Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad

by Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars , revisits Slave Day’ s Robert E. Lee High School in this short story collection filled with provocative, clever humor and surprises at every turn.

Each student at Robert E. Lee High School is required to perform two hundred hours of community service in order to graduate. Their responses to the assignment are as varied as the organizations for which they volunteer.

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories, Fiction, Teen, High School, Collections

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Robert James "Rob" Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God, creator of the critically acclaimed television series Veronica Mars and co-creator of 90210 and Party Down.

Reviews

[Sunil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend reading Slave Day before this one because it's also set in Robert E. Lee High, and there are throwaway references to some of the characters and events of the book. One character even gets a story all to himself. I think this school is a creative gold mine for Rob, because this short story collection is really damn good, almost as good as Slave Day itself. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, since it's far less dense. But each story packs a wallop.

Doing Time follows ten students fulfilling their required two hundred hours of community service. Their assignments are quite varied, and each chooses his assignment for a specific reason. Be it good or bad. I was reminded of the praise for Rob's ability to treat teens as complex and interesting again. No one leaves his two hundred hours unchanged. Except maybe that one guy. Most of the stories have some kind of reveal, though it's not some sort of gimmicky plot twist but something organic that surprises both the reader and the character.

One warning: this book is depressing as shit. Seriously, Rob does not pull any punches with the cynical worldview. Some of these characters are awful, awful people, and they remain awful, awful people. It's not till the last few stories that you can start using the word "heartwarming."

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a collection of short stories, which I didn't realize until the third or so chapter - it doesn't say anything to that effect anywhere on the book itself. I point this out mostly because I wouldn't have picked it up if I had known it was short stories; they're not a genre I usually enjoy.

These were great, however. The connecting thread is the 200 hours of community service every student at Robert E. Lee High School is required to complete - each story is about how a student completes those hours. A decent mix of heartbreaking and uplifting (though leaning towards the heartbreaking), with a I want to strangle the little twit thrown in for good measure - I'm looking at you, Blue Santa. Thomas' references are now dated, as the book was published in 1997, but the tone was pretty true.

The Laser and Turtles were my favorites, while Ten Pins was the weakest. Shacks from Mansions, the opening story, was extremely strong, and I was really happy to see Thomas end on an up note, with the aforementioned Turtles. Overall, a fun, well written, quick read.

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about his books, since I've loved his work in TV, (Veronica Mars) and movies. This had several different short stories about these high school kids and their community service hours required to graduate. Some of them were a little disturbing, but they were all interesting. Since they are all written in the 1st person narrative from high school kids' perspectives, there's a bit of bad language. I didn't love it like I loved Veronica Mars, but I think I'll read more of his work, because I really like his style.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE Veronica Mars and I'm considering trying my hand at writing a YA novel, so when I saw this YA book penned by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas (not to be confused with the singer from Matchbox Twenty) at a used bookstore I grabbed it up. It turns out it's not really a novel so much as a group of short stories set around one concept. The seniors at Robert E. Lee High School have to do 200 hours of community service each, and each of these stories tells one persons experience. A few of the stories fell a little short but there were others that I really enjoyed. When I finished the final story I almost started crying at the gym because it was so sweet. It did begin to feel a little preposterous that each person had a meaningful experience through doing these 200 hours (although I guess that's not entirely true as I can remember at least one story ends without the character changing) but that's easy enough to get over. I think I might have preferred one of his novels, and it was certainly no Veronica Mars, but it was still a fun, quick read.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as I loved Rats Saw God with its awesome portrayal of teen life in the 90s (would ANY school allow that kind of thing in these post-Columbine, test-happy times?), I think Thomas missed the mark with this set of short stories about community service hours. First of all, the opening story seems to give an unneccessary frame of a college student reading the essays of high school student community service experiences, but the stories that follow are certainly not essays any student would turn in, and there's no wrap up at the end with the opening storyteller, so other than letting people know that students probably have to do service hours, the setup seems pointless. In addition, Thomas is crap at female characters. They're completely unbelieveable.

I picked this up as a library discard, and back to the book sale it goes.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories about students who have community service projects, a requirement for graduation. Here of course, Thomas is doing a sort of "Bradbury cheat," using a bunch of connected stories that more or less make up a "novel." Many of the stories were just kind of meh. But the good ones, "Cheatin' Heart," "Extension Four," "The Laser," and "Turtles" really help the collection. I tend to judge a writer's craft by how well he writes a short story. Thomas shows his capability here. Not Rob's best, but not his worst.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I had to read this for my grad level Young Adult Lit class- but I really enjoyed it and would gladly use it with a class of high school students if I taught high school. Ten short stories are easy to read and barely connected. The overlying theme- community service. Each character does a different type and takes away something different. Some characters are pitiful, some are admirable, some make you cry. Short and easy to read, makes you think. Would you do service for your community?

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The senior class of Lee High School perform 200 hours of community service before getting their diplomas. Ten short stories give various perspectives of the assignment. Rob Thomas uses what I think is supposed to be real teen language, but since the book was a decade old, it seemed dated to me. Or maybe I just don't know what kids sound like anymore. The stories were all entertaining, but I preferred the ones in which the service project helped the student grow, such as The Laser and Turtles.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 short stories with 10 different narrators. Normally I'm not a huge fan of short story collections, but I'd say 8 out of 10 were excellent, with one or two stumbling. Each one chronicles a community service project, and the narrators were from different genders, races, and classes, with different motivations and attitudes spurring them on. A fast read with all the stuff I like about Rob Thomas' work: some weirdness/surreality, some surprises, some laughter, some conclusions like a punch.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rob Thomas has created some TV shows that I've really liked ("Cupid," "Veronica Mars") and I've always meant to get around to reading his young adult novels. This one definitely shows off the intelligence and humor that he brings to his TV projects, but the stories were scattered, disconnected, and thematically inconsistent. I'd still like to read "Rats Saw God," which is supposed to be his best.

[Nothing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I found it to be well written, considering the characters were all so vastly different. I liked how some people grew and some didn't really grow much at all. Some learned something, others didn't. Very realistic, not everyone is changed/affected by doing CS as movies/books often will have you believe. Anyway, some stories were kind of meh, but the majority were enjoyable.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I hate short stories, I have to admit that Thomas makes them worth reading. He's willing to take a good, hard look at forced community service -- something that far too few writers are willing to do.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing idea: all graduating seniors in the town of Deerfield TX must complete 200 hours of community service. Each story follows a different teen and their volunteering. Most hold up well and were hip at publication in 1997, but a few definitely show their age.

[Justin Langlois · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice collection of short stories about high schoolers doing community service activities. Thomas is a great author and he really captures the brains of high school upperclassmen. There are even a few times when you think he's going one way and flips you on your head. Gotta love that.

[Ruth]

An interesting examination of people's varied reasons for doing "good."

[Angela Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of short stories about high school students doing community service hours. An interesting premise, full of plot twists and oddball characters.

[pianogal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written. Like Rob Thomas. GO Veronica Mars.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm generally not a fan of short stories, but for some reason I really enjoyed this young adult book with each story themed around a high school student's volunteer work to fulfill the 200 hour graduation requirement. I think perhaps because the book was set in Texas in the mid-90s, which jived with my own high school experience in Texas in the mid-90s. I'm not sure how much the young adults this book is actually aimed at would like it, but this old lady walking down memory lane did.

[Azra's Book Corner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a horrible read it makes fun of people who are going through hard times and shows no respect as if the characters never thought about it one even let's her friends make fun of her grandma who takes care of her and works a lot to the point it is not even community service but just bullying

[Martine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read one of these stories in Seventeen magazine somewhere around '94-'97 and it stayed with me since. Finding out it was the Veronica Mars writer made my head explode. What a joy to find.

[Ether109 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me nostalgic about my high school time, and made me want to do more social work. A wholesome read that was quick and easy

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about required community service during high school.

[Christine Dmukhovskiy]

it was kind of boring