Review Detail

I always root for the loners and the kids who dare to be different and the kids who dont necessarily care what other people think. Maybe I identify with them, who knows. So, you know Im going to root for 306.4 pound Andrew Zansky. Hes the guy who can barely fit on those chair-desk combos that some schools have. Hes the guy who falls in love with a girl who barely knows he exists. Hes also the guy who wont give a plain girl, a girl who dares to be different, the time of day. Hes the guy who joins the Model UN club instead of the football team.

Andy meets April at a wedding that his mother is catering and falls for her. He lies and tells her hes a jock and she believes him. Hes shocked to find out that April goes to his school and is in some of his classes. When she learns he lied, shes extremely disappointed. There are two kinds of heavy, according to Andy. The first is the physical weight. The second is when you lie to someone and disappoint them.

When O., the football star quarterback, saves him from bully Ugo, they begin to talk. Its football tryouts and Andy decides to try out. Surprisingly, he makes the varsity team as its center. Hes got to lie to his best friend and fellow geek Eytan, who would not understand his decision. Hes got to lie to his mother who wouldnt let him play because (a) shes overprotective and (b) hes got asthma.

As you can imagine, Andys naïve. He thinks that all is his problems are solved now that hes a jock. But he soon learns otherwise. He learns people are not always honest. He learns a lot over the few months that he plays.

Food, Girls and Other Things I Cant Have by Allen Zadoff is a fun read. Yeah, parts are sad, but parts are also funny. The chapter titles are great. You cant help but love Andy. You cant help but feel sorry for him as he ponders the high school hierarchy. You cant help feel sorry for the superficial kids he encounters. But one thing you do know&Andys smart and hes going to figure it out. (By the way, Allen Zadoff/Andrew Zansky. Hmmmm!!!)