On the Fringe

by Donald R. Gallo (Editor)

In every school at every grade, there's a pecking order among students -- an in crowd and those outside it, who are often ridiculed mercilessly for the "crime" of being different. This powerful anthology explores the teen outsider experience in electrifying, never-before-published stories by eleven of today's most acclaimed YA authors. A tomboy finds the relief of self-expression through her music, while in another tale a relentless bully tests the faith of an intensely religious girl. A cheerleader discovers that the true soul of her school can't be found within the cool clique; a football player finally stands up for a harassed fellow student; and a boy watches in horror as the school "freak" marches into his classroom with a loaded rifle.Offering insights into popularity and peer pressure, nonconformity and persecution, acceptance and hate, these riveting, provocative tales will leave readers thinking and start them talking.

Genres: Short Stories, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Anthologies, Contemporary, Teen

Unknown Binding

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Donald R. Gallo, often called the godfather of YA short stories, is the editor of more than a dozen acclaimed anthologies, including Sixteen, Destination Unexpected, First Crossing, and What Are You Afraid Of?. A former English teacher and professor, he began championing short stories written specifically for teens in 1980, addressing a gap in school curricula. His groundbreaking work has earned numerous accolades, including the ALAN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Young Adult Literature. Gallo now writes, edits, and presents workshops, while also enjoying photography, cooking, and travel from his home in Solon, Ohio.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Fringe by Chris Crutcher is a ground breaking collection of short stories about high school.
Using work from well known YA fiction novelists, On the Fringe tells the story of a tomboy struggling with her sexuality, a popular cheerleader who discovers that there is a lot more to her high school than just her and many more stories of growth and change.
On the Fringe is a book directed at teens especially ones going through tough personal times. If you are struggling with yourself or others, this is a good book to read, as it shows examples of good that can come from bad times. As no two writing styles are the same in this book, it will be a page turner for many years to come.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories for young adults about students who don't fit in at their high schools. It deals with the issues of violence and bullying and the impact of these things on the individual and the community. I think this book could be very significant for young readers because although it doesn't solve any of the problems it discusses, it definitely opens up thoughts and questions about the issues.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but I wouldn't call it a light read. It's well written and I have to say that I thought the characterization was great in all of the stories. I thik a lot of people who have ever felt different from their classmates will, in some way, be able to relate to this book. However, I do think I would have enjoyed it more around the age of junior high and perhaps gotten more from it at that point.

[Collin]

On the Fringe is a compilation of several short stories that are each centered on a particular group or individual that resides on the edges, or “the fringe” of the social structure. The reason for which these stories were combined to form a book is because they all share the same goal of attempting to open a window into the world of those who have become pray to their peers’ tormenting. Within the pages of On the Fringe lay the stories of a group of outsiders who band together in order to support each other, a boy who must decide between telling the truth and getting his bully expelled, and a girl who struggles with the prospect that she might be the exact opposite of what most people think of when they imagine a girl. For those who have been in similar situations, a connection can be found, and for those who have not had such experiences, a lesson can be learned.
One of the most obvious messages is that these kids who are “on the fringe” are not weak or helpless. The purpose of these stories is not to evoke feelings of pity, but rather show that there are plenty of children who are simply surviving all around. It is wonderful to know that not all of these kids resort to suicide or other drastic measures; however On the Fringe reminds readers that surviving is not the same as living. We, as people, need to remember that there are other people are around us who are hurting and this book has helped remind me of that fact.
Something that bothered me about this book was that the people bearing witness to their peers being tormented or shunned responded in romanticized fashions. It appeared that certain characters went out of their way to show support for the fringe children, which is not necessarily a problem, but this is not a realistic depiction of the real world. On the other hand, the authors’ reasons for romanticizing their protagonists may be to inspire a similar kind of courage in the readers.
If any book could be successful in encouraging people to care and sympathize with those around them, then that book would most likely be On the Fringe. I cannot feel that change will not come for quite some time, but hopefully by simply spreading word about this book one person at a time, we can strengthen the support and sympathy for the people on the fringe and for people everywhere else.

