 |
Dreamer: The Rise and Fall of the Flyer by Myron Humble Lulu
book review by Karolina Blaha-Black
"Even when I win, I lose!"
The words above describe the feelings of Michael Hunter, a high schooler in Portsmouth, PA, who is not at all popular. Michael is known as a hopeless dreamer, who talks about wanting to fly airplanes. He has a crush on Karen McCormick, a daughter of an Air Force Major. Karen is quite popular and regularly participates in her school's activities. Michael's time in high school isn't easy. He's constantly pursued by a school bully, Harry, and his nefarious brother Kevin; he argues with bigoted white teachers in his school, who are prejudiced against his black friends; and he's being a target of malicious gossip to top it all off. Michael struggles with the notions of race and what is right and what is wrong. Things go worse when he makes good on his dreams and starts taking flying lessons and learning martial arts, which he uses to protect himself against his enemies. Things go really bad when he's wrongfully accused of raping his girlfriend Karen and has to go to great lengths to clear his name. He also loses his pilot license when he tries to fly an unsafe airplane that his friends fixed up. In the end, Michael finds solace from his troubles in his mother's wise words, and when he decides to ask God to fix all his problems.
The story seems to be taking place in the 50's when Elvis was popular and racism and bigotry was still present in Michael's community. The book has a good premise and a plot, and it is of interest to young readers who might be going through similar experiences as the main protagonist. The many stylistic and grammatical errors slow down the pace of the book, and there is also a strong tendency to overdramatize some of the characters' actions, telling rather than showing the unfolding story. On the positive side, the book is nice and compact, with a biplane on the cover which goes well with the theme of the book. A good read for teen boys.