Jerk, California Book Review

The book Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen really helps to explain the life of a person with tourettes. The person who has this disability is Sam. His family is not the greatest and is shut out by his step-dad and mom. Sam just isn’t happy with life at all, so when he graduates, which doesn’t go so well he moves out to get away from the people that abandoned him to live with the local “coot”. The “coot,” or George, was a friend of Sam’s dad before he left. But something happens and  Sam and Naomi end up taking a road trip with stops along the way there.While visiting he learns some new information about his parents, especially his dad. Sam and Naomi’s relationship  also evolves a little bit throughout the trip. Towards to end of the trip Naomi has a big secret to tell Sam, that will change things. When he gets there it is the exact thing he needed to accept who he is and his parents.
I think the theme is to embrace who you are even if others do not because you can always find someone that does. I think this way because in the beginning of the book it seemed like Sam would never find someone that understood him or even accepted him. Then he met Naomi and George, who were the first people in his life to accept him. When he went on the trip, his dad’s old friends welcomed him with open arms and had no problem with him. People with tourettes are not different and should be treated like normal everyday people. That’s all Sam wanted, was to be treated like them instead of being treated like a freak or a disappointment. George was first to do that, and Sam often calls him his best friend. This is because George didn’t treat Sam any differently from a kid without tourettes. This brings the theme out which is don’t treat someone differently just because of a disability.
I really liked this book in the second half to me the book started off depressing and slow at times. But when Sam and Naomi go on the road trip to Jerk, California things get very interesting and fun. The end is captivating because Sam gets to find his true self, and that is very satisfying to read. I would recommend this book to someone who likes adventure, romance, and a good character development would really like this book.