Megan Rambles About Struck By Lightning

Struck By Lightning by Chris Colfer
From Goodreads: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips, who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker. At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school. At a time when bullying torments so many young people today, this unique and important novel sheds light with humor and wit on an issue that deeply resonates with countless teens and readers.

I decided that I needed to read this book recently after I was scrolling through IMDB and stumbled upon the trailer for Struck By Lightning the movie, written by and starring Chris Colfer. It looked amazing and had and awesome cast so I was super excited to see it. Then I realized that it was a book too and got even more excited. 

When I got this book for Christmas, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I love Chris Colfer, and his character Kurt is one of the two reasons I watch Glee. Still, I had no clue whether or not he could actually write a book. I had no idea what to expect when I started Struck By Lightning, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. 

Carson Phillips is a small town high school senior with big dreams with a cynical and sarcastic hatred of basically everything around him. All he wants is to get into Northwestern and get out of his town. Growing up in a small town myself, I could really relate to how closed in Carson felt. Small towns aren't exactly easy to live in, especially in high school. That's usually where your typical stereotypes abound and there are also always THOSE KIDS that are totally outcasts. It happens in every high school, but at least in my experience, it's worse in small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business. Carson might be one of those outcast kids, but his unique way of dealing with everything had me cracking up on every page. I mean, I could definitely use someone who says things like, "When I stop to think about it, there aren't many differences between a public high school and a state penitentiary. It's paid for by taxpayers. No one wants to be there. It's overpopulated. You make alliances in the yard. Shanking is frowned upon," when talking about their school in my life so we could be best friends.

Besides Carson, I really liked Malerie (that's Rebel Wilson's character in the movie). She was constantly bringing in writing submissions that were obviously not hers and ripping off famous authors, much to Carson's annoyance. She also carries around a video camera and films everything that she sees. Malerie was innocent and balanced out Carson well. She brought out the nicer, more gentle side of him and kept Carson from seeming like an insensitive jerk. 

I read this book in one sitting, and flew through it. Carson's story was something that any high school student or anyone who has survived high school can relate to. This book had me laughing out loud. If there is one thing Chris Colfer understands, it's teen angst and how to write a book with some serious issues and still make it enjoyable. If you just need a quick read with a bit of teen angst and a LOT of hilarious jokes, then I recommend Struck By Lightning. Plus, the movie is out on Itunes and Amazon already, and will be in theaters on January 11th . Judging by the trailer, it's going to be awesome and I can't wait! 

-Megan