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ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool: a year in an american high school
With stories about classes, extra-curricular activities, romances, and more, a comprehensive collection presents a realistic look at what it is like to enjoy, cope, and survive high school and its many dramas.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 9, 2018
Cooper, Elisha Ridiculous/ Hilarious/ Terrible/ Cool- A Year in American High School, Pages:255, Publisher: Dial Books, Language: PG 13, Sexual Content: PG, Violence: PG;
Elisha Cooper always was interested in High School, the fun, the laughs, the cramming, the drama… Everything. That is why he went down to Walter Payton High School in Chicago. He went and documented eight different kids on their whole year of high school. Daniel, Emily, Maya, Diana, Anais, Aisha, Anthony, and Zef told Elisha everything, and made this book what it is, made it interesting and fun to read, but also life opening at times too. Elisha Cooper wrote an amazing book. It's great for those students just starting high school or those students leaving, and even those who have long ago left and just want a peek at what it used to be like.
MS, HS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: AN
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
Elisha Cooper always was interested in High School, the fun, the laughs, the cramming, the drama… Everything. That is why he went down to Walter Payton High School in Chicago. He went and documented eight different kids on their whole year of high school. Daniel, Emily, Maya, Diana, Anais, Aisha, Anthony, and Zef told Elisha everything, and made this book what it is, made it interesting and fun to read, but also life opening at times too. Elisha Cooper wrote an amazing book. It's great for those students just starting high school or those students leaving, and even those who have long ago left and just want a peek at what it used to be like.
MS, HS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: AN
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Walking through the hallways of Walton Payton High School are a very selectively diverse group of students. Like its location, the students are all from different worlds but come together in one place. Out of the entire school, eight students stand out the most, in more ways than one.
First there is Anais, the dancer. Dancing is obviously her life, spending every day going to dance practice, hoping that one day she will be able to attend Julliard.
Then there is Daniel, the school's class president who is all business when it comes to academics and his future, not one to stand by stereotypes that people have against him because of his race.
Next is Emily, the girl's soccer captain since she was a junior. She doesn't fool around on or off the field.
Maya is the actress, always in every school play. Her acting is the only way she can shake off her little spasms and her OCD-ish routines.
Diana is very proper and polite. And also very smart, although she never shows it. Never talking in class, even though she knows the answers, she keeps to herself, having only one true friend since the other one left.
Aisha is the new girl, transferring from her last school located in Florida. She knows that this is only for a year, since her parents move all the time, so why make friends?
Zef is odd, and he knows it and isn't ashamed of it. Loving the sound of his own music and talking to himself, for some reason students are intrigued and are drawn to him.
And last but not least is Anthony. His comfort zone is located in only one place in the school, the cafeteria.
Some know what they want to accomplish this year, like becoming the best leader the school has ever seen or taking their time to achieve levels that they have never seen before, while others aren't so sure what their outcome will be. One thing they do have in common is college. Whether or not its for them or not and whether or not they will get into the college they so desperately need to escape to.
Inserted details of what goes on during school hours, from who sits where to the appropriate acknowledgements to old friends, gives this non-fiction account an extra sense of reality, which coincides with the lives of eight very different teens. Captivating and unique, Elisha Cooper manages to write a true account that can tell a story so raw and so real.
Walking through the hallways of Walton Payton High School are a very selectively diverse group of students. Like its location, the students are all from different worlds but come together in one place. Out of the entire school, eight students stand out the most, in more ways than one.
First there is Anais, the dancer. Dancing is obviously her life, spending every day going to dance practice, hoping that one day she will be able to attend Julliard.
Then there is Daniel, the school's class president who is all business when it comes to academics and his future, not one to stand by stereotypes that people have against him because of his race.
Next is Emily, the girl's soccer captain since she was a junior. She doesn't fool around on or off the field.
Maya is the actress, always in every school play. Her acting is the only way she can shake off her little spasms and her OCD-ish routines.
Diana is very proper and polite. And also very smart, although she never shows it. Never talking in class, even though she knows the answers, she keeps to herself, having only one true friend since the other one left.
Aisha is the new girl, transferring from her last school located in Florida. She knows that this is only for a year, since her parents move all the time, so why make friends?
Zef is odd, and he knows it and isn't ashamed of it. Loving the sound of his own music and talking to himself, for some reason students are intrigued and are drawn to him.
