Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp

My husband (at the time boyfriend) gave me this book when I had been hoping for a ring. Anyway, this was almost as good! Which makes it, in a girls world, pretty awesome. I have read it through 3 times. I keep laughing. I have given it to my dad, my sister, numerous friends, my book club-everyone thinks it is hilarious and they too dub it the funniest book they have ever read.

The book starts out with Nick Twisp at 14, an unusually precocoious teen, and he has been grounded (again). This is a pattern throughout the book, which charts his rebellion against his parents, all the while trying to lose his virginity. While his tastes are not terribly discriminating in his quest, his one goal is to be with his one true love, Sheeni Saunders, who in her own right is quite devious and unusually intelligent.

I think Nick must have the worst parents in the world, and his interactions described between them are some of my favorite parts.

While reading this book, I felt like I was on a vacation I didn't want to end, but I could not put the book down. There is a sequel called Revolting Youth, which is still entertaining, but moves out of the realm of reality.

Cliche, that is a word that appears almost ubiquituous when reading a book about teen anguish or one billed towards that age group. As refreshing as a cold drink, C.D Payne's Youth in Revolt manages to aviod the inevitable 90's as slacking, narcotic use and tasteless humor. Instead, he employs such shocking themes to the world of literature as love, fidelity and croosdressing. Read through the journals of the 14 year old protagonist, the appropriatly named Nick Twisp, the reader becomes, throughout the duration of the book, a kindred spirit of the roaming teen. And the laughs, of course, the laughs are to be found on every page, as Nick's escapades, often painted with severity and pure dillusion, can crack a smile on the stiffest of readers. All and all, Youth in Revolt is the kind of book you can expect to be turned into an HBO miniseries. Call it My So-Called Life mixed with Catcher in the Rye, to form a most appealing cocktail. Read this book

This book is fantastic. However I recommend that parents read before they give this book to anyone under 16. It has lots of sex, profanity and a little drugs. It tells the story of Nick Twisp, a hormonal 14 year old that meets the love of his life and his quest to be with her no matter what. This is the first in the series and well worth the read.

Youth in Revolt is one of the most amazingly hilarious books I've ever read. The portrayal of Nick Twisp and his twisted, youthful outlook on life will dramatically change your view of teenagers. The story is light, fun, and incredibly humorous. The adventures of a naive, acne-ridden, sex-hungry adolescent are an essential part of any young library.

the funniest book i've ever read. hands down. should be manditory. if you come across someone who has read this book and didn't like it, avoid them at all costs - they are soul-less killjoys with no appreciation for humor and they want to kill you. my only complaint was the length of the book. should have been 1000 pages and not 500.

Overall, a very quick and entertaining read--comes complete with 4 stars and a shiny recommendation. Nick Twisp is the 14-year-old protagonist (I've come to question the latter part of that description) in a book that is a slightly affected mixture of _On_the_Road_ and _Huckleberry_Finn_, written by Judy Blume while in the throes of a drug- and thesaurus-enduced haze. One sometimes gets the feeling the author is careening from one misadventure to the next, each more unbelievable than the last. Hence, suspend any disbelief and need-for-the-literal and you will find _Youth_In_Revolt_ to be highly enjoyable and rewarding.

