Product Description

Do You Know:

•A good reason to be phobic about oysters and olives?
•That you can step inside a roaring coal furnace and feet cool?
•That Jesus had an older brother?
•How shutting your mouth can help you avoid brain surgery?
•How to avoid cow-pies during your baptism?
•How to survive in the winter wilderness with only a fishing pole and a sausage?

Chris Crutcher
knows the answers to these
things and more.
And once you have read about Chris Crutcher's life as a dateless, broken-toothed, scabbed-over, God-fearing dweeb, and once you have contemplated his ascension to the buckskin-upholstered throne of the King of the Mild Frontier, you will close this book, close your eyes and hold it to your chest, and say, "I, too, can be an author."
Hell, anyone can.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #933310 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-13
• Released on: 2005-12-13
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-For those who want to know the real poop behind this popular author's characters (and, to some extent, his character), this is the book you've been waiting for. The cover photo tells it all: a white picket fence in the background, for all the world as straight and orderly and stereotypically 1950s proper as the author's maddeningly rational father, "Crutch," wanted things to appear. But looming in the foreground is toothy, smiling Chris, the short-fused emotional time bomb who regularly exploded into anger and tears. Protective of his alcoholic mom and at almost constant odds with his strict and demanding dad, Crutcher describes incidents and telling episodes from his formative years. His signature wit was sharpened in response to both his feelings of inadequacy and his competitive nature, honed by participation in high school and college sports. He addresses issues about his use of profanity in his writing for teens. Tough and tender reminiscences focus primarily on family, social, and school conflicts, but lessons derived from his career as a teacher, therapist, and writer are also described. Hyperbole lightens the mood as the author portrays himself as a young crybaby, academic misfit, and athletic klutz, utterly without self-aggrandizement. Abrupt transitions, some convoluted sentences, and nonlinear progression may challenge some readers, but the narrative holds undeniable appeal for the author's fans and demonstrates the power of writing to help both reader and writer heal emotional/psychic wounds.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 8-12. Like his novels, Crutcher's autobiography is full of heartbreak, poignancy, and hilarity. Candid and casual, Crutcher shares stories from his childhood and adolescence in Cascade, Idaho. Reminiscences of some of his youthful rites of passage are laugh-out-loud funny, such as his humiliating initiation into his high-school athletic club. On a more serious note, he discusses his occasionally rocky relationships with his parents and siblings. He talks openly about his struggles with a bad temper that constantly got him into trouble, how he came to terms with questions about God, how he confronted intolerance, and how he found his own place in the world. He also shares several painful glimpses into his work as a child and family therapist trying to help people heal some very broken lives. This honest, insightful, revealing autobiography is a joy to read. Crutcher's fans will relish this intimate glimpse of the author, and the book may win some new readers for his fiction. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Chris Crutcher is the critically acclaimed author of six young adult novels and a collection of short stories, all of which were selected as ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Drawing on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist, Crutcher writes honestly about real issues facing teenagers today: making it through school, competing in sports, handling rejection and failure, and dealing with parents. Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington.

Customer Reviews

King of the Mild Frontier
If you're a fan of Chris Crutcher's novels and have ever wondered where he got the ideas for some of the crazier things that happen in his books (a seat belt on a toilet seat? getting rid of a zit with a Coke bottle?), as well as his characters' quick wit and colorful language, take a look at King of the Mild Frontier. Crutcher's "ill-advised autobiography" describes his life growing up in a small Idaho town as the gullible, hell-bent for destruction middle son who never seems to come out on top of anything he gets involved with. In addition to relating some of the hilarious escapades of his youth, he also includes his reflections on more serious aspects of life, many of which come out in his various novels for teens. He discusses the fairness of life, religion, heroes, death, and making connections with people. This book will be most appreciated by adults, but older teens will also enjoy the humor and insight he brings to difficult situations. Crutcher has written a very readable, entertaining, and enlightening story of his life.

King Of The Mild Frontier
Wow, what a book. This book is hilarious. The author, Chris Crutcher, is writing about his life growing up in the small town of Cascade, Idaho. I'm from Idaho and let me tell you it is one small town. He talks about all of the times his older brother John would play would play tricks on him to get him in trouble. I like this book because it reminds me of all the family dinners we've had where my mom's brothers would tell similar stories like Chris'.
I like how the author shares his emotions with the readers. The way he writes, the language he uses, is verry real to the language that his target audiance speaks. All in All it was an ok book I think I would recomend it to an older audiance though because I think that they can relate to it more.

King of the MILD Frontier
Chris Crutcher really brings Cascade, Idaho to life in his book King of the Mild Frontier. He explores what it's really like to grow up in a small logging town with a large imagination. Everyone views of his family as "perfect", but Chris takes you behind the scenes of his life and shows you what "perfect"really is.

I learned a lot of valuable advice in this book and had a ton of laughs. I highly recommend this book to teenagers because they can really relate, from growing up or being grown up and looking back. This book captures the funny side of life and the no worry attitude of a teenager, and also manages to capture the serious, complicated side of life that everyone has to deal with somehow.