[Mari]

Soooooo.. where should i start.. Well first of all, this had a collection of stories.. It's not one story. One of my favorites so far is one about a girl who is sort of an outcast.. Her best friends have moved away.. BOTH OF THEM!! so shes kinda all alone,but worst of all shes like some kind of lesbian. Well actually she dosent know WHAT she is she dosent know if she likes boys.. girls.. or both!! She dosent even look like a average girl .. shes like a tom boy i guess... She wears baggy pants and shirts...Her hair from what i've read is a total mess... SO YEAH... she’s “FREAK”!! and that much she does know.. she ends up meeting this guy who wants her to write raps for him.. she agrees and i guess shes starting to like him now... AT THE VERY END SHE PERFORMS AT THE SCHOOL DANCE.. ITS A SONG THATS TRULY ABOUT HOW SHE FEELS... and some people like it.. some dont.. some think shes a joke.. and even still some think shes a freak! but she dosent really care..

[Desiree Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacey is afraid to death that standing up for the school "freak" will destroy her popularity. Gene, mocked one time too many, heads for class with a loaded rifle. “On the Fringe” is a series of stories that paint wonderfully terrifying images of both the good and devastating issues of an average high school. If I’m being quite honest this book terrified and amazed me. During some of the stories I felt like I was reading a horror book and others made me feel like there was still hope for mankind. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book if you have a weak stomach. I recommend this book to the high school level and above because of the sheer amount of violence in this book.

[D'oreo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rally do not like any kind of anthology to begin with, but this one was very dry and the few good stories were spread so long apart, I felt like this was a book where you had to read it to get through it, not to enjoy it.

I did not like this book at all. the biggest thing that I disliked was when the boy came in with a gun and shot all of his classmates, most of them died instantly, another story I hated was about a girl who everyone thought was a lesbian and she was molested.

I hated this book.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an agreeable collection of stories about teenagers who, for various reasons, are marginalized by their peers. Although I’m well out of the teen stage, I still periodically pick up these sorts of books: I myself was bullied and I know the experience can alter personality well into adulthood. Of course, as with any multiple-author collection, the stories will vary in interest.

[Alexis Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

"On the Fringe" is a solid book. It has decent stories with a good theme and decent characters. My biggest problem with the book is that its hard to relate with the characters since each story is only 8 to 10 pages long. Also, some of the stories are very bland and don't have a good conflict. For those reasons, I give "On the Fringe" a 3 star rating.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is only based on the Crutcher story. It is about a school shooting that brings up all the questions one experiences when you think about this and like so much in life it doesn't have any answers, you just need to live past it.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories suitable for young adults. Although, some stories may need an introduction just because the content is pretty heavy. I will be passing this one on to my younger brother!

[Roger Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology was compiled in response to the Columbine shootings and is a collection of stories about high school students who are bullied and how they deal with it. It postulates that the victims of bullying are somehow different . They are called geeks, nerds and other insulting names, but the one thing that they are is outsiders. I was intrigued by the theme of this book and wanted to read it because when I was in high school I was a victim of bullying. Virtually every day I was constantly harassed, made fun of and frequently assaulted. I did not, however, feel all that different. I suppose I did feel like an outsider because I was certainly excluded, but I did not feel like I was ostracised because I was an outsider. Rather, I felt like I was an outsider because I was ostracised. That, of course, leaves me with the question of why I was ostracised. I never did figure that out and I was hoping that this book would give me some insight into myself. I was disappointed. Each story has its protagonist who is clearly quite different from her or his classmates and is persecuted for it. I could not relate to any of them, though, except insofar as I could relate to the persecution itself. I am still left wondering why I was persecuted. I will say, though, since the subject matter was so personal for me I was riveted to each story. I certainly did not find my attention wandering. I was also gratified that in most cases the so-called freaks did get their revenge. I hope that the bullies and potential bullies read this book and come to some understanding of what horrendous crimes they are committing, but I don't expect that many of them will. I think it is much more likely that the readers of this book will, like me, be the victims. I hope they will gain more insight about themselves than I did.

