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Under the Wolf, Under the Dog
Steve Nugent is in Burnstone Grove, a facility for kids who are either addicts or have tried to commit suicide. But Steve doesn’t fit in either group, and he used to go to the gifted school. So why is he in Burnstone Grove? Keeping a journal, Steve tries to figure out who he is by examining who he was.
310 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2004
About the author
Adam Rapp
51 books264 followersAdam Rapp says that when he was working on his chilling, compulsively readable young adult novel 33 SNOWFISH, he was haunted by several questions. Among them: "When we have nowhere to go, who do we turn to? Why are we sometimes drawn to those who are deeply troubled? How far do we have to run before we find new possibilities?"
At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH--which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association--follows three troubled young people on the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow. With the language of the street and lyrical prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into the world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. His narration captures the voices of two damaged souls (a third speaks only through drawings) to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion. "For those readers who are ready to be challenged by a serious work of shockingly realistic fiction," notes SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, "it invites both an emotional and intellectual response, and begs to be discussed."
Adam Rapp’s first novel, MISSING THE PIANO, was named a Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Best Book for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. His subsequent titles include THE BUFFALO TREE, THE COPPER ELEPHANT, and LITTLE CHICAGO, which was chosen as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. The author’s raw, stream-of-consciousness writing style has earned him critical acclaim. "Rapp’s prose is powerful, graphic and haunting," says SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. [He] writes in an earthy but adept language," says KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Takes a mesmerizing hold on the reader," adds HORN BOOK MAGAZINE.
In addition to being a novelist, Adam Rapp is also an accomplished and award-winning playwright. His plays--including NOCTURNE, ANIMALS AND PLANTS, BLACKBIRD, and STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS--have been produced by the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the Bush Theatre in London, among other venues.
Born and raised in Chicago, the novelist and playwright now lives in New York City.
At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH--which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association--follows three troubled young people on the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow. With the language of the street and lyrical prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into the world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. His narration captures the voices of two damaged souls (a third speaks only through drawings) to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion. "For those readers who are ready to be challenged by a serious work of shockingly realistic fiction," notes SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, "it invites both an emotional and intellectual response, and begs to be discussed."
Adam Rapp’s first novel, MISSING THE PIANO, was named a Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Best Book for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. His subsequent titles include THE BUFFALO TREE, THE COPPER ELEPHANT, and LITTLE CHICAGO, which was chosen as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. The author’s raw, stream-of-consciousness writing style has earned him critical acclaim. "Rapp’s prose is powerful, graphic and haunting," says SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. [He] writes in an earthy but adept language," says KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Takes a mesmerizing hold on the reader," adds HORN BOOK MAGAZINE.
In addition to being a novelist, Adam Rapp is also an accomplished and award-winning playwright. His plays--including NOCTURNE, ANIMALS AND PLANTS, BLACKBIRD, and STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS--have been produced by the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the Bush Theatre in London, among other venues.
Born and raised in Chicago, the novelist and playwright now lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 2, 2012
here’s a fresh and disturbing accounts of a teeny winny life, where a father sits watching the reruns of Malcolm in the Middle in the naked. a brother who drowns in Robitussin cough syrup and Haldol with testicles hanging cold in the basement with bouts of suicidal mania. a teenage boy’s sleeping tendency over listening to Interpol’s song. of pissing in your own pants after having a drop of acid. of having exceptional SATs score and being a ‘percentile elite’. of a gay guy who loves having sex with boys with HIV & gets depressed when he didn’t contract the disease. or a boy named Shannon who kisses boys which involve his mouth & his tongue & his saliva for 10 secs & if asked ‘Um. are you like gay?’ he’d say ‘Nuh-uh. are you?’.
a lot of people are saying this novel is the new-age Catcher in the Rye. while Holden Caulfield in Catcher is all pissed & whiny & sad & depressed, the 17 yr. old Steve Nugent here is well, unbelievably hilarious, brutally honest, and okay, a wee bit so whiny & down & cynical too. & he’s a mathletic that’s why a lot of teenagers should root for him over Holden. heheh! a Gray Grouper, he called himself, where he doesn’t fit in neither the suicidal blokes nor in the stoned kids in Burnstove Grove, a facility for troubled kids. he has a father of a couch potato who doesn’t shave, a brother who hanged & killed himself with a necktie. a best bud who kisses him on the lips. a little girl named June who’s a con artist. a www.fuckyou.com bumpersticker on a skylark driven by a heroin addict & a whole lot of crazy stuff & what have you. this novel is both funny and heart-clenching. "Corporate America, here you come! Rock on, young Nugent!" is my fave snippet. and i think i’m gonna be reading 5 more other books by Adam Rapp. Five woofs to the protagonist, & i hope June will find her way back to East Foote.
