Author:  Stefan Koski
ISBN: 1-58736-411-5

The following review was contributed by:  James M. Curtiss

One does not expect perfection from beginning writers, especially when
the writer happens to be 16. And though Miscellaneous Philosophy, The
Underclassman Years by Stefan Koski has some extremely bright spots, the
reader is repeatedly left wanting just a bit more than the writer seems
ready to give.

Koski's book is actually a time machine for the adult male reader.
Through him, we return back to the days when fretting about biology
class, dealing with the free-flowing testosterone of physical education,
and shirking our scholastic obligations formed all of our reality.

But the reader won't find Koski romanticizing much about high school.
Instead, the overriding apathy that he conveys, not just through his
observations, but from the characterizations of his circle of friends
and the school system in general, are enough to convince the reader that
nihilism is likely the favorite philosophy in the Terryville High School
corridors through which he roams.

About those bright spots: from time to time, such as when he presents a
skit portraying a conversation between Lao Tzu (as a guidance counselor)
and a contemporary high school student, Koski hits his stride and his
creativity is able to reel in the reader's sympathy.

But then there are spots such as the section titled, "What my
Handwriting, Leonardo Da Vinci and Jimmy Carter Have in Common." Funny
title, isn't it? But then it turns out that they have pretty much
nothing in common aside from a Prozac joke, which is a shame because the
title is intriguing and provides a lot of room for maneuver. In fact,
most of the section titles pique the reader's interest - it's just that
the content of the writing doesn't always live up to what the titles
themselves promise.

I don't mean to be overly critical here: all of 16 years old, Steven
Koski has written a book, which is a laudable achievement. And from the
smoothness and readability of his style and mechanics, the reader feels
that he's just getting started in a long career of dealing with the
printed word.

In the end, Miscellaneous Philosophy, The Underclassman Years is a book
that can be looked at in one of two ways.

The first is to say to yourself, "Wow, just 16 and he wrote a book
already! What a talented kid!"

The other option is to overlook the author's age and judge the content
of the book according to its insightfulness and its ability to maintain
the reader's interest. Alas, when this perspective is adopted, one
cannot help but look forward to the development that Koski will
hopefully showcase in subsequent books - perhaps, say, Miscellaneous
Philosophy, The Upperclassman Years?