What Youth In Revolt lacks in believability it makes up for with overwriting. This book has potential, but it is clearly much longer than it needs to be and centers around a group of fourteen-year-olds that would never exist. The form of speech that Nick uses proves to be more annoying and obnoxious than anything else and does not in any way make the character likeable or relatable, something that is every author needs to do. The dialogue scenes are filled with sidenotes of tedium - to use one of Payne's favorite unnecessary words - and interrupt the flow of the story. It is always the author's utmost responsiblity to tell the story, and not to blow the reader away with his arsenal of SAT words and lackluster metaphors, especially when the story is being told by a fourteen-year-old. Even the end itself is dragged out way too much. The story also suffers from an excess of one-dimensional characters, which can be seen mostly evidently in two groups. First there is the precocious, ridiculously overintellectual, snobby teenagers which are exhibited by Nick, Sheeni, Vijay, Apurva, Trent, and Taggarty. Then, there are the cruel, deadbeat, irrational adults, which include Nick's parents, his mom's love interests, Sheeni's parents, Vijay and Apurva's parents, and several others. Youth in Revolt would work much better if Nick were the sole intellectual among his friends and if the same were said of his parents, bas the book is, Nick's character becomes old very fast and the reader quickly grows tired of the redundacy of mythically intellectual teenagers. As much as this book attempts to be another Catcher in the Rye, or the Great American Teen Runaway novel, it completely fails in all measures. Despite the intellectual nature of the main character, the book is still on all levels absolutely shallow even at the end. Nick has no sort of revelation at the end of the book or at any other point in the book, and even though his love for Sheeni is the major conflict of the book there is no great manifestation or expression of this love, only him counting the number of times they have sex. If you want a book about a destructive, rebellious teen by an author who gets it right, try Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks, which is a dead-on depiction of a struggling, too-smart-for-his-own-good adolescent. Still, despite its inherent flaws, Youth in Revolt has some strengths. It is amusing at times, and is an easy read, but it ultimately falls apart. The author bit off more than he could chew. It is simply, too long, overwritten, and unbelievable for it to come together as a story.

This book is quite easily one of the most brilliant works of the twentieth century. Why has it not yet been inducted into the literary cannon? As an adament lover of the literature of "misspent youth", I list my favorite books as Lolita, Clockwork Orange, and Youth in Revolt.

I enjoyed this book (both times) for the pure joy of its entertaining absurdity. Something about it was undeniably fresh, and though it does need rampant forward propulsion to suspend disbelief- that is also its value. Thank goodness it didn't take itself so seriously as to try and be realistic. I actually found Nick very sympathetic, and so in touch with the aspiration and fears of that age that I gawked when I found out the authors age. I definitely recommend the sequel. Though it might not have the same bite as the first book- it does bring it all to a satisfying conclusion: something I missed with the first book.

C.D. Payne has given a lifetime of creative thought to what has to be one of the funniest books written for adolescents and their parents. He never lets up, and while the plot continues to twist, turn, skip, and circle back, there's not a single page without a handful of hearty laughts and insight into a teenager's innermost thoughts.
It's certainly one of the best kept secrets of fiction and one of the best books never to make the bestseller list. This is a book that will remain in print and, perhaps, will be discovered twenty years from now, as timely as it was when it first came out.

Nick Twisp is a sort of modern Holden Caufield: he suffers, he lies, and he has a pretty good humor. Mr CD Payne has written one of the funniest novels of the last ten years. There is also a deep sense of life-philosophy in this book...

After much nagging from a friend I finally picked up a copy of Youth in Revolt. It was the most clever book I have ever read. The plot twists and turns into an unbelievable, yet humorous climax (no pun intended). The real kicker...the three dogs.

In his first novel, C.D. Payne proves himself capable of appealing to men & women alike who can relate to a past filled with misunderstood, awkward teen angst. I laughed hysterically and couldn't put it down. Recommended to anyone looking for something witty and fun to read ... Love it.

It is rare in modern literature to find an author that takes the time to fully flesh out characters to the point of mercileeness. In "Youth in Revolt," C.D. Payne makes it his mission to create complete and whole characters in every turn of his book, and he succeeds. Whether it's the rebellious older sister with good intentions buried under past mistakes, the good natured boyfriend of the mother whose masculine hands hide a sensitive nature, or the overweight closeted gay boy from next door, Payne takes great pains to flesh out his characters and make them believeable.

being a 19 year junior college student i can honestly say that I don't love to read. But wow, let me tell you about this book. Even though I am only on page 114 I have never been so excited to come home from school sit down in my favorite chair and read this book. Last night I went to bed at 3:00 am because I couldn't oput it down. Like Catcher in the Rye, this is very the rare kind of book that can't be put down until you find out what happens next. I recommend it to all, heck I require it to all.

