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Goon
When super-sized foster kid Goon causes a devastating accident, he’s sentenced to an experimental detention center in rural Florida. There, despite his efforts to go unnoticed, his size and sensitivity make Goon a perfect mark for the resident bully.
Assigned to work at the stables, he connects with the rescued horses and his co-worker Trudy, who is entangled in the center’s mysterious past. After Goon suffers a brutal attack, he must confront his tormentor, a raging hurricane, and his own crushing guilt.
Goon dreams of being reunited with his younger brother and tries to prove to anyone who will listen that he deserves a second chance.
But first, he must prove it to himself.
Assigned to work at the stables, he connects with the rescued horses and his co-worker Trudy, who is entangled in the center’s mysterious past. After Goon suffers a brutal attack, he must confront his tormentor, a raging hurricane, and his own crushing guilt.
Goon dreams of being reunited with his younger brother and tries to prove to anyone who will listen that he deserves a second chance.
But first, he must prove it to himself.
325 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2025
23 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Erick Miller
5 books52 followersAuthor of CAMPER GIRL and the forthcoming GOON (YA novels), RED’S FIRST SNOW (picture book) and FLORIDA: POETRY AND PROSE
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 13, 2026
Goon is a troubled foster kid who stole a car and then injured his younger brother before being sent to a juvenile detention center. While there, Goon has to deal with the various rules and regulations, violent fellow prisoners, a hurricane, his attraction for a girl who volunteers at the prison, and his guilt and anguished concern about his brother.
Opinion:
Goon is a fully developed protagonist who is practically made of attitude and regret. He recalls his dysfunctional upbringing and current incarceration with detached and wry humor. For example, he describes himself as a big kid, but not “a Dwayne Johnson or a fluffy Gabriel Iglesias” type and tries to think of cool tough guy nicknames like “Tank” that the other kids can call him before they use his nickname of “Goon.” He is a self-deprecating, sardonic kid who uses his humor to deflect from his own pain and tragedy.
Besides humor, Goon responds with deep regret and anguish. His most emotional moments concern his younger brother, James. As a parentified child, he had to care for James after their deceased, troubled mother and nomadic father failed them. His concern for James’ status in the hospital is not just as a brother who feels guilty about what he did to his younger sibling, but as an anguished surrogate parent worried about his child’s health and welfare and who is also anxious about how he will support and care for him when his sentence is up.
The setting of the experimental detention center nicknamed J-Rot is fleshed out as a distinct society with its own culture and rituals. Its residents have their own private language including nicknames for each other (Goon, Sawgrass, Ant). The names are signs of new identities and dehumanization in that others only know them by those often descriptive names and not their real ones. Their real identities disappeared the moment they got on the J-Rot bus and now they are what the other detainees and staff feel like calling them. There is also dehumanization involved in the bullying of detainees and the lack of care towards some of the negligent staff. These steps remind the boys that who they were outside doesn't matter. Here they are who the prison, and by association the State of Florida, decides.
The detainees are in a very rigid environment which includes rules, restrictions, and forced schedules. They have mandatory school lessons and are required to do recreational activities. These lessons, while rigid, give them the structure many of them need for the first time. It also inspires them to explore creative and practical skills.
Goon develops a talent for writing and equestrian care. The former is shown by the style of the entire book, told in Goon’s first person voice, being in free verse poetic form. “My first day of school at J-Rot starts with testing/There's math, reading, and science…” It shows a creative spirit that endures, even thrives despite his captivity. His other talent, equestrian care reveals a tender connection that was suppressed when he was separated from James. He bonds with, even developing a crush on, volunteer Trudy who manages the stables and cares for the horses particularly Chocolate, a somewhat unruly horse. This shows that his affectionate nurturing nature in parenting James never disappeared but was carefully hidden by his circumstances.
Goon is climaxed by a hurricane in which the detainees have to seek shelter but one disappears. Goon has to call up his talents and skills to aid someone who was once antagonistic but has shown potential to be a friend. Goon must surpass the institutional dehumanization and enter the contradictory chaos of nature to save him.
Goon is a tense, darkly comic, but captivating novel about incarceration, self-preservation, redemption, and the true nature of guilt and innocence.
