Can't Get There From Here: A Novel

Bibliographic Information: Strasser, T. (2004). Can't Get There From Here. New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.ISBN: 0689841698

Plot Summary: Can't Get There from Here is a story about homeless teenagers in Manhattan. The main character of the book, Maybe, narrates the harsh realities of life on the street. Maybe lives with a "tribe" of homeless teens who are homeless because they were abused, abandoned, into drugs...they only have each other. One by one they start to perish. Alexander Mittelson, known as Country Club to the street kids, was in trouble his whole life. Diagnosed with ADHD he self-medicated with drugs and alcohol. When he was 17 he ran away from home and was found dead at the age of 22 in New York City. The cause of Alexander's death was liver failure due to chronic alcohol poisoning.

Mary Ellen Golding, known as Rainbow, was born in Florida. Her mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict. At age 11 Rainbow's mother traded her for drugs. Rainbow ended up committing suicide at the age of 16 in New York. Maybe's friends are dying rapidly and she tries to get Tears off the streets. Tears (real name Nikki Frimer) is only twelve years old. Her mother loves her but she does not believe her daughter when she tells her that her stepfather is molesting her. In the end, with the help of a dear librarian, Anthony, Maybe reunites Tears with her grandparents. Anthony and Maybe drive Tears out to West Virginia to live with her grandparents.

Critical Evaluation: Can't Get There from Here is a very heartbreaking but honest novel. It is an excellent read for everyone: from kids who have everything- to those that have nothing. The novel is full of despair, but it is also full of hope. In the end, it is really left up to the individual what his destiny is. Some have all of the odds stacked against them, but maybe there is that one special person that makes all the difference. Anthony, the city librarian, was just that person. He gave Maybe and Tears dignity and hope. Can't Get There from Here is a must read.

Annotation: Can't Get There From Here is a heartbreaking novel about runaway teens living on the streets of New York City.

About the Author: Todd Strasser was born in New York City in 1950. Strasser has written more than 130 young adult novels. He has also written under the pen names: Morton Rhue and T.S. Rue. Many of Strasser's works are controversial, dealing with themes such as Nazism, homelessness, school shooting, bullying in schools and sexuality. The Wave, Strasser's most famous work, is about a social experiment that happened at a high school in Palo Alto, California, in 1969. It was made into a television movie in 1981. Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, Asphalt Tribe and The Time Zone High trilogy are a few of Strasser's most well known works.

Retrieved April 11, 2010 at : http://www.toddstrasser.com/

Genre: YA Fiction, Street kids, Homelessness

Curriculum Ties: None

Talking Points: What happens to teens who have no one or their family life is so horrible that living on the streets is better? When teens run away from home and have nothing but the clothes on their backs, what do they do?

Reading Level and Interest Age: 13 and older

Challenge Issues: Drug use, reference to child/teen prostitution

Reason for Inclusion: Can't Get There From Here paints a realistic portrayal of life on the streets and, consequently, the harsh and dreadful reality of this life.