a lot of people are saying this novel is the new-age Catcher in the Rye. while Holden Caulfield in Catcher is all pissed & whiny & sad & depressed, the 17 yr. old Steve Nugent here is well, unbelievably hilarious, brutally honest, and okay, a wee bit so whiny & down & cynical too. & he’s a mathletic that’s why a lot of teenagers should root for him over Holden. heheh! a Gray Grouper, he called himself, where he doesn’t fit in neither the suicidal blokes nor in the stoned kids in Burnstove Grove, a facility for troubled kids. he has a father of a couch potato who doesn’t shave, a brother who hanged & killed himself with a necktie. a best bud who kisses him on the lips. a little girl named June who’s a con artist. a www.fuckyou.com bumpersticker on a skylark driven by a heroin addict & a whole lot of crazy stuff & what have you. this novel is both funny and heart-clenching. "Corporate America, here you come! Rock on, young Nugent!" is my fave snippet. and i think i’m gonna be reading 5 more other books by Adam Rapp. Five woofs to the protagonist, & i hope June will find her way back to East Foote.
February 10, 2020
07 June 2004 UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG by Adam Rapp, Candlewick, October 2004, Age 14 and up, ISBN: 0-7636-1818-7
"I was so in love, I went into my room and drank half a bottle of Robitussin."
Reading Adam Rapp's upcoming novel, UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG, is like watching a car wreck in slow motion...and it's such an awesome wreck that taking your eyes off of it for even a second is totally out of the question.
"We smoked and watched the trash whip around for a few minutes. Trash will make some pretty interesting shapes if you watch it long enough. I thought maybe it was trying to tell me something. Like my future or whatever. The same way people look at tea leaves."
In fact, not only couldn't I take my eyes off this book, reading it as I traveled over last Wednesday night from San Francisco to Chicago for Book Expo, but then on the flight home from Chicago last night, despite traveling with backbreaking quantities of new books in tow, I chose to read this one a second time. It's that good.
"It was amazing. If you ever want to change your life immediately, just sit down in some random fast-food place and start urinating in your pants. My lap was all wet and warm, and it was running down my legs and filling my Red Wing boots.
"I even told the manager. I said, 'I'm totally pissing my pants, man. Sorry.'
"The manager twiddled the ends of his mustache.
"He went, 'Well, that's not very sanitary, son.' Now I was his son. 'I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'
" 'Whatever, Dad,' I said. I was his son, so he was obviously my dad, right?
"We were one big happy Pizza Hut family."
UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG is the emotion-filled story told to us by Steve Nugent, a lovable and confused sixteen-year-old Gifted and Talented student who is tall and skinny, tends toward the socially inept side of the scale, and who, when we meet him, has ended up in a facility after his mother dies from cancer and his big brother kills himself shortly thereafter.
"I'm from East Foote, which is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Foote is on the Iowa side, and it's about ten times the size of East Foote. To put it in perspective, before I left, most people in East Foote had to go stand on this old livestock promontory just to get cell phone reception.
"So I'm currently in residence at this place in the middle of Michigan called Burnstone Grove. There are about thirty-five kids here. About half of us are drug addicts, and the other half have tried to check out of this world in one way or another. Probably a third of us have dabbled in both pursuits. I don't entirely fit into either category, so I'm what they call a Gray Grouper. The Red Groupers are the junkies, and the Blue Groupers are the suicide kids. There are only seven Gray Groupers, and we're generally kept here for a month or two before we're either shipped back home or sent to another, more affordable, facility. The Red and Blue Groupers can stay here for over a year sometimes. They get to see the seasons change and everything. So far it's been nothing but snow and ice and frozen trees and this very low-looking iron sky."
As Steve spends his time with the Groupers and staff members at Burnstone Grove, he reveals to us the circumstances which led up to his current residency.
"That's when this bailiff guy entered the room with the judge. The bailiff was pretty weird-looking. He had a shaved head and wore these yellow safety glasses, like he'd just returned from a rigorous go of it at the Foote gun club or something. The judge was pretty old, at least sixty-something, and his black gown made him look like some sort of geriatric Halloween creature in drag."
UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG is a very personal and often humorous story. We're charmed by a whole sideshow of quirky characters, including Steve's brother's wretched drug buddy, Dantly, Shannon Lynch, the young man at Burnstone Grove who can stuff $1.87 in change up his nose, and ten-year-old June, who may haunt my dreams for some time to come.
But above all, this is a terrifying and heartbreaking story about a sensitive kid with whom we can so easily identify, who's had so incredibly much to deal with.
