Noggin

One of the things I love so much about reading is what different books do for me. Some entertain, some manipulate my emotions (this is not necessarily a negative), some teach, some infuriate, and some make me think. I love when a book surprises me and does more than I expect. Such was the case with John Corey Whaley's spectacular second novel, Noggin. I enjoyed it tremendously (despite its offbeat premise) and it really made me think. Travis Coates was a gravely ill 16-year-old who was tired of dying, but he didn't want to keep living the way he was. He and his family agreed to participate in an experimental program in which his head (the only part of his body not riddled with the cancer that was killing him) was removed from his body and, when medical and technological advances made it possible, it would be attached to another donor's body. Deep down inside, everyone had a feeling this would never happen, but it was a good thing to imagine occurring years into the future. One morning Travis woke up, his parents by his side, to find that his head had been reattached to another teenager's body (a better body, if anyone's counting). For Travis, it only seemed like a few hours had passed since he said goodbye to his family, his best friend, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Cate, but for everyone else, it was five years later. Five years in which so much had changed. "I want to tell you a story about how you can suddenly wake up to find yourself living a life you were never supposed to live. It could happen to you, just like it happened to me, and you could try to get back the life you think you deserve to be living. Just like I did." Travis has to return to his high school and repeat sophomore year. (While he should be 21, his body and his mind are still 16, and he didn't get enough credits while he was sick to become a junior.) Beyond everyone wanting to get a look at his really cool scar where they attached his head to the other boy's body, it's weird being there without Kyle and Cate, although he is able to make a new friend. But as similar as that aspect of his life is, things are really different where Kyle and Cate are concerned, as their lives moved on, much differently than Travis would have expected. Travis can't seem to understand why they can't seem to pick things up where they left off, and runs the risk of alienating the people who matter the most to him. It's truly hard to reconcile his gratitude at being able to have another chance to live with his frustration that his life can't be the way he wants it to be. Noggin is tremendously thought-provoking, because while the procedure that gave Travis a new lease on life is certainly difficult to grasp, it raises some interesting questions. If you thought a person you lost would come back to you, should you keep your life in a holding pattern until it was confirmed that it won't happen? What obligation do we have to those we leave behind? If this procedure existed, should it be used, or is it one step too far? I really loved this book. I loved the fact that Travis wasn't any wiser than he was before he died, and if anything, he's more confused. I loved all of the characters and how they were flawed, just like real life. And I love the way Whaley tells a story, which is just one reason why his previous book, Where Things Come Back, was one of my favorite books of 2012. If you can get past the procedure on which this book hinges, you'll really enjoy this, and it will move you if you've ever had to face the loss of someone you wish could still be with you. As Travis says, "It made me realize that no matter how often you see or talk to someone, no matter how much you know them or don't know them, you always fill up some space in their lives that can't ever be replaced the right way again once you leave it." Noggin might be that way for me.

It's funny how much can happen in 5 years as our protagonist learns in this sometimes humorous and often touching story. I don't want to give away the story, but it was a really well told story and I really stayed hooked all the way.

An absolutely wonderful YA book. No spoilers here, but you should know that the protagonist was reanimated. Due to cancer, 16 year old Travis died but not before a new medical procedure removed his head, which was cancer free, and kept in a cryogenics lab. Five years later, they reattached his head to a healthy body. By this time, all of Travis' friends, including the girl he loved, have graduated and move on with their lives, but he is still just 16. For Travis, it was as if no time had passed, but so many things had changed. His girl friend is engaged to be married and his friends have college degrees and jobs. While many consider Travis to be a miracle of science, others think he is an abomination. Travis must navigate a world where he no longer fits in, where his friends are adults and the love of his life considers him a child. Filled with humor, pathos, heartrending grief and determination, Noggin is a novel that poses the question: What if? I wonder how any of us would deal with coming back to a changed world and would we want to?

I read about this book on NPR years ago. On a conceptual level, I like it. As someone who has signed up for cryonic suspension, I knew I had to read it. But—and this is entirely my fault—I hadn't noticed that it was meant for young adults. When I was reading it, I kept scoffing at how juvenile and immature the protagonist seemed, how emotionally stunted he and his comrades were. But that characterization was entirely consistent with who they were and with the intended audience. I can't very well dock the book more than a couple of stars just because I wasn't careful in choosing it. For what it is, it works well enough.

Five years ago Travis Coates (almost) died from cancer. The "almost" applies because before he could die his head was severed and cryogenically frozen. The doctors hoped that sometime in the (probably) distant future Travis's head could be attached to a donor body to give him another chance at life. Few people believed this was possible, Travis among them. But it proves to be possible much sooner than anyone expects, and that creates more problems than if Travis had been reanimated 100 years in the future. When Travis awakes it seems to him that no time has passed. To the rest of the world, including his best friend, girlfriend, and parents, five long years of grief have gone by. Although Travis is still 16, his classmates are 21, and they've moved on in every way. No matter how hard he tries, Travis can't make the people he loves be the same as when he lived before. A book with this premise could easily have been cartoonish and ridiculous. But Travis's poignant confusion and loneliness are realistically portrayed as he tries to recapture his former life. The other characters are equally sympathetic as they adjust to letting Travis back into their lives. This book is a quick read with humorous moments to keep it in balance.

NOGGIN was such an amazing book. Not only does it relate to teenagers in an emotional way, but it also speaks to kids trying to find themselves and/or going through a rough time in life. The raw emotion and understanding in each word throughout the novel will bring tears to your eyes in both happy and sad ways. It always leaves you wanting more and you won't be able to put it down. It's a wonderful book for anybody who loves to get thrown into a whole new world.

I liked it a lot but bad ending. It was fun to read and I could not put it down

I read this book for the first time, I’m 34 years old, as an old recommendation from a friend. I wish I would have listened sooner. I was drawn in and not in the least bit bored with the wit, humor, and raw emotion this book delivers. I can’t wait to check out more works by this author.