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

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

Review by: Lauren

Copy From: Publisher

amazon associate: buy book, we get small percentage

Official Summary: High school sophomore Adam Zeigler thought the best way to live life was behind the spotlight. When his father died two years ago, Adam retreated into the world of the theater, ultimately winning a coveted place on the theater crew and finding (what he thought) was his place in the world, high above the theater floor in the lighting grid.

But then a young actress, Summer, appeared in his view. Instantly smitten, Adam is determined to win her over. But to do so, he’ll have to defy his best friend and break the golden rule of his school: techies and actors don’t mix.

Set against the backdrop of a high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the book is a theater story, a love story, and a bromance in one. The complexities of life, death, and high school are revealed as Adam struggles to find the courage to step out of the shadows and into the light.

Review: I love the theater. I’m not an actor, nor a techie. I don’t understand the ins and outs of that type of relationship. The last thing I’ve been in a play was a Munchkin in the 8th grade. However, I’m a huge fan of reading plays, watching them…and now, reading books that deal with the subject of theater like this one.

I could really understand Adam. After his father died, he was afraid of the dark. Now, he works on school plays with his best friend…he does the light, of course. He doesn’t see the play in terms of the people on stage. He just sees the light, and how various types and different colors can change and affect your perception of the story. It’s quite beautiful when he really gets into it. But more than that, Adam just seemed real. He knows the rule that techies and actors don’t mix…but when he falls for an actress, he doesn’t care. No, he’s not going to stand on the stage and profess his love (and yes, he does try and hide it) but he isn’t scared away from the idea.

While I enjoyed Adam, I wasn’t a huge fan of Summer. This has much to do with a decision she makes in the book. I’m just not sure I can get over it. That’s all I can say on that one.

Zadoff is a humourous writer though and you’re sure to find plenty of funny moments. Oh, and I just realized…Allen Zadoff is the author and Adam Ziegler is the main character. Coincidence?!

–as Mr. Apple (the play instructor) is a gay man, you can buy this book to be entered in the huge LGBT giveaway.