Hank: The First Novel of the Gunpowder Trilogy

By Arch Montgomery

"Meet Hank Collins, an astute, gutsy, and funny 13-year-old who's just finished the seventh grade at a public school in Baltimore's affluent suburbs. But all is not trouble-free for Hank. He must contend with a troubled family, an alien school, and a world otherwise booby-trapped with alluring but perilous possibilities.Hank is a page-turning, contemporary, coming-of-age story of growing up amidst this wreckage of a dangerous and suspenseful summer. From him, we hear the events of his life. We stand by him on the baseball field and at the dinner tables of his remarried parents. We walk with him into an epic, appalling, yet believable teenage party. We share with him an astounding encounter with adult weekend warriors. We see not just his confusions and dismays, but his grit, his honesty, and his vulnerability. We like him, and root for him, and care about him.Through a raw, real, and rewarding storyline, recounted with an understated elegance, and dialogue that is witty and captivating, we watch as he manages to evolve into a courageous, undaunted human being.As The Harvard Crimson observes, Hank is so authentic that one sometimes feels the need to check for that standard disclaimer reminding us that these characters are only fictitious. Hank bursts from the pages, vibrant and flawed. We feel his pain, share his sorrows, and rejoice in his triumphs.There is no holding back here, notes Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer Buzz Bissinger. There is no political correctness. The world that Hank sees and tells us about--a world fraught with pitfalls, potholes, protagonists, antagonists, decency, and deceit--is the world of the American pre-adolescent.Author Arch Montgomery never shies away from important issues, adds The Harvard Crimson, and never takes the easy way out in dealing with them. With a few deft strokes, he manages to compress every in-between shade of gray into the dialogue and actions of his characters. Like the state of the world it reflects, good and evil are not always so clear-cut. Part of Hank's journey of growth entails understanding and dealing with that realization.No wonder The Harvard Crimson concludes: ""Few novels have succeeded in capturing the essence of adolescence, but the likes of Tom Sawyer and Holden Caulfield are about to welcome the newest member to their ranks a 13-year-old boy named Hank... Arch Montgomery, impressive in an incandescent debut, shows a mastery of his craft and an unusually perceptive insight into the human heart."""

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890862223
• ISBN13: 9781890862220
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

an admirable debut by a former teacher

As a former student of the high school where the author was formerly the principal, I approached Hank with a sense of both eagerness and wariness. Did the man who ruled the halls of my old school have a creative bone in his body? I had to be careful not to let my admiration and fondness for the man get in the way of forming my own opinions about this book. This could very well have been nothing more than a feckless labor of love by a man in a mid-life crisis.In many ways, I was blown away by Hank. Months after reading it, I still sometimes think back to particularly accurate and touching depictions of a young teenager's life. I even crack a smile when I think about Hank's poor verbal skills with a member of the opposite sex. The boy's insecurities, uncaring parents, and hunger for a role model, while certainly not new circumstances to coming-of-age stories, are nonetheless written skillfully into the fabric of a tragic character with whom we all sympathize. Hank is remarkably easy to like, even though he does not possess the charisma, magnetic personality, or precociousness that were trademarks of Holden Caulfield. The last quarter of the book is so frantic, disorganized, and bizarre that the reader may wonder if Hank's resolution is one that they even want to bother reading. But in the end, a hero comes along, in the form of (who else?) a teacher. At this point, I was left to simply chuckle. Of course, Arch (or should I still call him Mr. Montgomery?) would make the boy's saving grace a quiet, humble teacher who the boy admired. Neither what this teacher says or does is remarkable, but he is still the hero of the story, warming our hearts for the first and last time in the book.It's easy to see the many raving reviews on the back cover and expect to read the next Catcher in the Rye. They lead you on to believe that this is a spectacular novel. Well, Hank is not a spectacular novel. In many ways, it fails to assert its uniqueness among the ranks of other films, short stories, and novels of the same genre. However, it is an enjoyable read that will surprise many at some points and satisfy even more at the end.

THE BEST BOOK FOR PARENTS

This is the best book i have ever read in my life. Parents should read this book if they really want to know what goes on with kids. I'm a 17 yearold boy and its true.

Very Well Done

This book will interest anyone who has a teenager or has been a teenager. Hank is a kid who is just trying to survive the awkward years of adolescence, while he balances the emotional extremes of his parents' homes. He gets himself into some unattractive situations but does well for someone who has no support system.Hooking up with someone who is willing to give him a little love with a little discipline sets the stage for the next 'chapter' in this boy's life.

Wonderful

I know the author personally, and let me say that this book is only the beginning of what he is capable. I enjoyed reading it, and i look forward to the rest of the trilogy.