"Suddenly the steering wheel was vibrating. For a second I thought that something had broken--an axle or the steering column or whatever--but then I realized it was me. I looked at my hands and they were trembling so bad I thought the veins in my wrists would burst."
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
"I was so in love, I went into my room and drank half a bottle of Robitussin."
Reading Adam Rapp's upcoming novel, UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG, is like watching a car wreck in slow motion...and it's such an awesome wreck that taking your eyes off of it for even a second is totally out of the question.
"We smoked and watched the trash whip around for a few minutes. Trash will make some pretty interesting shapes if you watch it long enough. I thought maybe it was trying to tell me something. Like my future or whatever. The same way people look at tea leaves."
In fact, not only couldn't I take my eyes off this book, reading it as I traveled over last Wednesday night from San Francisco to Chicago for Book Expo, but then on the flight home from Chicago last night, despite traveling with backbreaking quantities of new books in tow, I chose to read this one a second time. It's that good.
"It was amazing. If you ever want to change your life immediately, just sit down in some random fast-food place and start urinating in your pants. My lap was all wet and warm, and it was running down my legs and filling my Red Wing boots.
"I even told the manager. I said, 'I'm totally pissing my pants, man. Sorry.'
"The manager twiddled the ends of his mustache.
"He went, 'Well, that's not very sanitary, son.' Now I was his son. 'I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'
" 'Whatever, Dad,' I said. I was his son, so he was obviously my dad, right?
"We were one big happy Pizza Hut family."
UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG is the emotion-filled story told to us by Steve Nugent, a lovable and confused sixteen-year-old Gifted and Talented student who is tall and skinny, tends toward the socially inept side of the scale, and who, when we meet him, has ended up in a facility after his mother dies from cancer and his big brother kills himself shortly thereafter.
"I'm from East Foote, which is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Foote is on the Iowa side, and it's about ten times the size of East Foote. To put it in perspective, before I left, most people in East Foote had to go stand on this old livestock promontory just to get cell phone reception.
"So I'm currently in residence at this place in the middle of Michigan called Burnstone Grove. There are about thirty-five kids here. About half of us are drug addicts, and the other half have tried to check out of this world in one way or another. Probably a third of us have dabbled in both pursuits. I don't entirely fit into either category, so I'm what they call a Gray Grouper. The Red Groupers are the junkies, and the Blue Groupers are the suicide kids. There are only seven Gray Groupers, and we're generally kept here for a month or two before we're either shipped back home or sent to another, more affordable, facility. The Red and Blue Groupers can stay here for over a year sometimes. They get to see the seasons change and everything. So far it's been nothing but snow and ice and frozen trees and this very low-looking iron sky."
As Steve spends his time with the Groupers and staff members at Burnstone Grove, he reveals to us the circumstances which led up to his current residency.
"That's when this bailiff guy entered the room with the judge. The bailiff was pretty weird-looking. He had a shaved head and wore these yellow safety glasses, like he'd just returned from a rigorous go of it at the Foote gun club or something. The judge was pretty old, at least sixty-something, and his black gown made him look like some sort of geriatric Halloween creature in drag."
UNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG is a very personal and often humorous story. We're charmed by a whole sideshow of quirky characters, including Steve's brother's wretched drug buddy, Dantly, Shannon Lynch, the young man at Burnstone Grove who can stuff $1.87 in change up his nose, and ten-year-old June, who may haunt my dreams for some time to come.
But above all, this is a terrifying and heartbreaking story about a sensitive kid with whom we can so easily identify, who's had so incredibly much to deal with.
"Suddenly the steering wheel was vibrating. For a second I thought that something had broken--an axle or the steering column or whatever--but then I realized it was me. I looked at my hands and they were trembling so bad I thought the veins in my wrists would burst."
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
March 24, 2017
"Once I heard Dantly tell Welton that the Native Americans used to call that particular part of the morning "between the wolf and the dog" because the sky is so deep blue and spooky or whatever that you can't tell what's what. Is that a wolf on that hill or a dog? A man or a monkey? A saint or the devil?"
This book this book this book this book this book this book...
Steve Nugent spends his days at a place called Burnstone Grove, the place where suicidal kids and drug addicts are kept. But Steve falls into neither of those categories. He's a gifted kid, super good at math, and went to a gifted school. Not super addicted to drugs, never really tried to kill himself. So how in the world did he end up in a place like Burnstone Grove?
He writes journal entries, part of which explains the events going on at the facility at the time. The rest is the story of events leading up to how he got there.
It's one hell of a story, I'm just going to tell you that right now.
Can I just start out by saying that this novel deserves more recognition? It is a masterpiece woven together by emotion and humor and confusion and subtle ache. Every time I pick it up and read it, I'm sucked into Steven's tortured mind and his stumbling journey. It's one of my favorite books, and I can't stop coming back to it.