[Angelica Alonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is composed of several short stories all written through the perspective of those who don’t often hear. After reading this book, I began to think of the way we separate each other at my school. Maybe we don’t have the jocks and the cheerleaders but we separate ourselves often by race. One of the points is to break the misconceptions of the typical groups such as the geeks and nerds. The book deals with many issues that revolve around teenagers and pressure. One of these issues includes suicide. The story titled Through a Window is about a girl named Nia who loses a friend called Nick because he killed himself. She has trouble dealing with it because many people try to understand her or ask her if she knew he was going to do it. Many time people wonder why a person commits suicide but they don’t ask how family and friends get over the suicide. Another issue that is sensitive for many people is the shooting at a school. One of the stories titled Guns for Geeks is about a boy who opens fire at a school. As a child, he was in several foster homes and he was often picked on by several of his classmates. Many times we are quick to blame the shooters without realizing that they were victims of society and they think the only solution is to shoot the people that hurt them. One other important issue is about identity and self discovery. Many people are not open-minded and might not accept a teenager’s identity such is the case of Jeannie in Standing on the Roof Naked. She dresses as a boy which results in her being teased by several of her male classmates. This book sheds a new light on the whole experience of being a teenager showing that it’s not always the best years of our lives but that instead it’s filled with problems and stress.

[Tiffany Ferrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guide To Understanding Teenagers (A Little Bit)


I think the main reason why I liked this book so much was that it wasn't a book at all, but a collection of stories that could easily have been made into longer versions. They all had a different meaning and were about different high school situations. What I disliked about the book was that some of the stories were very fast paced and almost rushed, and I think that if the author had slowed down a little bit and given more detail it would have been a lot better.
This book definitely exceeded my expectations. I expected it to be stories from adults who had a ridiculous and inaccurate view on the life of teenagers in high school, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount to which I could relate to. I think that this collection of stories would be helpful to both teenagers who are dealing with the same problems and adults who no longer understand how harsh life can be as a teenager. The book didn't affect me too much because I'm already highly aware of the problems that teenagers face every day, from being ostracized and bullied and all the other things in between.
If anybody liked this, I highly recommend "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. That's probably one of my favorite books about teenagers in high school, and it really exposes the harsh cruelty some experience, from drugs to suicide.

[Alex Templeton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second YA short story collection I've read in my teacher's search for more middle-school/high school appropriate short stories to add to my collection. Let me give my usual disclaimer of not being the target audience, and say that I was in general disappointed by this collection. I found the stories often just weird and/or disturbing, which may have been intentional, given the fact that the collection is all about teenagers who are outsiders. Will Weaver's "WWJD", Jack Gantos' "Muzak for Prozac", and Angela Johnson's "Through a Window" all had really disturbing endings--not that I'm saying at all that stories need to have happy endings, but I was surprised at just how dark these were. (Maybe I just don't want to think about how dark the lives of many young adults today are!) The one standout in the collection was Francess Lantz's "Standing on the Roof Naked", which, with what I considered to be an incredibly realistic and compelling* voice, told the story of a teenage girl trying to figure out where she fit, socially and sexually, and satisfyingly didn't provide any concrete, wrap-up answers by the end.

*I think I've used the word 'compelling' in my last three book reviews. Ack. I will consult the thesaurus in the future.

[Danny Araujo · Rating 4 out of 5]

on the fringe is a bunch of stories by lots of authors all having to do with conflicts in school and how people would deal with it. in one story, one unpopular kid in school goes crazy and starts to take on the school columbine style, by taking a gun and shooting people. one external conflict is that all of the jocks and bullies pick on the nerds just because they are not popular or anything. one internal conflict is that all of this bulling gets to the kid's head and then in turn makes them feel worse about themselves and can get violant
i can connect this book to what happened in columbine. in both of these, bulling in high school has gone too far and resulted in something no one saw coming. i think columbine and the book On The fringe are signs saying to stop bulling in school. i also bielive the world would be better without bulling.
i would give this book a 3.5. i undrstand the idea of what people in school have to deal with every day however, i think some of the stories are a little confusing and that is why i gave it 3.5. i recomend this book to people who want stories that relate to school problems and how the unpopular live.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guns for Geeks: Gene Taylor's life has been painful and after years of taunts, he retaliates by bringing a gun to class. Though Sam and TJ are heroes, Sam still feels guilty about not acting sooner.

