Teen Angst? Naaah... Theme

     I have finished Teen Angst? Naaah..., by Ned Vizzini, and it is a realistic and funny book. It is realistic because it tells about the story of a boy in high school, Stuyvesant. He goes through everything that a high school kid would go through, including parents, school, sex, street people, fame, camp, drugs, prom, beer, rock bands, and friends. Ned Vizzini goes to Stuyvesant, where there is a mix of Asians, Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and every other race in New York City packed into one "nerdy" high school. There is a wide range of kids also, from skaters, to preppies, to artists, to nerds, to popular kids, and every other clique imaginable. It is really hard to fit into a big, diverse school like that, but Ned Vizzini stayed himself, and he made it through. I think that the theme in this book is that if you stay yourself, you will succeed, and you don't need to change to someone who you are not.
     Stuyvesant is a huge high school, and it is also very diverse. High school is a tough challenge in life, and not everyone makes it through it. Ned Vizzini is currently only 30, so he still remembers high school, and the feeling of it. Like for example, he explains Stuyvesant as a "manageable form of pain. Not a sharp, wincing pain that went away quickly-a chronic four-year ache that, if pressed on the right way, felt kind of good." High school is really a drag for many people, and it is an ache. Ned knows the hard feeling, but he made it through, and became successful. While Ned made it through this hard time, he stayed himself. For example, he dedicated his free time to Magic: The Gathering, a card game. Many people would think that this is nerdy and not cool. He doesn't care about that, and he still played. He even stayed all night one night, playing Magic: The Gathering.
     Another example on how Ned stayed himself was by not going all crazy over girls. He didn't want to be popular, and have like a hundred girlfriends. He didn't care about how others would view him if he had a girlfriend. In fact, he didn't even get a girlfriend until senior year! He didn't want to rise up the social ladder and be a "player". Also, in the book, he never even attempted to try to be popular. People who want to be popular would become a "player", have all the latest clothes, and have everyone know them. Ned didn't try any of this throughout his high school years.
     Ned wants us to realize that we can just be ourselves and succeed in life. That is exactly what Ned did, and he is very successful. He has written many books, and he is a famous author. Ned wants us to be who we are and not change and be like others. Ned is actually happy throughout much of the book because he does his own thing, not what everyone in high school does. Like for example, he played dominoes with street people over the summer, and he had lots of fun. He grew attached to these guys, and he was entertained by them. He didn't need to be a popular kid like everyone else, or be an artist to join the clique. He just did his own thing, and he was satisfied. Ned wants us to feel moved by this, and doesn't want us to fall in the crowd. Ned wants us to be ourselves, because we were created this way.
     In conclusion, Teen Angst? Naaah... is a great book that includes a serious theme, but is also fun and entertaining to read. The theme in this book is that if you stay yourself, you will succeed, and you don't need to change to someone who you are not. Ned follows this throughout his high school years, which are probably his hardest years in his life, and he was satisfied, and he did succeed in life. This book is a funny entertaining book that taught me a lot.