This book was just... everything I needed. There's just something strange about Adam Rapp's writing that drains every grain of life in my body and then fills it back up in some way different. It's so hard to explain, but this book was just so intriguing, and I felt myself sucked into Steve's world of struggles and actions.
I fell in love with Under The Wolf, Under The Dog. Everything was absolutely perfect, from the diverse characters, to the amazing driven plot, to the absolute CRAZINESS of it all! I mean, WOW. The stuff that Steve goes through is pretty heavy, and I was in love with all of it. It just all felt so real.
Another thing is that it's always this book that I find myself carrying around for too long, which results in horrific-priced library fines at least twice. I mean, I've turned it in and it was "paid", but finally I broke down and bought the book. Now I can longue around anywhere I want, reading about cigarettes and a Marine Corps bag and a bottle of Robitussin and such. It was a pretty great decision.
Adam Rapp's writing style is so inspiring. I love all of the descriptions that are used, for just about everything! He could take the color of somebody's shirt and compare it to the hue of a brand of toothpaste that he used months ago. It's just so vivid, all of the descriptions, that kept the story crisp and full of life.
Here are some mesmerizing details I can pick straight from the book:
"Dantly's a freak through and through. A total burnout. Half shark. A quarter invincible. Maybe even part machine. Instead of blood, the guy probably has motor oil coursing through his veins. He and my brother mostly took this drug called Haldol, which according to Weldon makes you feel like you're half-asleep in a snowdrift."
"There were voices in the next room. Two men and a woman. It sounded like they were playing hearts because of the way one of the men kept saying how the woman was trying to shoot the moon. Her name was Georgia and she had a voice like a clarinet."
"And it was true: I was totally urinating in my pants. It was amazing. If you ever want to change your life immediately, just sit down in some random fast-food place and start urinating in your pants."
This book was just pure bliss. It was very intense, sudden, and sad. But most of all, it is honest.
But I fell in love with every bit of it.
33 Snowfish destroyed me. Under The Wolf, Under The Dog filled me back up.
And that is just beautiful.
"During the movie, I kept thinking about the blue wall and my dad and my mom dying and Welton and how totally screwed up everything was over in East Foote. For some reason I started crying. I can cry pretty well without any sound. It gets all trapped in my throat and it makes me feel like my face is going to burst, but it's a good technique, especially when there's a little kid sleeping on your shoulder."
This book this book this book this book this book this book...
Steve Nugent spends his days at a place called Burnstone Grove, the place where suicidal kids and drug addicts are kept. But Steve falls into neither of those categories. He's a gifted kid, super good at math, and went to a gifted school. Not super addicted to drugs, never really tried to kill himself. So how in the world did he end up in a place like Burnstone Grove?
He writes journal entries, part of which explains the events going on at the facility at the time. The rest is the story of events leading up to how he got there.
It's one hell of a story, I'm just going to tell you that right now.
Can I just start out by saying that this novel deserves more recognition? It is a masterpiece woven together by emotion and humor and confusion and subtle ache. Every time I pick it up and read it, I'm sucked into Steven's tortured mind and his stumbling journey. It's one of my favorite books, and I can't stop coming back to it.
This book was just... everything I needed. There's just something strange about Adam Rapp's writing that drains every grain of life in my body and then fills it back up in some way different. It's so hard to explain, but this book was just so intriguing, and I felt myself sucked into Steve's world of struggles and actions.
I fell in love with Under The Wolf, Under The Dog. Everything was absolutely perfect, from the diverse characters, to the amazing driven plot, to the absolute CRAZINESS of it all! I mean, WOW. The stuff that Steve goes through is pretty heavy, and I was in love with all of it. It just all felt so real.
Another thing is that it's always this book that I find myself carrying around for too long, which results in horrific-priced library fines at least twice. I mean, I've turned it in and it was "paid", but finally I broke down and bought the book. Now I can longue around anywhere I want, reading about cigarettes and a Marine Corps bag and a bottle of Robitussin and such. It was a pretty great decision.
Adam Rapp's writing style is so inspiring. I love all of the descriptions that are used, for just about everything! He could take the color of somebody's shirt and compare it to the hue of a brand of toothpaste that he used months ago. It's just so vivid, all of the descriptions, that kept the story crisp and full of life.
Here are some mesmerizing details I can pick straight from the book:
"Dantly's a freak through and through. A total burnout. Half shark. A quarter invincible. Maybe even part machine. Instead of blood, the guy probably has motor oil coursing through his veins. He and my brother mostly took this drug called Haldol, which according to Weldon makes you feel like you're half-asleep in a snowdrift."
