Burger Wuss
By M. T. Anderson
Published: 1999
Genre: Young adult novel
Info: Anderson is on the faculty at Vermont College and is the author of Thirsty and Feed. He worked at McDonald's as a teenager and was almost fired on the first day.
Synopsis: I'll keep this one short and sweet. Anthony loves Diana. Diana fools around with Turner, her coworker
at Kermit O'Dermott's. Anthony gets a job at O'Dermott's to exact his complicated revenge upon Turner, using O'Dermott's rivalry with Burger Queen to get
the ball rolling. Anthony finds a friend and fellow conspirator in Shunt, one of cooks on the grill at Kermit O'Dermott's. Shunt is intent on bringing down the fast food
industry from the inside. Anthony's friends Rick and Jenn provide the comic relief with their sickening coupledom-behavior, and a group of prepubescent graffiti artists
traverse the town correcting grammatical mistakes on signs.
Analysis: A humorous, cynical viewpoint on the trials of adolescence and young love. If you were a teenager slighted in love (or worked in the fast food industry),
this will bring back those memories. This book is cleverly written and captures well the bane that is puberty. The cover design is simple but eye-catching--who can resist a
burger that looks like it was made in 3 seconds?
Recommendation: If you enjoy a sarcastic take on life and think people in love are sick puppies, this is the book for you. Me, I just love those kids who go around
correcting everyone's grammar mistakes.