Opinion:
Goon is a fully developed protagonist who is practically made of attitude and regret. He recalls his dysfunctional upbringing and current incarceration with detached and wry humor. For example, he describes himself as a big kid, but not “a Dwayne Johnson or a fluffy Gabriel Iglesias” type and tries to think of cool tough guy nicknames like “Tank” that the other kids can call him before they use his nickname of “Goon.” He is a self-deprecating, sardonic kid who uses his humor to deflect from his own pain and tragedy.
Besides humor, Goon responds with deep regret and anguish. His most emotional moments concern his younger brother, James. As a parentified child, he had to care for James after their deceased, troubled mother and nomadic father failed them. His concern for James’ status in the hospital is not just as a brother who feels guilty about what he did to his younger sibling, but as an anguished surrogate parent worried about his child’s health and welfare and who is also anxious about how he will support and care for him when his sentence is up.
The setting of the experimental detention center nicknamed J-Rot is fleshed out as a distinct society with its own culture and rituals. Its residents have their own private language including nicknames for each other (Goon, Sawgrass, Ant). The names are signs of new identities and dehumanization in that others only know them by those often descriptive names and not their real ones. Their real identities disappeared the moment they got on the J-Rot bus and now they are what the other detainees and staff feel like calling them. There is also dehumanization involved in the bullying of detainees and the lack of care towards some of the negligent staff. These steps remind the boys that who they were outside doesn't matter. Here they are who the prison, and by association the State of Florida, decides.
The detainees are in a very rigid environment which includes rules, restrictions, and forced schedules. They have mandatory school lessons and are required to do recreational activities. These lessons, while rigid, give them the structure many of them need for the first time. It also inspires them to explore creative and practical skills.
Goon develops a talent for writing and equestrian care. The former is shown by the style of the entire book, told in Goon’s first person voice, being in free verse poetic form. “My first day of school at J-Rot starts with testing/There's math, reading, and science…” It shows a creative spirit that endures, even thrives despite his captivity. His other talent, equestrian care reveals a tender connection that was suppressed when he was separated from James. He bonds with, even developing a crush on, volunteer Trudy who manages the stables and cares for the horses particularly Chocolate, a somewhat unruly horse. This shows that his affectionate nurturing nature in parenting James never disappeared but was carefully hidden by his circumstances.
Goon is climaxed by a hurricane in which the detainees have to seek shelter but one disappears. Goon has to call up his talents and skills to aid someone who was once antagonistic but has shown potential to be a friend. Goon must surpass the institutional dehumanization and enter the contradictory chaos of nature to save him.
Goon is a tense, darkly comic, but captivating novel about incarceration, self-preservation, redemption, and the true nature of guilt and innocence.
February 2, 2026
I just love Goon (the character and the book!).
Goon has had a hard life, made bad decisions, as we all have, and due to his appearance, suffers from perpetual attention, and not always the right kind of attention. Beneath his angry exterior is such a lovable, warm caring character just waiting to come out of his shell. His life's circumstances have been far less then ideal, and he ends up in a juvenile detention program, JROT, a little different then most centers. There are no walls, just expectations, chores, school and other kids with other stories. He meets a cast of people: his roommate, Ant, the house adult, Elliott, Clair, who runs the barn, Trudy, her niece, TJ, the bully and some of the other boys like Butter and Sawgrass, and of course, Chip, the horse. It is about finding yourself and figuring out how to navigate the world with purpose. Deciding how you are going to act and the choices you will make in urgent situations. Accepting those things you have done and moving forward. It is a great story that will have you rooting for him, crying for him and hoping for the very best for him. I totally fell in love with Goon. He tries so hard in his own way with what he is left with in his life. If he were a real kid, I would want to take him home!
He struggles with his emotions and feelings as he navigates going through the world with no safety net, or adults who are there for him. You can feel his loneliness in the prose. He is a very likable and very relatable character to many kids, maybe not in his situation, but in his feelings and the struggles and growth he goes through. This is an extraordinary book which will pull you in all kinds of directions, touches on a range of topics and life's challenges, some extreme and others similar to those many kids experience at one time or another.