Geeks Bearing Gifts: Renee decides to interview the "outcasts" of the school much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. But she realizes that may be they're not so different.

Through a Window: After Nick Gordon hangs himself, the narrator sees the pain he was in even though he never showed it. After all, he was "the Invisible Man." Dealing with that truth isn't easy.

Muzak for Prozac: Every day he goes to the store where she works hoping he can get up the nerve to say "I'm sorry" for outing her, which led to the suicide of her partner - all because he wanted people to accept him.

WWJD: Suzanne tried to turn the other cheek when the kids pick on her - just as Jesus would do But a persistent bully puts this philosophy on very thin ice.

Satyagraha: A football player adopts Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy to deal with a teammate's aggressive behavior.

A Letter from the Fringe: If you could write a letter to the popular crowd, what would you say to them?

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm putting this under "books I've taught" since I don't have a shelf for "books I will teach." This is an anthology compiled by Donald R. Gallo, and each story is centered on a teenager (or teenagers) who feel like outsiders. One or two of the stories are a bit too corny for me to brave teaching, and some are only stories I'd recommend, because their content would make me nervous as a new teacher (one is about suicide, another is a fully detailed school shooting). But several are very teachable, and the others would make great recommendations for students to read on their own, or during SSR.

I believe that students would find it easy to identify with these stories, as most teenagers would regard themselves, in some way, as an "outsider" or "insider." Their unifying themes make them easy to throw together as a unit, or to use with novels, poems, etc. that also have an "outsider" character. Great anthology.

PS: My favorite in the collection is "Muzac for Prozac," by John Gantos.

[Angie Kirschman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories, each about an "outsider" (i.e. nerds, kids with disabilities, kids with less than desired home lifes, etc.), and each written by a different author, was very interesting. Some of the stories are partly based on the author's own experiences growing and some were just written to help people understand some of what goes on in the minds of kids who feel the same way as the "boys of Columbine".
It was very sad to hear that most kids think that bullying has gotten worse since Columbine and that not many lessons were learned. I was shocked to read the comments of a jock who attended Columbine. Six months after the shootings, he was interviewed and all he could talk about was how the boys were treated the way they were because "that's how you treat people that you don't want around". With all of the name calling in his interview it seemed to me that the bullying was continuing even after the boys were dead.

[Clarissa Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought this book would just be about one story in general but, once I finished the first little story I came upon another one, and then another. All these were similar for the most part and showed great emotion. I personally love to read these types of books because I sometimes feel the same in their shoes. I guess it'll be helpful towards to me to find out what they have done to fix things. All of these stories touched my heart and i just wished i could of been there for them. Some people are just so not accepting of things and unfortunately life isn't fair for them. I personally do not find anything disliking about this book. I did found this in the fiction isle but I know this is differently not fiction in my eyes. At the end of each story the author would explain how she went through the same thing as the people in the short stories. All an all I enjoyed reading this book and would love to read something compared to this again.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another home-run collection for young adults edited by Donald R. Gallo. Anyone who reads YA lit will recognize the phenomenal authors featured in this collection--M.E. Kerr, Chris Crutcher, Jack Gantos, and Joan Bauer, to name a few.

What I liked best about this collection is that it went beyond the stereotypical tales of puny geeks getting bullied by muscle-bound, light-on-brains jocks. Each story deals with unique individuals who feels like outsiders for a variety of reasons. My favorite stories: "Muzak for Prozac," about a boy who stays medicated in order to deal with his guilt at outing a lesbian classmate and "Guns for Geeks," a horrifying and heartbreaking story inspired by the Columbine tragedy about a boy who is just not going to take the bullying anymore.