In his first novel, C.D. Payne proves himself capable of appealing to men & women alike who can relate to a past filled with misunderstood, awkward teen angst. I laughed hysterically and couldn't put it down. Recommended to anyone looking for something witty and fun to read ... Love it.

It is rare in modern literature to find an author that takes the time to fully flesh out characters to the point of mercileeness. In "Youth in Revolt," C.D. Payne makes it his mission to create complete and whole characters in every turn of his book, and he succeeds. Whether it's the rebellious older sister with good intentions buried under past mistakes, the good natured boyfriend of the mother whose masculine hands hide a sensitive nature, or the overweight closeted gay boy from next door, Payne takes great pains to flesh out his characters and make them believeable.

being a 19 year junior college student i can honestly say that I don't love to read. But wow, let me tell you about this book. Even though I am only on page 114 I have never been so excited to come home from school sit down in my favorite chair and read this book. Last night I went to bed at 3:00 am because I couldn't oput it down. Like Catcher in the Rye, this is very the rare kind of book that can't be put down until you find out what happens next. I recommend it to all, heck I require it to all.

This book has been compared to Toole's "Confederacy of Dunces", and rightly so. I was on the floor laughing. Read it for its honesty and its sheer hilarity. Not since Steve Martin have I been so soar from laughing.

I have just finished reading Youth In Revolt. It was one of the best books i have ever read. At first nick sems to be a sex starved incompitent youth but as the book progresses you can see how he and his "personalitys" grow with every new relationship and struggle. I found this book very eventful and interesting. It can be crude at times but in this day and age what isn't? All i can say is if you are between the ages of 13-19 and you are only going to read one book this year make it this one.

I first read this book around my 17th birthday, and being a mischevious youth, I found it to be an insight into my own life. Payne perfectly conveys teenage thought, and I am, as I type this reading the book for the 3rd time. I was given this jewel by my father, and currently own the hard and softbound editions. The descriptive nature allows you to become Nick Twisp, and find yourself laughing uncontrollably as Berkeley burns down... a sure fire must read.

This book is absolutely hilarious. I saw the movie after reading the book and it does it no justice whatsoever and leaves out a major part of the book. This book is so hilariously written in the honest kind of inner monologue voice of the main character that it is impossible to put down. You must read this book.

If there was ever a more brutally honest and frank novel about coming-of-age this is it. There is never a dull moment in the diary of the eternally horny Nick Twisp, whose sentiments on growing up in the nineties are as outrageous and funny as his pursuit of Sheenie Saunders. For sheer entertainment value, this book should keep you hooked for years. There's a little Nick Twisp in all of us.

Finding this book was pure fate...i was just walking down in a bookstore and i came apon it. i am not a person who reads books just for fun but that is what this book really is...pure fun. i still laugh at his mother walking in on him and lefty in that loving friendship position and throwing cupcakes at them. i have made all of my friends read it and we all loved it.

