Book Title: The Car Thief
Author: Theodore Weesner
Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions
IBSN: 9781938231001
Reviewed by Michele Tater for The Coach Tater Review

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
― Leo Tolstoy

Alex Housman is a broken boy from a broken family. Nothing really shocking or unusual that he gets in trouble with the law for stealing cars, which he has no reasoning for doing other than he can. His home life consists of living in a small apartment with a father who is larger than life especially when he is hitting the bottle, although he doesn’t physically hurt his son, is he hurting him in other ways? Alex’s mom is not in the picture at all for she has started another life with another man and has taken his brother Howard with her. To say this young man’s life has its ups and downs would be an understatement, but aren’t most teenagers lives this way. It is all on how they handle these situations that will decide what kind of adults they become. This is story on how one such teenager makes his choices that will change his life either for the better or for the worst...you will just have to read the book and find out which.

I am not one to compare books with other books like some feel they need to. I prefer to let the book speak for itself on how the author wished it is to be translated. I also would not say this book is a “coming of age” read; labels like this don’t give the book justice.

Although it is set in year where I wasn’t even born yet, the childhood problems presented are the same as today. The overwhelming pressure for a young person to do something extraordinary with their lives when life has dealt them a not so great home life is a common theme in any year. Even though I am a female, I still felt that I could relate to the main character, even if it was partially from a mother’s point-of-view. I felt pity and sympathy for him, wanting to grab him sometimes and ask him, “what the hell are you thinking?” as if he was one of my own sons. Maybe it could be a good book to show parents how their actions really do effect their children and what not to do. How being an alcoholic, even a non-violent one, can push a child to grow-up before they are ready and cause them to make wrong, sometimes, very wrong choices. Also how being an absentee parent may really make the child confused and feel unloved. {Coming off the soap box}. Okay back to how I feel about the book; I highly recommend it as a book that should be read as it is and not to be compared to any other book. I can see it being a great read for required reading in  high school, especially as a teaching tool. Young and old alike, in my opinion, will find it a good read.  Just let the book take on the life it was meant to.

Here is a link to the book for your convenience: http:/astorandblue.com/the-car-thief/