Random - Softcover

“The world does not make sense. Never has, never will. I know from experience that we live through a random sequence of events and then we die.” So says sixteen-year-old Joseph Campbell, a seemingly ordinary teen boy whose adoptive father gives him a digital recorder so he can tell his story. It is to function as a digital story of sorts, a place for him to record random musings about himself and his life. And thus we learn his story. It is the story of a boy who questions many things about the nature of life and the universe. It is also the story of a boy who is still reeling from the life-changing event that took place when he was twelve. This event was the tragic death of his birth parents in a car accident, a random occurrence that altered Joseph’s existence and dramatically shaped his view of the word. This story is not primarily about that singular event, and yet that event is at the very heart of Joseph’s story.  

As he records his thoug

"The world does not make sense. Never has, never will. I know from experience that we live through a random sequence of events and then we die." So says sixteen-year-old Joseph Campbell, a seemingly ordinary teen boy whose adoptive father gives him a digital recorder so he can tell his story. It is to function as a digital story of sorts, a place for him to record random musings about himself and his life. And thus we learn his story. It is the story of a boy who questions many things about the nature of life and the universe. It is also the story of a boy who is still reeling from the life-changing event that took place when he was twelve. This event was the tragic death of his birth parents in a car accident, a random occurrence that altered Joseph's existence and dramatically shaped his view of the word. This story is not primarily about that singular event, and yet that event is at the very heart of Joseph's story.

As he records his thoughts and recollections, Joseph talks about his daily life: his new parents, Will and Beth, who are kind and caring yet give him lots of space to be himself; his best friends Gloria and Dean who are both struggling with heavy issues of their own; and his take on life and its utter lack of meaning. He tries to support Gloria and Dean through their respective crises, to be a good friend to them and in the process he ultimately comes face-to-face with his own personal demons. As he finally begins to confront some of the painful spectres that continue to haunt him from that fateful night when he was twelve and his life changed forever, he begins to develop new theories about the paradoxical, always perplexing nature of reality. In Joseph, Lesley Choyce gives readers a thoughtful, questioning narrator who asserts from the very beginning that he believes that life has no meaning and yet who is clearly searching for that very meaning. Although the death of his biological parents was the traumatic event that most evidently shaped hi

The world does not make sense. Never has, never will. I know from experience that we live through a random sequence of events and then we die. So says sixteen-year-old Joseph Campbell, a seemingly ordinary teen boy whose adoptive father gives him a digital recorder so he can tell his story. It is to function as a digital story of sorts, a place for him to record random musings about himself and his life. And thus we learn his story. It is the story of a boy who questions many things about the nature of life and the universe. It is also the story of a boy who is still reeling from the life-changing event that took place when he was twelve. This event was the tragic death of his birth parents in a car accident, a random occurrence that altered Joseph s existence and dramatically shaped his view of the word. This story is not primarily about that singular event, and yet that event is at the very heart of Joseph s story.

As he records his thoughts and recollections, Joseph talks about his daily life: his new parents, Will and Beth, who are kind and caring yet give him lots of space to be himself; his best friends Gloria and Dean who are both struggling with heavy issues of their own; and his take on life and its utter lack of meaning. He tries to support Gloria and Dean through their respective crises, to be a good friend to them and in the process he ultimately comes face-to-face with his own personal demons. As he finally begins to confront some of the painful spectres that continue to haunt him from that fateful night when he was twelve and his life changed forever, he begins to develop new theories about the paradoxical, always perplexing nature of reality.In Joseph, Lesley Choyce gives readers a thoughtful, questioning narrator who asserts from the very beginning that he believes that life has no meaning and yet who is clearly searching for that very meaning. Although the death of his biological parents was the traumatic event that most evidently shaped his life thus far, the book manages to avoid the drama and angst that one might have expected. Instead, Choyce offers readers the opportunity to follow Joseph through the mundane ordinary events of his life, past and present, and to witness the realizations that he comes to through the course of his journey. It is a book that will hold the greatest appeal for more philosophical-minded teens and those who also find themselves asking big questions.""" Lisa Doucet -Atlantic Books Today" Praise for "Living Outside the Lines"

"Lesley Choyce offers teen readers a tantalizing vision of the future that raises many challenging and thought-provoking questions in this book that is both highly engaging and easily accessible. . . Readers will be intrigued by the ideas that Nigel brings forth in his novel, and by the dystopian vision of our world that this novel provides. It is a book that will undoubtedly give readers pause for thought."
-- "Atlantic Books Today""
"The story has plenty of dramatic activity. . . What many teens may enjoy even more than the plot specifics, though, is Joseph's unpretentious search for meaning that emerges from his "random thoughts," which range from Malthus to Buddhism to Aristotle to his namesake, Joseph Campbell, who, in describing the mythic hero's perilous journey, articulates what may feel like coming-of-age concerns for many teens."
-- "Booklist"