Another collection of short stories that I also recommend, edited by Gallo as well, is No Easy Answers.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still longing for books about school shootings, and this collection of stories was written kind of in response to those young adults who stood up after Columbine and pointed out the problems abounding in the public school system.

Those kids were promptly expelled, put into therapy, or silenced for not adhering to the "axis of evil" terminolgy suddenly surrounding the kids who shot up the school. Some of these stories are good, particularly Angela Johnson's "Through A Window," which is quite complex and well formed, and not at all the situational feel good story about getting to know all the freaks in your class and changing your white, popular perspective kind of drivel that opens the collection.

why aren't we still talking about people who shoot up schools?

[Brianna Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book On The fringe is a must read for teenagers around the United States. Its dedicated to every kid who ever been called a hurtful name. Also to those who tried to feel superior by putting down someone else. In teen life theres many out there that want to be different from everything and everybody else around society. This book shows you different types of kids such as a athlete or religious teen. Tales of kids going through the struggles that are terrifying and provocative. After reading this book, I stopped and thought a lot about my flow in high school right now and what's really going on around.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dedicated “to every kid who has ever been called a hurtful name,” this anthology of short stories was a very welcome read. “Guns for Geeks” by Crutcher is about a teased, mistreated boy who pulls a shotgun on his peers in high school and the effect this has on the survivors. Angela Carter’s “Satyagraha” is about an Indian boy who teaches his classmates how Gandhi dealt with bullies. Jeanie is a tomboy and possibly a lesbian, but definitely different from her peers in “Standing on the Roof Naked” by Francess Lantz. A very good book, particularly for younger students or weaker readers.

[Landon Beeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stored edited by Don Gallo. He picked these stories to relate to those people (students) who find themselves "on the fringe" or outcast by their peers. I believe this book to be encouraging and uplifting to those in this situation. Even though some of these stories are harsh and even disturbing, I think that it reaches out to not only these people, but also helps to bring about a sense of self-actualization to those who are responsible for the outcasting.

[Julie S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really like this book. Some of these tell good stories about the ones of high school that we don't usually hear about. As far as teen fiction goes, this type has to be one of my favorites. Skip the teen vampires and gossip girl type books. These feel real. I especially liked "Standing on the Roof Naked." The characters all felt so real to me, like they could be students sitting in my math class or across the cafeteria. I highly recommend this anthology.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best collections of short stories for teens I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I was again moved as I re-read this and selected some of the stories for class to draw connections with the whole class novel. Relevant and controversial, these stories bring high-interst, high stakes issues and provide relevant connections that can relate to so much of what we do, and covey why the issues we teach are important to kids.

[Gaby8c · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that this collection of short stories about outsiders was for the most part exciting and entertaining. A couple of the stories were hard to follow and were hard to read, but overall, a good book. I like short stories in general, because usually, it leaves you with a place in the book to pause, without having the feeling that you cannot continue it, and without the feeling of a cliffhanger.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically a set of short stories from multiple authors about how certain kids are "outsiders" or "on the fringe".
Overall I think it was a really interesting book that had a lot of juicy details even adding a few unexpected twists. Personally, I think that it was an extremely well-written book that really uses a good use of 1st person perspectives. I would say that this story is actually better for younger teens giving them something to relate to.

[Sandra McLeod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories about kids who are "outsiders" which can facilitate some great discussions both in the home and in the classroom. The stories are written by well-known YA authors and many readers, both old and young, will easily relate to the universal situation of those in the "in-group" versus those "on the fringe."

[Cathy Leininger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Guns for Geeks by Chris Crutcher which was a short story in this book of short stories. A good, solid story about and all too regular occurrence of a school shooting with the perspective of survivor's guilt. I would recommend that it be read in the context of several other nonfiction news articles and books about school shootings to provide other perspectives.