My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff

This book was on the new-release shelf at the public library, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Adam is in high school, and he decides that the best way to survive is to stay in the shadows. He does everything he can to remain unnoticed. After his father died and his brother went away to college, Adam gets into being a theater techie, but he likes sitting up in the rafters working the lights. A new female actress catches his eye, but an unwritten theater rule keeps techies from interacting with the performers. Adam can't stop thinking about her, the student director seems to have it out for him, and he's having trouble dealing with his father's death. His mom isn't much help, his brother won't return his phone calls, and his best friend doesn't seem to understand. What's a guy supposed to do?

The book is probably PG with some suggestive parts included. The author did a great job of capturing the emotional issues of adolescent boys who aren't jocks or super popular. I enjoyed Adam's mixture of humor, confusion, caring, and dedication to the show. The character interaction kept my interest, and it was nice to see an underdog come out ahead. The climax was kind of cool and unexpected.