Summary Of Ben Wolf's Hey-Soos

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What would you do if you had a year to live? When Ben Wolf was told that he had a rare blood disease, one that would kill him, he was somewhat relieved. Ben never thought he was meant to grow old. Rejecting treatment, he decides to live his last year of life to the fullest. He turns his life around joining the football team, diving into his education, and asking out the girl of his dreams.

Ben is faced with many problems, including facing the truth. When Ben finds out about the illness, he decides to keep the situation hidden from his friends and family. This starts out fine, but becomes an unavoidable problem as he becomes weaker and closer to dying. He feels like he must tell them but also fears that they will resent him if he does. He wants them to prepare them for the death, but doesn 't want to lose them. …show more content…

Hey-Soos helps Ben make realizations about himself and the other people in his life. I feel that the image of Hey-soos is Ben trying to accept his own death. He acts like he welcomes death but as the book continues his facade begins to fade, and he begins to fear the death that he knew was inevitable. I think Hey-Soos is Ben 's subconscious trying to help him cope with dying, while at the same time leading him to face the truth.

This book was absolutely phenomenal. The quirky characters and the close relationships they had with each other pull in the reader. It uses suspense to keep the reader constantly guessing what will happen next. In this book Chris Crutcher confronts many mature themes such as mental illness, racism, suicide, and death, while still being able to keep the book light hearted in many places. It also explores the importance of friendship, romantic relationships, family, and dealing with personal loss. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating

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