When I was an adolescent-turning-into-teen, I greatly enjoyed British author Sue Townsend's series which began with The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4. I recently came across Payne's book and thought it might be an enjoyable American example of the same coming-of-young-age fictional diary format. What I discovered after 500 pages was an incredibly derivative piece of work with none of the heart of that series, and a fraction of the humor trumpeted by many reviewers.
First, the parallels. Adrian Mole and Nick Twisp are both male diarists nearing their 14th birthday and thus obsessed with sex. They share a similar lower-middle class upbringing, both have chaotic home lives, with parents breaking up, losing jobs, having sex with others, and both are nerdy eggheads. Most importantly, they share a common catalyst: the need to capture the heart of a beautiful, smart girl who is also being pursued by a wealthier and better looking rival in love. But while Townsend goes for a fairly realistic portrayal of the heartbreaking, but often funny growing pains of youth, Payne goes for wildly unrealistic, over the top machinations and schemes worthy of the lamest teen movie. It's the same effect as when Hollywood remakes a foreign film: "We love the story, but we're going to punch it up with a few chases, some explosions, and definitely a lot more sex. And check this out, there's going to be a hilarious running gag where the hero keeps getting interrupted just before he loses his virginity!"
The story starts off well, establishing Nick as a bitter teenager (with an unrealistically sophisticated vocabulary, even for an egghead) with some funny things to say. However, it doesn't take long before zany plots are hatched and any pretensions of reality are jettisoned. Of course, one madcap plot only serves as the catalyst for the next even wackier plot, and the story becomes an exercise in slogging through to find out how far-fetched these escalations will get. The answer is very, but sadly the journey is not as funny as others would have you believe. Nick's journal style is tedious by page ten, and the antics are unlikely to amuse many readers over the age of 16.
The more substantial problem that develops is that Nick is a thoroughly unlikeable character, as is his love interest. Neither of them (nor any other character) is nuanced at all, and you can forget about any shades of gray. As might be expected from the faux-pen of a teen diarist, all the adults are either dictators, sadists, or rubes (this latter category being comprised of the few who try and help Nick). Over the course of the book, Nick is revealed as a whining, shallow, cowardly, selfish, and dangerous kid with no excuse for being so, and no redeeming qualities. By the end he is on the run from attempted murder, felony arson, grand theft auto, burglary, and many lesser charges, but we're supposed to be cheering for him to get away with it! In the end it comes across as an unintentionally revealing authorial revenge fantasy.
In the end the book is far too long, far too shallow, and far too stupid to be of any conceivable interest to adults. Young teens and adolescents may find the whole enterprise a good read and a good laugh, but I have to wonder what message they take from it? However, for those who can't get enough, there's a sequel: Revolting Youth.

I just finished this book, have already loaned it to one friend, and my mom is reading it now. It took me all of 2 days to read the incredibly addicting book. Living in this area I was very attached from knowing the terrain. I HATE UKIAH! They are the only team that beat our football team. Anyways I highly recomend this book to anyone wishing to reminisce on their adolescent days.

In this noteworthy novel, Nick Twisp runs into some pretty improbable situations. I read this when I was 13 and I couldn't desist for a second. Now, at 14, looking back, it was one of the greatest books that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I read it all in 2 days. I gave it to all my friends. Hope C.D. does not discontinue Nick's adventures. MUST READ !

This book had me laughing out loud! People around me on the subway would stare at me like a mad person. If you like a book that is predictable, don't read this one. There are many hilarious twists and turns that this maturing teenage boy takes. Everyone must read this book!

This book is both entertaining and well-written. My main issue with it is that it is a total rip-off, seriously,a flagrant plagarism of the "Adrian Mole Diaries", written by British author, Sue Townsend. Nick even has a British manner of expression ( when's the last time you heard a Californian teenager use the adj. "ghastly"? I grew up in Berkeley, so I know) that bears a sinister similarity to Adrian's. The plot is nearly identical: a nerdy, precocious, socially oblivious, sexually-frustrated teenager from a broken home falls in love with a pretentious knock-out. Many adventures ensue as per social skills, constant horniness, and broken family. Sue Townsend published the first Adrian Mole diaries in 1983. Youth in Revolt was published in 1993. I've tried to research CD Payne's commentary on Ms. Townsend's work, but all I could find was a brief exerpt in which he acknowledged he was vaguely aware she was a fellow writer, and that was all.

If Youth in Revolt was in any way an original concept, a plot of Mr. Payne's own invention, I would laud his efforts as exceptional. However, as it is obviously not, I can't say I think it's in any way respectable. In fact, I can't believe he hasn't been sued after this publication.

Youth in Revolt is without a doubt THE funniest book I have ever read in my entire life. The dark, sarcastic humor of C.D. Payne is a welcome change from the melodramatic plots of the Oprah list. This is definately a book to read if you have a perverted scense of humor. It was great!