"There were voices in the next room. Two men and a woman. It sounded like they were playing hearts because of the way one of the men kept saying how the woman was trying to shoot the moon. Her name was Georgia and she had a voice like a clarinet."
"And it was true: I was totally urinating in my pants. It was amazing. If you ever want to change your life immediately, just sit down in some random fast-food place and start urinating in your pants."
This book was just pure bliss. It was very intense, sudden, and sad. But most of all, it is honest.
But I fell in love with every bit of it.
33 Snowfish destroyed me. Under The Wolf, Under The Dog filled me back up.
And that is just beautiful.
"During the movie, I kept thinking about the blue wall and my dad and my mom dying and Welton and how totally screwed up everything was over in East Foote. For some reason I started crying. I can cry pretty well without any sound. It gets all trapped in my throat and it makes me feel like my face is going to burst, but it's a good technique, especially when there's a little kid sleeping on your shoulder."
July 12, 2017
I read this book sometime in 2009, and it has really stuck with me this entire time.
During my last year of high school, I picked it up in one of my 4x-weekly study periods, unfortunately located in the extensive school library. No more studying got done until I'd finished it.
Once I had finished, I went about 'recommending it' (aka fluttering it in their faces whilst going "omg what! Read!") to the other 6 or 7 kids in my study period. I can't confirm whether they did read it or not though. They seemed to actually want to study during study period for some reason. I know - weird. Anyway, if they didn't they missed out.
Worth a read.
During my last year of high school, I picked it up in one of my 4x-weekly study periods, unfortunately located in the extensive school library. No more studying got done until I'd finished it.
Once I had finished, I went about 'recommending it' (aka fluttering it in their faces whilst going "omg what! Read!") to the other 6 or 7 kids in my study period. I can't confirm whether they did read it or not though. They seemed to actually want to study during study period for some reason. I know - weird. Anyway, if they didn't they missed out.
Worth a read.
November 12, 2021
I sped through it. It’s a quick, captivating read. Disturbing at times, but a comprehensive look at the mentally ill teenage mind.
February 25, 2024
actually lowkey really liked this even tho it was another book for class
April 9, 2013
"It's okay. Crying is like rain. It makes the grass grow in your soul."
Steve Nugent is a really smart kid, but behind his intelligence is his constant struggle with life. His mom, who has breast cancer, died as well as his basketball prodigy brother who commit suicide. It doesn't help at all that his dad is not taking his mom's death too well. Soon he realized that he was tired of people dying all the time. Steve felt suffocated. He ran away, smoked, took in illegal drugs, broke into his dad's shop, and stole a plate from the love of his life, Mary Mills.
Out of nowhere, his life takes a turn for the worse and gets completely out of hand. He was sent to Burnstone Grove, a facility that takes care of troubled kids. There, he writes his story as he deals with reality and the meaning of life and death.
1. What I loved most about this book is its ability to make you cry, then make you laugh out loud the next page.
2. It is wonderfully disturbing in a way that you could not put it down no matter how grossed out you are.
3. The story revolves around characters more than anything, so the reader really gets to know these people particularly Steve. All throughout, all I did was empathize, laugh and cry with him.
You know that saying, "stay strong"? The thing is, it's going to hurt. It's okay to show weakness because that's the only way you'll be able to go through it. It's okay to cry. It's okay to feel pain. That's what I learned in this book.
I can relate this a lot to Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky only with darker, intense themes.
I highly recommend this book for teens and adults as well since it is definitely not a children's book (although it looks like it). Happy reading:)
Steve Nugent is a really smart kid, but behind his intelligence is his constant struggle with life. His mom, who has breast cancer, died as well as his basketball prodigy brother who commit suicide. It doesn't help at all that his dad is not taking his mom's death too well. Soon he realized that he was tired of people dying all the time. Steve felt suffocated. He ran away, smoked, took in illegal drugs, broke into his dad's shop, and stole a plate from the love of his life, Mary Mills.
Out of nowhere, his life takes a turn for the worse and gets completely out of hand. He was sent to Burnstone Grove, a facility that takes care of troubled kids. There, he writes his story as he deals with reality and the meaning of life and death.
1. What I loved most about this book is its ability to make you cry, then make you laugh out loud the next page.
2. It is wonderfully disturbing in a way that you could not put it down no matter how grossed out you are.
3. The story revolves around characters more than anything, so the reader really gets to know these people particularly Steve. All throughout, all I did was empathize, laugh and cry with him.
You know that saying, "stay strong"? The thing is, it's going to hurt. It's okay to show weakness because that's the only way you'll be able to go through it. It's okay to cry. It's okay to feel pain. That's what I learned in this book.
I can relate this a lot to Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky only with darker, intense themes.
