you deserve nothing by alexander maksik


Will Silver is a charismatic high school teacher (think a younger more hip Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society) who makes the mistake of having an affair with one of his students. This plot offers nothing new, and Maksik relies heavily enough on Camus that parts feel like plaigarism. Still, if you've ever lived in Paris, you'll enjoy this eloquently written valentine to the city, and if you teach in an international school, you'll enjoy the setting, so rarely captured in literature. I read this book in December on an airplane, and two weeks later I read that Mr. Maksik did teach in an international school in Paris, and was allegedly dismissed after having an affair with one of his students. Creepy. Worse yet, the two students he writes about didn't give him permission to use their lives as fodder, and apparently aren't pleased with the results. Super creepy. Click here for a full review. Grade 11+

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