Award Books and Recommendations

Crying Laughing

Description and Recommendation by Chris Frimml

Have you ever experienced an event that went terribly wrong?  This event went so horribly wrong that it made you not want to do it again.  This is what happened to Winnie in the book Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin.  Winnie is a high school student that has always lived a life in comedy.  She was always funny, and her father was even a former comedian who she adores.  One day she performed a comedy routine at her Bat Mitzvah and that went terribly wrong.  She vowed to never perform again in front of people.  That starts to change when she meets the popular boy Evan who convinces her to join the Improv Troupe that he was involved with at school.  Winnie decides to join, and was excited to tell her father about it.  However, at the moment she was going to break this exciting news to her father, her father had news of his own.  He tells her that he has ALS (Lou Gehrig ’s disease).  This was devastating to Winnie.  Winnie’s dad continues to crack jokes, and decides that this disease will not get him down.  He continues to encourage Winnie to continue with her comedy, and she does.  There are several chances for her to perform, and become a better comic.

Crying Laughing explores some dark realities of life.  However, Lance Rubin does a great job sprinkling in funny lines, and gives the reader hope.  This book is a must read for anyone who wants comedy, hope, and a way to deal with some heavy issues.