""Random" is an incredible book. Its non-linearity mirrors the way that memory works: you hear a song, see someone who reminds you of someone else, and suddenly, you are catapulted back to a past event. As for the present, Joe's observations about high school life are wry, witty, and absolutely accurate. With Joseph Campbell, Lesley Choyce offers readers a young male character who is complex, intelligent, and (dare I say it, ) sensitive. But there is more to this book than its being yet another story of "teen angst." It's a story about genuine friendship, about making sense out of nonsense, and about coming to terms with the randomness of it all.
""Random" is a "must-buy" book for high school libraries, and an absolute "mustread" for those young male readers out there who are "intelligent, sensitive, wellread" (and Lesley Choyce has written other books with similar protagonists). If these young men are not well-read, this may start them on the road! Oh, sure the book contains some random profanities, but they're comparatively mild (no f-bombs) and they fit the context of 16-year-old high school boy-speak.
""Random"-make it a deliberate acquisition!
Highly Recommended.
-- "CM Magazine"

In Joseph, Lesley Choyce gives readers a thoughtful, questioning narrator who asserts from the very beginning that he believes that life has no meaning and yet who is clearly searching for that very meaning. Although the death of his biological parents was the traumatic event that most evidently shaped his life thus far, the book manages to avoid the drama and angst that one might have expected. Instead, Choyce offers readers the opportunity to follow Joseph through the mundane ordinary events of his life, past and present, and to witness the realizations that he comes to through the course of his journey. It is a book that will hold the greatest appeal for more philosophical-minded teens and those who also find themselves asking big questions.
"--Atlantic Books Today"
"The story has plenty of dramatic activity. . . What many teens may enjoy even more than the plot specifics, though, is Joseph's unpretentious search for meaning that emerges from his "random thoughts," which range from Malthus to Buddhism to Aristotle to his namesake, Joseph Campbell, who, in describing the mythic hero's perilous journey, articulates what may feel like coming-of-age concerns for many teens."
-- Booklist

"Random is an incredible book. Its non-linearity mirrors the way that memory works: you hear a song, see someone who reminds you of someone else, and suddenly, you are catapulted back to a past event. As for the present, Joe's observations about high school life are wry, witty, and absolutely accurate. With Joseph Campbell, Lesley Choyce offers readers a young male character who is complex, intelligent, and (dare I say it, ) sensitive. But there is more to this book than its being yet another story of "teen angst." It's a story about genuine friendship, about making sense out of nonsense, and about coming to terms with the randomness of it all.
"Random is a "must-buy" book for high school libraries, and an absolute "mustread" for those young male readers out there who are "intelligent, sensitive, wellread" (and Lesley Choyce has written other books with similar protagonists). If these young men are not well-read, this may start them on the road! Oh, sure the book contains some random profanities, but they're comparatively mild (no f-bombs) and they fit the context of 16-year-old high school boy-speak.
"Random-make it a deliberate acquisition!
Highly Recommended.
-- CM Magazine

In Joseph, Lesley Choyce gives readers a thoughtful, questioning narrator who asserts from the very beginning that he believes that life has no meaning and yet who is clearly searching for that very meaning. Although the death of his biological parents was the traumatic event that most evidently shaped his life thus far, the book manages to avoid the drama and angst that one might have expected. Instead, Choyce offers readers the opportunity to follow Joseph through the mundane ordinary events of his life, past and present, and to witness the realizations that he comes to through the course of his journey. It is a book that will hold the greatest appeal for more philosophical-minded teens and those who also find themselves asking big questions.
--Atlantic Books Today

Selected as 2011 White Ravens Title

"If you think life makes sense, do not read this book."

It's this credo that sixteen-year-old Joe Campbell lives by. You see, his birth parents were killed in a car accident, and four years later he's still trying to work his way past that loss. His new parents are as supportive and loving as he could wish. But Joe is still trying to figure out whether there is any pattern or purpose to his existence, and remains doubtful that there is an answer.

Yet all around him patterns and purposes gradually take shape, and this compelling novel traces the thought processes and the people that eventually make a difference in Joe's life. The story is of Joe's digging into his past, and looking around the present, as he seeks to make sense of the world. But it's not a solitary quest as his good friends Gloria and Dean - both outsiders in the high school they all attend - accompany him on this quest for meaning.

Random will resonate with many teenagers who, to a greater or lesser extent, find themselves besieged by doubt and speculation about their places in the world.