I highly recommend this book for teens and adults as well since it is definitely not a children's book (although it looks like it). Happy reading:)
December 27, 2007
Rapp spoke on the IRA panel and talked about finding "his" voice in the pages of Catcher in the Rye, and about trying now to give voice to modern day Holdens. Yet the relative innocence of CITR (how did that book ever get banned?) is nothing like Rapp's world where broken kids sometimes land in equally broken institutions that try to fix them. Here, Rapp tells the story of Steve, doing time in a youth psychiatric hospital, stuck in the middle between Blue Groupers (suicidal teens) and the Red Groupers (addicts). Loaded with metaphors, allusions, and plenty of dog symbolism, Rapp gives voice to Steve telling about his life in the hospital, and the series of events which led him there. Rapp writes beautifully about ugly things, in particular a scene where Steve loses control and destroys a room full of television sets.
May 25, 2011
omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST BOOK ABOUT A GUY WHO'S MOM DIES OF BREAST CANCER.. & DRUGGIE BROTHER HANGS HIMSELF.. AND AN EMOTIONLESS DAD.. WHO DOESN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT HIM.. OR AT LEAST DOESN'T SHOW IT.. HE MEETS A LITTLE GIRL NAMED JUNE.. SHES DIRTY.. HE SEES HIS BROTHERS DRUGGIE FRIEND AND HE GIVES HIM ACID.. HE IS IN LOVE WITH A GIRL NAMED MARY.. HE PEES HIMSELF IN FRONT OF HER.. DUDE.. I DON'T 2 GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY!!!! I TOTALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO 16-20 YEAR OLDS! THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY FAVORITE BOOK NOW && I AM A F**** GIRL!!!!!
December 13, 2018
The book exists along the boundaries of what I consider to be Young Adult fiction, as part of me is repulsed by the lows that Steve experiences and another part of me is fascinated by the humility with which his character is written.
I believe that this book would be appealing to teen readers because it is precisely the kind of book that I expect teens wouldn't want to pay attention to, as it deals with major taboos. Psychiatric institutions, debilitating lows, and the destruction of one's childhood to someone recognizable as a parallel of one's self is a difficult experience to process. I argue that it is the responsibility of teachers to help move students through manageable exercises in relating to trauma because it will serve them well beyond their schooling years.
The book is very teachable, in fact it could occupy a similar space to that of the Catcher in the Rye, if not for the fact that the protagonist is much more emotionally reachable than Holden, and thus capable of leaving a more deepened impression, as it did for me. Including it in the school's curriculum would be as simple as buying enough editions for one classroom, and try it out for two semesters.
Critical pedagogy is the only theory that comprehensibly allows students to explore the complexities of Steve's experiences. Marxist theory is not as applicable because the novel does not focus on the system that separates Steve into the alternately-privileged lives of psychiatric residents, but rather on the experience that Steve lives. Students should be invited to interpret this novel in as many ways as possible.
I believe that this book would be appealing to teen readers because it is precisely the kind of book that I expect teens wouldn't want to pay attention to, as it deals with major taboos. Psychiatric institutions, debilitating lows, and the destruction of one's childhood to someone recognizable as a parallel of one's self is a difficult experience to process. I argue that it is the responsibility of teachers to help move students through manageable exercises in relating to trauma because it will serve them well beyond their schooling years.
The book is very teachable, in fact it could occupy a similar space to that of the Catcher in the Rye, if not for the fact that the protagonist is much more emotionally reachable than Holden, and thus capable of leaving a more deepened impression, as it did for me. Including it in the school's curriculum would be as simple as buying enough editions for one classroom, and try it out for two semesters.
Critical pedagogy is the only theory that comprehensibly allows students to explore the complexities of Steve's experiences. Marxist theory is not as applicable because the novel does not focus on the system that separates Steve into the alternately-privileged lives of psychiatric residents, but rather on the experience that Steve lives. Students should be invited to interpret this novel in as many ways as possible.
June 17, 2018
This was too Holden Caulfield for me but I liked its exploration of grief.
Some favorite lines:
"I was so in love, I went into my room and drank half a bottle of Robitussin."
"The mattress was lumpy and smelled like pets and weather."
I also liked the description of a secretary's computer having a "totally Christian-looking screen saver."
Some favorite lines:
"I was so in love, I went into my room and drank half a bottle of Robitussin."
"The mattress was lumpy and smelled like pets and weather."
I also liked the description of a secretary's computer having a "totally Christian-looking screen saver."
October 17, 2018
I was intrigued to begin with as some of the characters are kooky and react in bixarre ways to things. Other characters were just creepy. I really enjoyed the way the Author wrote but felt the middle of the book laboured more than needed and there was an unsatisfactory rush to a conclusion at the end where i think the story could have been stretched out a little more.
