Prep

by Jake Coburn

Book Overview

Nick and his friends have every advantage: expensive clothes, beautiful homes in Manhattan, peerless private-school educations. However, beneath the picture-perfect veneer lies a violent subculture that is gritty and dangerous, with binge drinking, heavy drug use, casual sex, vandalism, and gangs. Nick is in love with his best friend, Kris, and imagines a future with her outside the violence of their circle. When Kris's younger brother becomes a gang...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525471359
• ISBN13: 9780525471356
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Real teen drama

As a former prep-school kid myself I was compelled to read Coburn's novel to see if it lived up to the truth about the secret (or not so secret) lives of New York city teens--and it did. This book kept me reading, and reading until I was disappointed to have reached the end. I would recommend it too both teens and not teens anymore.

Strong, Real, and Poignant

Jake Coburn's debut novel is the kind of book that you don't want to end. It's written in a glimmering, realistic style, with sharp insight into the minds of high school students struggling to fit into a world filled with both love and violence. The narrative unfolds at a fast clip which kept me turning the pages. Even though this story is a specific love letter to the beauty and the grit of adolesence in New York City, the experiences of his characters are so real and true that they feel universal. Coburn's debut shines.

Like Being Back in NYC

Having grown up and attended one of the NYC private schools, this book was like a trip down memory lane. Jake Coburn's writing makes the reader feel as if they are actually right there alongside the main characters. One of the better books that I have read this year. Highly recommend PREP to those who grew up in NYC or to those who want to see what a modern day Holden Caulfield would be like. A must read.

A great first offering by a rising star

Although the book is targeted for a teen audience, a friend recommended it to me and I loved it. Coburn's dialogue is real and his prose is engaging. This debut effort is clever, mixing shocking scenes with witty and sharp banter. With America's new found obsession with wealthy youngster (MTV's Rich Girls and those hotel girls), this book hits home and shows the side of New York's previlieged youths that their parents and publicists have been hiding. I recommend this book to older teens (although its not too racy, it does have your standard sex, drugs and gang violence) and adults who are interested in the sexy subculture of rich teens. I only hope that Coburn continues on his exciting path and I can't wait for the next one!

Finally, a book about what really goes on in NYC!!!

"Prep", the debut novel by young and talented new author Jake Coburn was a sheer joy to read!! I read it cover to cover in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. The dialogue is well conceived and extremely well written. This is not one of those books that pretends to know how teenagers talk to each other, they actually DO talk like this. Coburn's original writing style really makes the protagonists, Nick and Kris, come to life inside and outside the book. The characters get in your head to the point where you wonder what Nick's "cynical-but-sensitive-yet-tough" reaction would be to situations in your own life. Coburn shows great promise with this work, however if I can make one criticism, it was too short!!! I can't wait for his next book...