God of Beer

by Garret Keizer

High School kids in Salmon Falls are much the same as high school kids anywhere else: bored. In the far reaches of Ira County, Vermont, in the dead of winter, it seems there's nothing to do. But when eighteen-year-old Kyle Nelson and a handful of friends decide to challenge the status quo with an act of civil disobedience, they discover that there's more to do than they ever bargained for.Garret Keizer's gripping novel about young men and women desperate for change bears witness to the dangerous force of ideas and the searing power of friendship. Here is a novel that looks truth squarely in the eye, and dares to keep on looking.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Garret Keizer is the author of eight books, the most recent of which are Getting Schooled and Privacy. A contributing editor of Harper's Magazine and a Guggenheim Fellow, he has written for Lapham's Quarterly, the Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other publications.

You can learn more about Keizer's work and also contact him at his website:

http://www.garretkeizer.com

The website of his current publisher is here:

http://us.macmillan.com/author/garret...

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fairly interesting. At first I just picked it because I had to read a book. After getting through the first chapter I was hooked. The characters in this story are all close but as you read on you realize that not all of them like each other. This story is a fictional one yet almost seems like it could have been real due to the events in the book. God of Beer is a book that shows the struggles of losing a friend, peer pressure on drinking, going through high school, and deciding on whether or not to go to college. I really liked it and I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to read something on their spare time.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The teen activism and grief feel skimmed over. It is a quick read but a shallow one.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this thru the LT Early Review program, in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I chose this book because of the title. God of Beer? I wanted to know more. I'm glad I did, it turned out to be a very enjoyable, quick read.

Set in rural Vermont, its a story that centers around Kyle and his friends Quaker and Diana. The title comes from a question that their senior social studies teacher asked. He said that Gandhi was quoted as saying that if God were to come to India, he would come in the form of bread, because that's the only way the starving masses would be able to comprehend God. The question was, what form would God come to the people of Ira County (where the story is set). Kyle, after now one speaks up, is asked directly and he blurts out... Beer. It seems to be the focus of most social interactions in the town, including those underage in the high school.

Kyle and his friends want to take this fact and use it in their group term project and perform a peaceful protest to change the thinking, laws and impact of drinking in their town. The story goes off from there and takes some turns that I wasn't expecting.

A different take on the typical YA, story of underdog hero's who are friends with the super popular jock who helps them in their plights. In this case the super popular jock is also the super hot star basketball center, Diana (who Kyle has been secretly pining for, for years). Well worth the time. Recommend.

"My friend Quaker Oats says that I changed his life simply by answering one of Mr. Whalen's questions in senior social studies class."

9/10

S: 3/18/16 - F: 3/19/16 (2 Days)

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best review of this book is a quote from the book itself. "Blood all over the highway was just one of the unfortunate teenage tragedies that the world was prepared to tolerate no and again, but private property trashed all over the pavement, even if it was an honest protest against the blood, well, we just couldn't put up with that" (Keizer 228).
I didn't really understand the protest movement in this book, from a teacher's standpoint. There was only two protest parties and the movement didn't catch on enough. The characters were likable.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little subway read. Definitely got the New England vibe and the characters were mostly believable. The writing is a little simplistic because I think the author is trying to sound young, but it just made for a very quick read. Heads up: This edition has a lot of typos.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great YA read.

[Turner McDonnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, God Of Beer was a descent book. It’s about these kids in a high school in Vermont. its a story that centers around Kyle and his friends Quaker and Diana. In the beginning, a question that their senior social studies teacher asked said,”Gandhi was quoted as saying that if God were to come to India, he would come in the form of bread, because that's the only way the starving masses would be able to comprehend God. What form would God come to the people of Ira County.” Kyle, after now one speaks up, is asked directly and he says beer. After while they decide to start protesting the drinking limit because that’s all that the kids do around there. Overtime they get to a party and Diana gets killed by drunk driving and her boy friends stops drinking until he is 21. The plot of the book is pretty boring, the plot is really lengthen by a bunch of random stuff. It should’ve been a lot shorter.

The writing of the book was descent I was able to visualize the setting and protests. But there was way too much random detail and stuff that was just unneeded. This made the book feel really drawed out and pointless. I also noticed that there was a bunch of typos in the book.

I honestly would not recommend the book because it is just really boring. It was way too long for what happened in the story. It could literally be half of what it was but they just kept adding random detail. My opinion of the book was it was just an ok. An easy 2/5 Star and nothing better. There is a lot of better options out there than this book to be honest.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in an Early Reviews program in exchange for an honest review and to be honest, I wasn't sure about this book purely because of the title, but once again, I have been reminded not to judge a book by the title or by the cover!

