Assessment:
Anyone who misses high school should not miss this well told story of a young teacher finding his way through the bureaucracy and frustration of a public high school system. Despite the protagonist's name -- which is similar to one of Franz Kafka's more famous characters -- the story stays relatively grounded in reality with strong prose and well crafted characters.
Date Submitted: August 30, 2016
Balances clever deadpan humor (I laughed out loud several times) alongside a serious examination of the modern education system. Anyone who has ever taught, or dealt with school administration (or, really, any administration) will sympathetically nod their head from start to finish, and anyone who hasn’t will gain a better understanding of why it’s so difficult to get education policy and practice right. The author fills the book with great characters and dialogue, and keeps the tone light despite the constant presence of increasingly Kafkaesque obstacles.
This is a terrific novel. It made me laugh; it made me angry; it made me think.
Hilarious and thought-provoking.
Debut author Prather has a real talent for comedic writing, and he possesses a deep knowledge of the obstacles that public education faces today, including those created by overzealous parents. ... Prather is clearly influenced by Franz Kafka’s work, ... and he follows that author’s footsteps in ably lampooning technocratic hubris. (Kirkus Reviews)