I love Goon and the people he meets. It is very real life. there are people who will become friends with, those who make an impression but flow in and out of your life, and those you have to avoid and learn how to manage. Life is not easy for Goon, but he does manage to carve out some friends (even if he may not want any!) and realize everyone is flawed, everyone has a story, even the horses have stories though they cannot talk with you. The end of the book is absolutely wonderful!
This very well written book is worth the read. I hope this one is picked up by libraries and schools and evaluated by awards groups. This is a GREAT read aloud that will give you hours of discussion. Great for upper-elementary school and above, even thru high-school. Great for book clubs. There is a lot to this book, and it is well worth reading. The prose style worked really well for this book, especially when jumping back and forth between the present and the past.
Goon has had a hard life, made bad decisions, as we all have, and due to his appearance, suffers from perpetual attention, and not always the right kind of attention. Beneath his angry exterior is such a lovable, warm caring character just waiting to come out of his shell. His life's circumstances have been far less then ideal, and he ends up in a juvenile detention program, JROT, a little different then most centers. There are no walls, just expectations, chores, school and other kids with other stories. He meets a cast of people: his roommate, Ant, the house adult, Elliott, Clair, who runs the barn, Trudy, her niece, TJ, the bully and some of the other boys like Butter and Sawgrass, and of course, Chip, the horse. It is about finding yourself and figuring out how to navigate the world with purpose. Deciding how you are going to act and the choices you will make in urgent situations. Accepting those things you have done and moving forward. It is a great story that will have you rooting for him, crying for him and hoping for the very best for him. I totally fell in love with Goon. He tries so hard in his own way with what he is left with in his life. If he were a real kid, I would want to take him home!
He struggles with his emotions and feelings as he navigates going through the world with no safety net, or adults who are there for him. You can feel his loneliness in the prose. He is a very likable and very relatable character to many kids, maybe not in his situation, but in his feelings and the struggles and growth he goes through. This is an extraordinary book which will pull you in all kinds of directions, touches on a range of topics and life's challenges, some extreme and others similar to those many kids experience at one time or another.
I love Goon and the people he meets. It is very real life. there are people who will become friends with, those who make an impression but flow in and out of your life, and those you have to avoid and learn how to manage. Life is not easy for Goon, but he does manage to carve out some friends (even if he may not want any!) and realize everyone is flawed, everyone has a story, even the horses have stories though they cannot talk with you. The end of the book is absolutely wonderful!
This very well written book is worth the read. I hope this one is picked up by libraries and schools and evaluated by awards groups. This is a GREAT read aloud that will give you hours of discussion. Great for upper-elementary school and above, even thru high-school. Great for book clubs. There is a lot to this book, and it is well worth reading. The prose style worked really well for this book, especially when jumping back and forth between the present and the past.
November 6, 2025
After a reckless joyride ends in disaster, a hulking teenager—known only as Goon, a cruel nickname bestowed by his father—is sent to a juvenile detention program buried deep in the Florida wilderness. He plans to keep quiet, serve his sentence, and earn his way back to the little brother he’s left behind. But this place is unlike any prison he imagined. There are no walls, no wire, only endless stretches of sand and scrub, the air thick with heat and silence. The boys live in scattered houses, watched and tested, left to find their own kind of order.
Miller renders this strange, sun-scorched world with striking realism and grace. Through Goon’s wary eyes, we encounter a cast of characters as raw and complex as the landscape itself. Haunted by guilt and distrust, Goon learns hard truths about freedom, forgiveness, and the fragile boundaries between punishment and redemption. A fearless girl, a half-wild horse, and the fury of a hurricane lead him to a revelation as fierce as it is tender: no one is beyond saving—and hope can take root even in the hardest ground.
Miller renders this strange, sun-scorched world with striking realism and grace. Through Goon’s wary eyes, we encounter a cast of characters as raw and complex as the landscape itself. Haunted by guilt and distrust, Goon learns hard truths about freedom, forgiveness, and the fragile boundaries between punishment and redemption. A fearless girl, a half-wild horse, and the fury of a hurricane lead him to a revelation as fierce as it is tender: no one is beyond saving—and hope can take root even in the hardest ground.
November 23, 2025
Goon delivers a powerful, character-driven story that showcases Glenn Erick Miller’s skill for emotional depth and gritty realism. It’s a compelling, immersive read that lingers long after the final page.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews