Payne, C.D. (1993). Youth in revolt. New York City: Main Street Books, Doubleday.

OVERVIEW

C.D. Payne has provided a clever, fictitious account of daily life of Nick Twisp, a precocious and dangerous 14-year-old growing up in northern California. The problems which beset teenage life, including divorce, sexual curiosity and tension, self-identity, boredom, school, religion, and crime are well explored. In fact, the problems of youth are presented to be so overbearing that rebellion is viewed as the only proper outlet save the hopes and happiness promised by consummated teenage love—in this case, with teenage goddess, Sheeni Saunders.

Youth rebellion against moral standards and all forms of authority is commonplace for the story’s protagonist. This character reflects rebellion at large: for instance, homicide rates among 14- to 17-year-olds have increased 175% since 1985. Yet, amid the trauma and pain of growing up in an unpredictable world, Nick Twisp makes the most of his difficult years through sheer ingenuity and bold revolt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The author himself was born in Akron, Ohio. A 1971 graduate of Harvard College, Payne resides with his wife across the bay from San Francisco. Youth in Revolt is his first novel. One cannot help but surmise that Payne’s own experience is intermingled with that of Nick Twisp, as incidents are described with acute, real-life detail and Nick, despite his outrageous antics, emerges as believable.

A SYNOPSIS

Payne paints the life of Nick through a series of journal entries dated from July to December of his fourteenth year. A brief, organized synopsis follows:

Section I—"Youth in Revolt." Nick Twisp struggles with his obsession with sex; spends his summer horribly self-conscious over his acne and manhood; loathes both his father and mother (who are divorced); assists his friend, Lefty, in an elaborate suicide farce; and gets booted into a "second rate" public school where is he is exposed to everything but education. All the while, Nick’s highest goal and hope in life is to acquire Sheeni Saunders (at least sexually)—his gorgeous, intellectual, and mischievous counterpart.

Section II—"Youth in Bondage." Nick intensifies in his anger and hatred toward parents; grievously misses Sheeni who moves away to an elite French boarding school; befriends Vijay and his sister, Apurva, (who proves to be a sophisticated distraction); spies on Sheeni and her personal love life; and jealously plots more outrageous pranks. By the end of part two, Nick’s plans have backfired, and he is left friendless, relentlessly pursued by city police, and contemplating suicide or taking a scholarship to start a new life in India.

Section III—"Youth in Exile." Nick floats around California as a vagrant, poor and even more poorly treated; wrestles with his alter ago, Francois Dillinger; plays the role of Carlotta in order to regain a life with Sheeni; and tampers with drugs. When all appears to be getting worse, Nick inherits great wealth and is reunited with Sheeni. In conclusion, Nick boasts, "I am an independent, enterprising, nearly 15-year-old tycoon committed to an intensely physical relationship with The Woman I Love. And my zits are not looking too horrible either...On the whole I am splendidly equipped for this great adventure we call human existence."

CONCLUSION

This book offers remarkable teenage cynicism and humor through Nick’s skillful use of the English language in his diaries, along with his insights into the youth world now and then. Among the most compelling points are the need for family care and genuine relational intimacy.

In sum, although Nick’s life is a sensationalized symbol of youth, his story still carries the blunt message that teenage life is chaos and that one can only try to laugh and barely survive his way through.

Payne bravely exposes the pressures and stresses facing youth today, along with the sad negligence of "too-busy-stingy-hypocritical" parents. Yet, there are several points of caution: first, this book is only for mature audiences. There are explicit sexual scenarios and perverted fantasies described, including an homosexual act. Next, because deviant schemes and sexual experimentation dominate this twisted tale, it may lead to an exaggerated view of teenagers in general. And most obvious, the story lacks resolution. There are no real answers to the plights of Nick Twisp, except for the stroke of "good fortune" which has dealt him a good hand—for now. But what happens later, when girlfriend and money and fun fade in satisfaction? What will provide true release out of the cycle of hatred, rebellion, and self-loathing of typical youth? These fundamental matters are left unanswered.

QUOTATIONS

Noting I was bored, Mom suggested I go over to the park and find a pickup game of basketball. She is, of course, completely out of her mind. Short honkie teens do not play basketball on the public courts of Oakland. (p. 6)

…though I look like a medieval plague victim, the world expects me to go on being a happy, busy teen. I despair, knowing every fresh eruption places another oozing wall between me and the soft, yielding warmth of feminine flesh. (p. 12)

One of the tragic consequences of divorce is that the kids are legally obligated by the courts to spend a fixed amount of time with their dads. In normal families, dads and children happily ignore each other. (p. 14)

No wonder people have to escape family life through drugs. I just hope Sheeni and I have better rapport with our gifted children. (p. 78)

‘Then, darling, I shall take strength from your outlawhood. We shall revolt together. This will be the bond of our love…’ (p. 87).

Another tormented, sleepless night. I bet if you totaled up my stress factors, they’d go right off the chart. I hope I don’t have any unsuspected aneurysms in my brain—I’d be dropping dead from a stroke any minute now. (p. 93)

Why are adults so two-faced? (p. l01)

I had ventured into a rest room at school, but not wanting to smoke dope, buy drugs, or converse with 20 robust fellows in Raiders jackets hosting a switchblade show-and-tell, I quickly turned around and left. (p. 107)

Why are human beings so determined to enforce a dreary ordinariness in appearance, thought, and conduct? (p. 122)

I say, Dad, when you die I’m going to turn your body over to science. Maybe they can identify a new gene—the one responsible for producing jerks. (p. 165)

‘When Gandhi was my age, he had already been married three years.’ No wonder Gandhi turned out to be a great man. When you get your love life nailed down that early, think of all the time it frees up to devote to Great Ideas. (p. 177)

‘Well, darling, it may be un-American to say this, but I don’t want to be free. I’m perfectly happy being enslaved—to you’ (p. 177).

After school, I shuffled up the dusty stairs of doom and entered the World of Work. Only l0 minutes later I could feel brain cells staring to wither and die. Why are all the jobs offered to youth so cripplingly boring? You’d think the gods of capitalism would give us the interesting jobs. Then, when we’re safely shackled into the system with marriages and mortgages, they could turn the tedium up full blast. Nope, we’re immediately abandoned, naked and defenseless, on the icy tundra of ennui—and paid peanuts for our suffering to boot. (p. 180)

Why me, God? How come Vijay gets selected for ‘Masterpiece Family’ and I get stuck in the reruns of ‘My Favorite Moron’ (p. 187)?

Everyone has a social life except me. (p. 275)

More guilt for Nick...I must make amends by leading an exemplary life from now on. (p. 318)

‘Oh, I suppose it’s all my fault!’ screamed Mom. ‘It’s always the parents’ fault’ (p. 339)!

Tuesday, December 1—12:45 A.M. God not listening as usual. Icy rain falling. Getting soaked through. Teeth chattering. Spirits sinking. (p. 355)

‘Love compels us to desperate acts. People cannot always act rationally. The greater the love, the stronger the passions, the more reckless the crimes. Love is not an emotion that conduces to sensibility’ (p. 367).

My One and Only Love has betrayed me. My last reason to live is gone. (p. 375)

‘The boy is bad, plain bad. We did all we could for him—sending him to expensive private schools, buying him nice clothes and a high priced computer—but he was incorrigible. I just hope prison straightens the kid out. Nick has been a great disappointment to his mother and I’ (p. 393).

High school on powerful narcotics. A profoundly mellow experience. The struggle for status now suspended. Pressures to conform on hold, academic competition in abeyance, sexual anxieties at rest, even corrosive boredom dissolved in the warm puddle of frivolous time. (p. 425)

Sorry, God, I thought, I know this looks bad, but it’s all for the love of my dear Sheeni. Believe it or not, I’m actually trying to live a good life. It’s just that the present circumstances are so difficult. (p. 443)

Money! It can’t buy you happiness, but it can certainly make a generous down payment. (p. 450)

I think I should note here to God that I believe a strong case could be made that I have not really sinned in my heart. My intentions are clearly honorable. Were it within my power, I would marry Sheeni immediately, right here in this church, with God as a witness to the purity and steadfastness of my love. (p. 463)

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What type of book is this? How much of the story do you believe to be realistic for youth today?
2. What group of friends would Nick Twisp belong to in a typical school today? Why might Nick be excluded from certain social groups?
3. Are Nick’s and his friends’ excessive preoccupations with sex normal? What do you define as sexuality? How would deal with these youth? Do you think that sexual activity satisfies them?
4. Does Nick really love Sheeni Saunders? What is your definition of love? Where do we get an understanding of love?
5. How much time do you spend with your parents? How important is family to you? Do you share Nick’s sentiments toward your own family?
6. What purpose should school serve?
7. What is T.E.? Why are nicknames used for genital reactions? What sort of coded language is used at your school and why?
8. Do you believe in random chance? Is there such a thing as order and control over all circumstances, even in Nick’s journey through so many plot changes?
9. Does rebellion achieve positive results? Are there alternatives? Who comes to mind when you consider loyalty, obedience, and virtue? Are there any such characters in this story?
10. What role do humor and laughter play for the characters in the story? What impact does humor have upon the reader?
11. What do you think most bothers and stresses Nick Twisp? How does he resolve it? How would you find resolution?
12. According to Nick and his friends, what is the grand goal in life? Do they ever reach it? Will it provide total happiness?
13. Why was this book written? Is it for youth or adults?
14. Does Nick ever get away with repeated incidents of breaking the law? Is this realistic?
15. What influence does church and religion have on Nick? Does he experience guilt, shame, a desire for God, and the things of eternity? How was this manifested?
16. Who or what shaped Nick to become who he was by age 14? Who had the deepest influence upon him?
17. Where do you see Nick five or ten years later in life (after the story’s end)?
18. What most needs to change in Nick’s life for a healthy, productive, and happy future?
19. How would you relate with Nick and his friends?
20. Would you consider this as trash literature? What offended you? Of what did you approve?

IMPLICATIONS

1. This valuable work takes readers into the mind of youth who struggle with myriad pressures and crises typical of modern times.
2. Youth workers should use this book to become more familiar with youth culture and develop better, more compassionate service.
3. Many youth are restless, resistant to authority, filled with rage, confused in their self-autonomy, and desperate for relationships and love. They view life as valueless and meaningless. It is important to understand how they feel.
4. Many youth spend their lives just like Nick Twisp. This is the context for today’s youth work.

Harold Kim cCYS