And last but not least is Anthony. His comfort zone is located in only one place in the school, the cafeteria.
Some know what they want to accomplish this year, like becoming the best leader the school has ever seen or taking their time to achieve levels that they have never seen before, while others aren't so sure what their outcome will be. One thing they do have in common is college. Whether or not its for them or not and whether or not they will get into the college they so desperately need to escape to.
Inserted details of what goes on during school hours, from who sits where to the appropriate acknowledgements to old friends, gives this non-fiction account an extra sense of reality, which coincides with the lives of eight very different teens. Captivating and unique, Elisha Cooper manages to write a true account that can tell a story so raw and so real.
September 8, 2013
Wanting to update my insight into high school by a decade or so for research, I looked forward to benefiting from Cooper's fly-on-the-wall perspective in ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool. His use of detail helped convey the impact of technology like iPods and cel phones on students' daily experience in a way that previous knowledge of the fact hadn't, and I appreciate his verbatim record of dialogue that would have taken me many field trips to acquire. However, the writing ranged from sufficient to poor. I was annoyed by a recurring device Cooper used, closing many paragraphs with the equivalent of a bad pun, and distracted by periodically trying to associate the text with the title (I don't remember any of the students saying "cool" much or "terrible" at all). I liked Cooper's impressionist illustrations, but overall was disappointed with the book.
July 11, 2019
Mildly entertaining read, but it only gave a superficial sense of the students that were followed. Transitions between scenes were abrupt and sometimes disorienting.
December 21, 2010
Elisha Cooper, the author of ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool: a year in an american high school, spent one whole year following around eight interesting students at Walter Payton High School. He really got to know who they were, and who they will be in the future. He tells stories of each of their amazing and different lives. Anything you can imagine, it's in this book. These eight students come from different worlds, families, and friends, but they all have one thing in common: High School.
First, there is Diana who is serious and shy. Surprisingly, she is very smart, but no one knows it. She leaves all her worries bottled up inside, never letting them out.
Then there is Daniel, the class president who is all business and school when it comes to his future. He gets aggravated by the stereotypes that people have against him because of his race, and he wishes people could just put that aside.
Next is Emily, the girls' soccer team captain. All she wants is to win.
Zef is strange, he knows who he is and doesn't care one bit. All he wants to do is make music, almost too much so. He spends every night on his keyboard until three in the morning, leaving him dead asleep in all his classes, which doesn't matter because he's already failing most of them.
Maya is the actress, that one girl who is in every school play. Acting is the one thing that makes her different, she can change who she is just for the moment and leave her real life behind.
Aisha is the new girl. She constantly transfers schools, leaving all her old friends behind, if she even had any. She knows she will only be at Payton for a year, so what's the point in making friends?
There is Anais, the dancer. No one knows what goes on in her head, but to them it doesn't really matter. All that does matter is how gorgeous she is; people only see her beauty on the outside, and she wishes that they would dig deeper and see her true self. Dancing is obviously her life, spending every day going to dance practice, and hoping that one day she will be able to attend Julliard.
And last, but not least, is Anthony. All there is to be said about him is that he easily gets distracted.
This is a great book, designed for kids getting ready to go to high school, recent graduates, and even adults who want to look back at their great high school days.
First, there is Diana who is serious and shy. Surprisingly, she is very smart, but no one knows it. She leaves all her worries bottled up inside, never letting them out.
Then there is Daniel, the class president who is all business and school when it comes to his future. He gets aggravated by the stereotypes that people have against him because of his race, and he wishes people could just put that aside.
Next is Emily, the girls' soccer team captain. All she wants is to win.
Zef is strange, he knows who he is and doesn't care one bit. All he wants to do is make music, almost too much so. He spends every night on his keyboard until three in the morning, leaving him dead asleep in all his classes, which doesn't matter because he's already failing most of them.
Maya is the actress, that one girl who is in every school play. Acting is the one thing that makes her different, she can change who she is just for the moment and leave her real life behind.
Aisha is the new girl. She constantly transfers schools, leaving all her old friends behind, if she even had any. She knows she will only be at Payton for a year, so what's the point in making friends?
There is Anais, the dancer. No one knows what goes on in her head, but to them it doesn't really matter. All that does matter is how gorgeous she is; people only see her beauty on the outside, and she wishes that they would dig deeper and see her true self. Dancing is obviously her life, spending every day going to dance practice, and hoping that one day she will be able to attend Julliard.
And last, but not least, is Anthony. All there is to be said about him is that he easily gets distracted.
This is a great book, designed for kids getting ready to go to high school, recent graduates, and even adults who want to look back at their great high school days.
May 2, 2008
Well, the title's not meta: the book itself is not ridiculous, hilarious, terrible, or cool. It might have been a little cool (by my lights) if the barebones concept hadn't been done, like last year, by Alexandra Robbins with The Overachievers. It's hard to apply an adjective, actually, to a book about which I feel so resolutely neutral. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but neither would I recommend not reading it. I'm sure the intention was to illustrate that high schoolers are people too (and I suppose I would recommend it to you if you were under the persistent impression that they are not), but I'm not sure it actually digs much deeper in that vein than, say, The Breakfast Club.
Well, but (and I'm actually going back to write this, because I feel guilty about what comes across as a pan at the end -- I TOLD you, I'm NEUTRAL) Cooper's writing really is charming and clever at times, and his observation is sharp. Plus the way he tells the story in little snapshots feels true to being in the swim of a high-school hallway, one face and then another (or perhaps is a pretty accurate representation of what it might be like if you set the "Everybody Hurts" video in said high-school hallway).
Well, but (and I'm actually going back to write this, because I feel guilty about what comes across as a pan at the end -- I TOLD you, I'm NEUTRAL) Cooper's writing really is charming and clever at times, and his observation is sharp. Plus the way he tells the story in little snapshots feels true to being in the swim of a high-school hallway, one face and then another (or perhaps is a pretty accurate representation of what it might be like if you set the "Everybody Hurts" video in said high-school hallway).
November 9, 2009
Ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool follows eight teens as they navigate one school year (2005-2006) at a magnet high school in Chicago. We get to know a politician, a jock, a slacker, a ladies’ man, a thespian, a dancer, a swimmer, and the only Muslim on campus. They go through college applications and decisions, pregnancies, victories, grades, dances, jobs, incarcerated brothers and other typical experiences of the modern American high school experience.
The point of view is the primary weakness of this nonfiction work. There are sketches of the teens, and unique insights into each choice. But the narrator chooses to stay anonymous, using a third person omniscient voice. In a post-modern world, a more transparent perspective (how did this guy get the kids to talk with him in the first place?) perhaps would have been more useful.
However, the teen’s stories are fascinating and illuminating. The writing is lovely (with the above exception). We engage with them. Although the book mentions sex, drugs, cussing, they are passing realities instead of in-your-face content. This would be a fun book for jr. highers desiring a glimpse of high school life. Getting it into their hands might be more the problem.
SSBRC
The point of view is the primary weakness of this nonfiction work. There are sketches of the teens, and unique insights into each choice. But the narrator chooses to stay anonymous, using a third person omniscient voice. In a post-modern world, a more transparent perspective (how did this guy get the kids to talk with him in the first place?) perhaps would have been more useful.
However, the teen’s stories are fascinating and illuminating. The writing is lovely (with the above exception). We engage with them. Although the book mentions sex, drugs, cussing, they are passing realities instead of in-your-face content. This would be a fun book for jr. highers desiring a glimpse of high school life. Getting it into their hands might be more the problem.
SSBRC
May 4, 2011
This book follows the lives of 8 high school students attending Walter Payton High School in Chicago. There's a dancer, an athlete, a slacker, a drug dealer, the actress, the quiet one, a president inspiree, and a Muslim. It is written by journalist Elisha Cooper and has no appeal to young people. It is told in a told not shown manner and kind of looks down on the high school students this book was about. I could rip this book to shreds, but maybe there are parents who would want to read it to try to get a feel for a high school. The problem is Payton High School is not an ordinary Chicago High School. Actually, it's not like any high school, and no one can really relate to this story. The author tries to talk about pregnancy and drug dealing but she passes over them like they are no big deal. This book is just a disappointment.
October 22, 2011
I found this book absolutely great due to the fact that it really showed exactly what it states in the title. Elisha Cooper gave his readers a realistic view on high school for the average teenager. He didn't exaggerate anything and really showed me that high school is tough for everyone. In the story we follow eight students who attend school in Chicago, and each have their own personal problem. Although sometimes we might not agree but he presents to us their thoughts and actions in such realistic ways, that is shows that everyone's not so different after all. We all have something that we must deal with, each and every one of us. I would recommend this book not just to any teenager, but any teacher or parent because it gives us insight on things you may be curious about when it comes to your students/children.
June 4, 2008
Elisha Cooper spent a year making observations and interviewing kids at Walter Payton College Prep, a high school in Chicago. Through the course of a year, he got to know eight students with completely different backgrounds and interests. There's Daniel, student body president and aiming for Harvard; Zef, insomniac musician with a Starbucks addiction; Diana, Latina swimmer with family troubles; and Maya, fidgety actress extraordinaire (among others). As the year goes on, the students grow and change. They adjust their goals for their future. They excel in school or flunk their classes. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of life through these students' eyes. Some I could identify with, others were a totally new experience. Hand this one to fans of The Freedom Writers' Diary.
April 8, 2009
I have to say the title of this book is really forgettable. I had to refer to my copy often to remember what it was that I was reading. Luckily, most of the high school students whose year of school take up the pages inside are less forgettable. Though the author’s writing style is fairly spartan and he never really delves into the emotional impact the students’ decisions have on their lives, nonetheless there is at least one kid who will stick in your mind, should you choose to pick this one up. For me, it was Zef. I could take or leave the soccer kid, the baby-daddy boy who lives in the cafeteria, the budding politician, the dancer, the “foreign” one, any of them, but I really rooted for Zef, and I hope his life turns out the way he thinks would be cool.
May 17, 2009
Had to read this for my YA lit class-- I didn't think it was all that interesting, but perhaps that is because I graduated from high school not that long ago and am familiar with the "politics" of it all. Nothing the teens did or said particularly surprised me because I lived that life so recently. Current high school students might appreciate this book and connect with the profiled students, though-- it certainly is a more realistic look at high school then Gossip Girl. I also think that someone who graduated a long time ago might benefit from reading about the lives of these Chicago teens-- learning about their habits, relationships, aspirations, etc-- especially if they work with teens on a daily basis. But for me, it wasn't anything new.
July 5, 2015
A loving portrait of what it means to be in high school nowadays. Cooper managed to capture about 8 kids' school years at Walter Payton High School in Chicago. Most of them were seniors, but there were a couple of juniors as well. Not all are exceptional students, but Cooper brings each them out in a perfectly lovely way that brings the reader into their lives. One is an athlete, one is driving to be a politician, one is a dancer, one is a slacker, one is a player, one is an immigrant....
The one problem with this book is that it moves so quickly that there really isn't enough focus on each student to get to know them beyond the sketch, similar to the sketches throughout the book. The good side is that this is a VERY quick read.
The one problem with this book is that it moves so quickly that there really isn't enough focus on each student to get to know them beyond the sketch, similar to the sketches throughout the book. The good side is that this is a VERY quick read.
August 21, 2009
You're able to see the life of 8 high school students, and what they go through during a high school year.
I thought it was an ok book. I read it before I actually entered high school to get a taste of what high school really was. It gave me a pretty good outlook, but to me the book was a little hard to keep up with.
It was sort of choppy in my opinion. It would skip from person to person, and the only way you could keep up is if you kept reading.
Overall I gave the whole book a 3 star rating. It wasn't the most appealing book to me, but it wasn't a horrible book, that I was only able to read 3 pages, and I'd have to put it down.
I thought it was an ok book. I read it before I actually entered high school to get a taste of what high school really was. It gave me a pretty good outlook, but to me the book was a little hard to keep up with.
It was sort of choppy in my opinion. It would skip from person to person, and the only way you could keep up is if you kept reading.
Overall I gave the whole book a 3 star rating. It wasn't the most appealing book to me, but it wasn't a horrible book, that I was only able to read 3 pages, and I'd have to put it down.
March 25, 2008
Quick and easy read about a diverse cross-section of high school students in Chicago. There's enough information to keep you interested and enough characters to keep you on your toes, or, in my case going "which girl was that again? the dancer? the actor?" It gives you an idea of the state of public education in Chicago, especially since Payton is touted as a "good one." This is not a book to be read repeatedly but it's book you should read once, especially if you're interestedin/work with teenagers.