July 31, 2020
Very well-written, with a likable protagonist, but it is quite possibly the most depressing YA book I've ever read. I wish I had read it on a sunnier day, because it's raining here and now I feel very low.
September 7, 2017
Nothing really happened in it.
October 5, 2017
This was definitely one of my favorite books in High School. I read this parallel to Catcher in the Rye, and surprisingly, this story makes me think of a more modern, twisted version of the classic.
July 19, 2018
Deep.
May 4, 2020
Steve tells it like it is to have a dysfunctional family. Great YA read.
December 24, 2020
Def want to read more Adam Rapp, thanks to him I now know about Nick Drake and just bought a Bottomside album. I found my hidden gem.
August 18, 2022
it was pretty silly i liked it
February 26, 2024
“it suddenly felt like the fall, and my only brother was dead.”
May 5, 2024
Great book but didnt get the ending i wanted, overall amazing read, a few chuckles but it was a gut wrenching story full of emotion
June 21, 2024
Don’t read this book but don’t MISS Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp. It is the best book I’ve read all year
June 26, 2016
This book was a turd. The front cover made it sound interesting, but I found it incredibly boring. Steve is in a mental hospital or some sort of rehab facility, it really isn't clear. The book is written almost as diary from his point of view talking about all past events. Mostly what is discussed are the events that led up to his institutionalization. His mother died and his brother killed himself, two things that are traumatic and could be hella interesting to read about if the writing wasn't so dry. I felt like some of the themes and details were trying to over compensate for bad story writing skills.
The plot was barely there. I was so bored reading it I should have stopped but I thought "maybe it will all be worth it at the end". It was not. There was no feeling or emotion, I was totally not connected to any of the characters and the only redemption for me would have been if Steve would have killed himself at the end, but unfortunately that did not happen. The descriptions were weak and did not pull me into the story. For being written in first person it was very impersonal. Dry. Bland. Boring.
Even if the book had been a more enjoyable read, the ending sucked. No conclusion, no closure, as if the author left it open for a possible sequel. I can only hope such is not the case.
I finished the book wondering why. Why did I read this? Why did I continue reading it? What was the point? Just, Why?
The plot was barely there. I was so bored reading it I should have stopped but I thought "maybe it will all be worth it at the end". It was not. There was no feeling or emotion, I was totally not connected to any of the characters and the only redemption for me would have been if Steve would have killed himself at the end, but unfortunately that did not happen. The descriptions were weak and did not pull me into the story. For being written in first person it was very impersonal. Dry. Bland. Boring.
Even if the book had been a more enjoyable read, the ending sucked. No conclusion, no closure, as if the author left it open for a possible sequel. I can only hope such is not the case.
I finished the book wondering why. Why did I read this? Why did I continue reading it? What was the point? Just, Why?
August 17, 2012
A recollective story by a sixteen-year-old Gray Grouper named Steve Nugent (I pronounce it as Noojent, I don’t care about you), Under the Wolf Under the Dog is disturbing and graphic and gripping and emotionally frank and sarcastically humorous.
If you ask parents what is the worst fear they have, they would tell you that one of their children would die. If you ask adults what was the zenith fear they had as a child, they would tell you that it was that one or both of their parents would not return home, especially their mother. For most of us that never happens, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Somehow though, those who DO lose their mothers before they are fully adults become like those wind-up toys that race across the floor until they bump into a wall and then flip over and spin their wheels, grinding their gears until the spring wears down. Steve Nugent is one of those kids.
Steve Nugest lost his mother to breast cancer, and then his drug-plagued older brother, and when Steve needed him the most, his father and his beard became more distant, consuming himself with Malcolm in the Middle. All these stresses and Steve cracked slowly.
The story is virtually heartbreaking, you’d think how anyone survives adolescence, it would sorely tug at your heartstrings.
If you ask parents what is the worst fear they have, they would tell you that one of their children would die. If you ask adults what was the zenith fear they had as a child, they would tell you that it was that one or both of their parents would not return home, especially their mother. For most of us that never happens, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Somehow though, those who DO lose their mothers before they are fully adults become like those wind-up toys that race across the floor until they bump into a wall and then flip over and spin their wheels, grinding their gears until the spring wears down. Steve Nugent is one of those kids.
Steve Nugest lost his mother to breast cancer, and then his drug-plagued older brother, and when Steve needed him the most, his father and his beard became more distant, consuming himself with Malcolm in the Middle. All these stresses and Steve cracked slowly.
The story is virtually heartbreaking, you’d think how anyone survives adolescence, it would sorely tug at your heartstrings.
