BOOK REVIEW By: Nicola Cunningham-Williams Publisher: Ian Randle
The old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ may seem cliché enough but definitely rings true after devouring Marcelo Simonetti’s book ‘Tito’ which at first did not inspired me to delve within its pages.
Boy was I wrong! Well crafted, insightful and unexpectedly hilarious, ‘Tito’ was a good read from beginning to end. A small book that packs a powerful punch, it chronicles the musings of a boy whose biggest fears included failing his dreaded language class and becoming an adult. The realm of adulthood was so mystifying with working all day, doing unnecessary hard stuff and in general having your life suck, that nothing terrified poor Tito and his best friend Vicente more and so any traces or elements that remotely resembled adulthood was shunned or banned…except the inevitability of kissing girls.
Seen through the eyes of a boy on the cusp of transitioning from child to teenager, ‘Tito’ was a refreshing look at something we do not often get to delve into – the mind of a boy as most pre-teen angst stories are relived through the eyes of the teenaged girl. ‘Tito’ was also profoundly realistic not only in its exploration of several relevant subjects such as absentee fathers and blended families, but in its handling of such touchy topics as with ‘Tito’ we see that there are no easy or simple right or wrong answers.
Though the book is set in Chile, its relevance transcends geographical boundaries as despite some cultural nuances such as names and food, growing up and gaining wisdom is universal, period. A book that anyone with half a brain can enjoy, ‘Tito’ would be a great gift for a male reader as it may evokes nostalgic memories of childhood games, secrets and boyhood friendships not necessarily outgrown but evolved.
Share this post:
BOOK REVIEW By: Nicola Cunningham-Williams Publisher: Ian Randle
The old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ may seem cliché enough but definitely rings true after devouring Marcelo Simonetti’s book ‘Tito’ which at first did not inspired me to delve within its pages.
Boy was I wrong! Well crafted, insightful and unexpectedly hilarious, ‘Tito’ was a good read from beginning to end. A small book that packs a powerful punch, it chronicles the musings of a boy whose biggest fears included failing his dreaded language class and becoming an adult. The realm of adulthood was so mystifying with working all day, doing unnecessary hard stuff and in general having your life suck, that nothing terrified poor Tito and his best friend Vicente more and so any traces or elements that remotely resembled adulthood was shunned or banned…except the inevitability of kissing girls.
Seen through the eyes of a boy on the cusp of transitioning from child to teenager, ‘Tito’ was a refreshing look at something we do not often get to delve into – the mind of a boy as most pre-teen angst stories are relived through the eyes of the teenaged girl. ‘Tito’ was also profoundly realistic not only in its exploration of several relevant subjects such as absentee fathers and blended families, but in its handling of such touchy topics as with ‘Tito’ we see that there are no easy or simple right or wrong answers.
Though the book is set in Chile, its relevance transcends geographical boundaries as despite some cultural nuances such as names and food, growing up and gaining wisdom is universal, period. A book that anyone with half a brain can enjoy, ‘Tito’ would be a great gift for a male reader as it may evokes nostalgic memories of childhood games, secrets and boyhood friendships not necessarily outgrown but evolved.
Share this post: