“Resistance is futile,” said the first text that I had gleaned from glancing at the cover of Boot Camp by Todd Strasser. It instantly led me to think that this Rosie contender was yet another book that detailed the inevitable struggles of a delinquent against his superiors. And yes, my thoughts proved to be true. From the first sentence to the last word in the book, everything Strasser wrote followed exactly my predictions. Despite the book’s good intentions and purpose, Boot Camp should not be on the list of Rosie nominees.

Boot Camp details the unfortunate, yet predictable fights of a delinquent, Garrett Durrell, against his parents and authorities. Durrell is involved in a relationship; normally, that would be acceptable, but in his case, the woman is his teacher. His disgusted and intolerant parents send Durrell to Lake Harmony, a boot camp situated a few miles from the Canadian border. There, Durrell distinguishes himself from the camp’s other attendees. Although everyone there has done wrong, Garrett’s faults are relatively minor compared to that of the other children. While there, Durrell finds himself unable to yield his sense of identity, and is repeatedly physically and mentally abused by the supervisors and other prisoners. Despite the months and years of endless brainwashing that has been thrust upon him, Durrell realizes that he will never conform to the ideals of his superiors.

The first and foremost negative aspect of this book is its predictability. After reading just a few pages that details the protagonist’s qualities and characteristics, I was able to say that Durrell will persevere for a few months or years, attempt to escape and get sent back to Lake Harmony, all without the plot telling me otherwise. The only unexpected turn in the whole book occurred in the last ten pages, something that came far too late to change my opinions of it.

The second aspect of the book that failed to enhance the reading experience was the writing itself. Some authors write with elegant style, and are able to express themselves in a complex yet direct manner. Strasser, however, is certainly not one of them. With the style that comes with an amateur author, Strasser is unable to bring about more depth from his novel.

Yet this contender did have a few positive aspects to it. It did serve its purpose, which was to educate people about the horrors of boot camp, even if the manner in which it did so was bland. An interesting little twist occurred at the end, where Durrell is shown to finally have submitted himself to his superiors. Although this part did intrigue me, it also left me confused and wondering whether Durrell’s condition was permanent.

With Boot Camp, Strasser had hoped to educate readers of the conditions of boot camps scattered across the country. Although he accomplished this goal, it was with a method that was predictable and bland. For the readers that want to take a short break from the daily stresses of life, this is a good book. For the readers whom reading is a hobby, don’t waste your time. By Chris Li <[email protected]>