June 4, 2014
Under The Wolf Under The Dog....A good friend of mine recommended this book whilst I was looking for some new reading material.
As soon as I started reading i was completely consumed. The writing style was simple but yet so descriptive and straight to the punch.
Rapp does an amazing job at bringing to light some of the darkest subjects that so many people are afraid to talk about.
This book is anything but typical and definitely an acquired taste. To call it dark would be an understatement, I found that as I read along it was more disturbing how Steve coped with all that had happened. Or should I say lack of coping. It was as if Steve took it day by day without really letting in all that had happened. It was like an impenetrable fog that surrounded him and simply never left.
Anyway, this was one of the few books that has never left me. And it helped mold a part of me considering I read this in a dark time of my own.
November 2, 2010
I had trouble deciding if I should give this book three or four stars..but I think I made the right choice. This was a very moving book about a boy who is in a psychiatric hospital. The book is about his journey to the hospital after his mother dies, his father becomes depressed and hi brother commits suicide. It is a realistic story of a boy and his journey through heartache, death drugs, and love. This is not a book for someone looking for a happy story, it is just a true to life, grity, down on the front lines of teenage angst, type of story.
I liked the was the author wrote the book as if Steve was writing in his journal. I really felt like he was talking directly to you, even when he jumped around a little. It made the book feel more real and it also made it a quick read. I sympathized with Steve though out the book. I really enjoyed the last page of the book )not to give anything away).
I liked the was the author wrote the book as if Steve was writing in his journal. I really felt like he was talking directly to you, even when he jumped around a little. It made the book feel more real and it also made it a quick read. I sympathized with Steve though out the book. I really enjoyed the last page of the book )not to give anything away).
October 26, 2009
This is a fiction story about a teenager who got brought to a therapy place for teens. He is brought there because of life experiences and his addiction to drugs. The main character, Steven, is dealing with his mother's death, brother's suicide, and father's depression. This story has one bad thing after another, and it is very emotional because of what steven has been through.
I gave this book three stars because I thought it was good, but there was really nothing to it. It was just about all the terrible things that some kid went through. On the other hand, it kind of makes you think about everything that you have. Also it gives you a different perspective on everything through the eyes of someone who had to go through all that. It kind of makes you see their side.
My favorite quote from this story is: "Crying's like rain. It makes the grass grow in your soul."
I gave this book three stars because I thought it was good, but there was really nothing to it. It was just about all the terrible things that some kid went through. On the other hand, it kind of makes you think about everything that you have. Also it gives you a different perspective on everything through the eyes of someone who had to go through all that. It kind of makes you see their side.
My favorite quote from this story is: "Crying's like rain. It makes the grass grow in your soul."
January 2, 2012
Steve ends up in Burnstone Grove, an institution for disturbed teens, after his mom dies and his brother commits suicide, and he finds his life spinning wildly out of control. He is such a lost and yet hopeful character. You can feel his exhaustion and his pain and his honest open nature and narrative make you keep hoping that he'll find his way out of the mess that he's in.
This was not an easy read. There are a lot of tough scenes and hard realities to face, and the only thing that gets you through it is Steve himself. Come on Steve. Adam Rapp also wrote 33 Snowfish, which was another difficult edgy read. Under the Wolf, Under the Dog has that same kind of toughness and honesty. This is for older/mature readers - later teens and up, and not for those who may take offense at the language or certain scenes/descriptions.
This was not an easy read. There are a lot of tough scenes and hard realities to face, and the only thing that gets you through it is Steve himself. Come on Steve. Adam Rapp also wrote 33 Snowfish, which was another difficult edgy read. Under the Wolf, Under the Dog has that same kind of toughness and honesty. This is for older/mature readers - later teens and up, and not for those who may take offense at the language or certain scenes/descriptions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2013
This was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager (14-16). I read it multiple times. I don't know. It just spoke to me, I guess. I liked Rapp's writing style, and the subject matter. Stephen's response to the death of his mother and insane emotional hardship he endures throughout the story were really well done (or I thought so at the time anyway). I think this novel really just captured unbridled sadness without being angsty.
It introduced me to Interpol and I'm currently listening to 40 Holes and 40 Goals by Bottomside which is Rapp's band. Harsh literary memories in this book.
Most importantly, this book showed me that at the end of the day, no one can really help you through anything and the path to understanding and forgiveness is best followed by you alone.
Not sure if it's a good thing, though.
It introduced me to Interpol and I'm currently listening to 40 Holes and 40 Goals by Bottomside which is Rapp's band. Harsh literary memories in this book.
Most importantly, this book showed me that at the end of the day, no one can really help you through anything and the path to understanding and forgiveness is best followed by you alone.
Not sure if it's a good thing, though.
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