Although published in 2002, the story, the themes, the characters, and the message are timeless. I spent many years as a high school English teacher in California's Central Valley and saw many of my own students in the characters in this book. I especially enjoyed the innovative thinking of the teens of Salmon Falls, which closely resonated with the innovative thinking students I have taught in the past. Keizer's ability to write from the perspective of Kyle, a student who, as teachers, we often see in each class period, demonstrates to me that as a teacher Keizer took the time to get to know each and every one of his students.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. One of my favorite lines, "I wanted him to see for once in his life that reality isn't just a bunch of smart people with good ideas making everything into some kind of game" speaks to how sometimes teens are far more intuitive than their adult mentors. I look forward to adding a copy of God of Beer to my high school library.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to rate this 3-star, but I liked it more than that! I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway not realizing it was maybe meant to be a YA book.

When I first started reading this little book I thought it was not for me but some silly high school tale about illegal drinking. Not far into it I found it was about relationships with friends and family, trust, angst, regrets and much more. This is a well-written story that will make you laugh and cry.

The book was well presented from the point of view of Kyle. Characters were well thought out, each with their own personality and problems. The protest plan was a little off-the-wall but other than that the book was very realistic and did a great job communicating what teenagers experience and how life moves on. I was disappointed Kyle lost track of Christopher though!

Thanks for the good read UPNE!

[Brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the older high school boys take out this book, so I've decided to see what it's all about...

* * *

ultimately i think this is a very thoughtful and powerful book. the male narrator's voice is very clear and i think most boys living in rural or even suburban areas of the country could really relate to his story. the title will engage them and then the story will keep them. the lessons are solid but not overdone and the realities of teen choices are realistic if sometimes painful. realistic fiction worth the read for 17-18 year old boys for certain.

[Celestasaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest to God, I picked this book up as a joke. I mean, God of Beer? I figured it's about some teenage drunk. I figured it was his self-acclaimed title.

I don't know what made me actually read the book, since it was just a joke, but I did. And I liked it. A lot. God of Beer is about laws and protest. The main character, whatshisface, pulled some pretty imaginative acts just as a protest. He was a genius.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting novel set in a high school in Vermont. The dynamics and characters reminded me more of my own high school in the '80s -- and nothing like the novel of that era, Less Than Zero. Keizer provides a great perspective from a boy at the lower end of the economic spectrum, living in a town with limited options, but proving that neither wealth nor opportunity are factors for good character.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keizer, a high school teacher and lay minister in Vermont, follows his two acclaimed collections of nonfiction with this young adult novel. High school senior Kyle can get along with all the different cliques at his high school, but has no ambition for himself. He's in love with his best friend, star of the women's basketball team. He and his friends are wrenchingly real, and the bittersweet conclusion is completely convincing.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

High School fiction proposing a 'what if' on the problems of drinking, peer pressure and the death of our teens in drinking related auto accidents. Keizer was an English teacher in a small-town school; I'd guess some of his students make guest appearances in this book.

[Read InAGarden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on this book at the 25% mark. It seemed like it just kept meandering without a purpose. And each page was doubled - first page would be the page in text form and then there would be a pdf version of the previous page. This got rather tiresome.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one owns the same melancholic tone that Stargirl had. I liked it, but have always wondered if it sounded too much like Stargirl.

[Jeanne]

Another book club book. Not as gripping as the book cover predicted. Not sure if I'll keep going.

[Jack Ippel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read--just 24 hours. Nothing deep, a target audience of high-schoolers, maybe?

[Ifahh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's definitely a good read. I enjoyed it, I mourned with it, I was sad it had to end. Though the ending was a little dull, I still loved it.

[Carlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book! I loved it, and it was very interesting. It was also very sad and touching, I wanted to cry. :(

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salmon Falls High School (sodabeer) project by Kyle, Quaker Oat Diana effects the lives of all. Great Read!

[Jonathan Arvizu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only like it cause they are trying to lower the drinking age.

[Nashoba Cote · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, it was a good book, it was about teens and drinking and some teens wanted to lower the drinking age limit for a class project. But I really liked this book

[Derek Asmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about how people can change and how if willing you can do a lot of things if you put your mind to it and work your hardest.

[Weston Prohaska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relating to highschoolers. A heart felt tale. A very complicated love story. A very great book.

[Kevin Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

God of beer, a creative book about teenagers and drinking these days- which is quite creative about writing about teenagers and drinking.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not realize this book was for young readers. I gave it to my friend.

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.