Jaz sem Andrej
(My Name is Andrej) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Andrej goes to a new school where he is welcomed by a whole host of problems. In fact, he has more of them than anyone else in the world. For starters, there’s his name. Then, there are his divorced parents, the need to be handsome and popular, and that’s just the beginning. Not everything is bad, though. He has a slightly crazy yet caring mother and a funky grandmother, and later on he befriends a free-spirited girl named Sonja. Now it seems like his life is getting better and better… and extremely exciting. (source: publisher)
Edited by: Mestna knjižnica Ljubljana
Comment:
This is a coming-of-age novel centred around a fifteen-year-old first-person narrator named Andrej who is – contrary to the usually overly stereotyped male teenage characters (who are competitive, aggressive, macho etc.) – portrayed as pensive, emphatic and responsible. Sometimes he even acts as an adult in relation to his divorced parents. He is a loving son, his truly unique and free-spirited character of a grandmother’s favourite grandson, a good classmate and a devoted partner to his girlfriend. The plot is centred around teenage friendship developing into love and first sexual experiences, and presents an almost ideal progression of two young people’s gradual, responsible and consciously taken path to maturation. The author demonstrates the difficulty of discussing sexuality in a meaningful and honest way in contemporary society, even between parents and their teenage children. He shows how difficult it is even to name the concepts pertaining to such a wide topic as sexuality as well as the prejudice and mythology connected to it which is very much alive and well and in need of addressing. The novel is without a doubt an impartial and empowering text that can help young people find themselves in many ways including sexually, and also break free of societal stereotypes. The author’s well-placed sense of humour will further motivate them to read. Clinical sexologist and expert on the fields of gynaecology and midwifery, doctor Gabrijela Simetinger’s afterword titled Adolescence and Sexuality should also represent added value to the novel. The book is targeted at the age range 14+, but it is also suitable for younger readers who are capable of critical independent reading.