now in his last year of high school, life seems to be giving him all it has left.
Every student at Hemingway High Schools is required to complete a memoir of their life for their senior project, the best of which is rewarded the schools most coveted award at the graduation. For Shakespeare Shapiro the task is relatively simple, as he recounts the terrible misfortunes that have led him to this point in his life. The time his parents sent him to a camp straight out of Lord of the Flies, the time he got caught with a pornographic magazine in math class, and the time he saw his father get drunk and act like a complete idiot are just a few of the chapters included in his memoir. In each is evident the extraordinary humor that surrounds Shakespeare in every aspect of his life. An obituary about his death after being crushed by a 600 pound sumo wrestler, a fish named sushi, the 'coma game', a haiku with more that 17 syllables, and a game of Would You Rather ('watch a kitten be dissected or your parents having sex') cleverly disguise in a science club poster. These are just some of the example of the clever wit that runs almost nonstop throughout the text, only to be slightly overshadowed by Shakespeare's slight obsession with sex.
Girls and sex seem to rule every aspect of Shakespeare's life, which clearly becomes evident in his mission to finally acquire a girlfriend during senior year. This also provides the novel with much of its more serious sub-plot. Shakespeare is a character that has, for the most part, taken a back seat to life and it has passed him by without inflicting too much permanent damage. However, reflecting on the misfortunes of his life and the challenges that face him in his final year start to give Shakespeare and the reader insight into who he is.
As the reader starts to get past the humor, we see a character that can be sympathized with. Through the crazy that is Shakespeare, there also exists a boy that I found myself relating too, even as a girl. His insecurities about his love life, who he is or even what university he will be going to, reflect that of an average teenager.
A witty, and somewhat perverted book about the life of an anything but average, average teenager. Shakespeare Shapiro ultimately won me over, because he is anything but an angst-ridden teenager, just a boy who was spanked by life but got up and kept walking.
I give this book: ★★★★
P.S. The movie rights to Spanking Shakespeare were bought by Paramount in 2008 and the movie is most likely set to be released in 2011, so read it before then.
Until next time. Out.
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