June 18, 2008
Written by Elisha Cooper who is a former journalist for the New Yorker. It's a nonfiction book. The author follows 8 high school seniors through their final year at Walter Payton Prep High School in Chicago. The students fall into all different categories, one is a dancer, an actress, a soccer player, a stud, a dropout, a swimmer, the class president, etc. The book takes a closer look at the pressure they feel to get into good colleges like Stanford, NYU, Yale, and Harvard. It also takes a closer look at their personal and social lives. Engaging story, brought me back to high school :)
March 4, 2011
This book tells the story of 8 different high schoolers at Walter Peyton High School in Chicago. The author follows these students for a whole year and documents their struggles, ambition, and choices throughout the year. The have to deal with problems with friends, relationships, extracurricular activities, and college. The students are all different races including the class president, a soccer player, a dropout, a swimmer, and a dancer. I would recommend this book to teenagers aged 13 and up.
February 20, 2010
This was pretty boring non-fiction. Perhaps because I'm only 8 years out from high school and I taught high school. I just wonder who Cooper was writing this for. It is cataloged as YA Non-fiction at my library, however, the little commentaries and insights into the teenage behavior would not be necessary thoughts to a teenager, but apparent. I found the writing boring and the stories not really that interesting or unusual. Totally skippable.
May 5, 2008
For such an engaging topic, the book seemed very distant. I never felt like I got to know these children; I just got to study them from afar. It felt almost like reading National Geographic.
One of the reasons I picked up this book was the illustrations. However, the sketches didn't add to the story. I simply wound up ignoring them (like ads on a web page).
One of the reasons I picked up this book was the illustrations. However, the sketches didn't add to the story. I simply wound up ignoring them (like ads on a web page).
March 11, 2009
I've just started ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool. It's about several students at a college prep school in Chicago. The style in which Cooper wrote it gives it an easy, novel-like feel, making it (I hope) much more accessible to my students, who never tire of reading about "real" kids.
I'll update when I've read more of it, but for now I am optimistic.
I'll update when I've read more of it, but for now I am optimistic.
January 2, 2017
Point? None.
Author seems to have gone to a high school, met 10 kids, "followed" them through the year, and vomitted the observations onto the page. No analysis. No exploring interesting subjects, never asking why. Why has one quit school? Why did another get a nose ring? How do they feel about it? We have no idea.
Author seems to have gone to a high school, met 10 kids, "followed" them through the year, and vomitted the observations onto the page. No analysis. No exploring interesting subjects, never asking why. Why has one quit school? Why did another get a nose ring? How do they feel about it? We have no idea.
April 8, 2012
Cooper writes the eight highlighted students with understanding, respect, and affection, which makes the reader like them and enjoy reading about their lives. Some of the descriptions of the student body at large, though, were a little problematic and over-generalized--perhaps even a little condescending.
June 4, 2008
As the mother of a High School student and a fan of teens in general I quite enjoyed this book. The author did a fairly good job of following a cross section of students and painted their lives with a pretty unbiased paintbrush.
January 17, 2009
One of the most interesting things about this book as that it's about actual high school students. (There are some things you just can't make up.) Makes me wonder what my big old senior year will be like. And yes, for those of you who don't know, high school students really do cuss that much.
March 18, 2009
This book is set up differently. It starts out explaing about the life of different characters. It takes place at Walter Payton High School and shows the life of 8 different kinds of people. It shows how everyone is unique and plans can change and will take its course on its own.
March 29, 2009
A glimpse into the current comings and goings of some Chicago teens. Decent stuff - read this and then watch the documentary "American Teen" and you'll know all about what teens are up to these days.
June 19, 2009
THis book follows a number of students through an urban high school in Chicago. The students could be from any high school, small or large, urban or rural. The challenges they face, thier triumphs and failures are enduring and timeless. A great book for those entering or in high school.
October 23, 2009
A sketch of high school life at a large urban Chicago school. The politics of HS are the same at anytime: questions about identity, questions about college acceptance, questions about where to go, questions about sexuality, questions about career aspirations.
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July 31, 2013Book set in Chicago make Chicago seem more real to me. Cooper did a good job of choosing a cross section of non-stereotyped "characters" to follow. Aisha and Anais seemed like particularly unique choices...the nomad and the Really Serious Dancer.
April 25, 2008
Account of daily lives of 4 students at Walter Payton High School in Chicago.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews