Running Loose - Dark Publications

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Louie Banks has it made.

He's got a starting spot on the football team, good friends, and a smart, beautiful girlfriend who loves him as much as he loves her.

Early in the fall, he sees all his ideas of fair play go up in smoke; by spring, what he cares about most has been destroyed. How can Louie keep going when he's lost everything?

Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

James February 11, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Louie seems to have the world at his finger tips when his life suddenly changes. His fall from the varsity football team is as sudden as the death of his girlfriend. Dealing with life's difficulties with honor even when others over him don't is a major lesson of this book. Strong supporting characters help Louie deal with the "bad" situations life brings for no apparent reason. His parents are seen as strong characters. I recommend this book for students in grades 9-12. It teaches some strong lessons about standing up for what is right without being preachy.....

4 out of 5 stars

Running Loose June 10, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

The book Running Loose by Chris Crutcher is the story of Louie Banks' senior year in high school. I think that this book was very well-written. The story dealt with many of today's issues, such as racism and standing up for what you believe in.
Louie Banks lives in a small town where everyone knows each other. The story begins with Louie being on the football team, having great parents, and a perfect girlfriend. However, his near perfect live begin to unravel when he stands up for an African-American football player from another school who was purposely injured by one of Louie's teammates. Louie is thrown off the team by his coach and the school principal. This sets off a year-long feud between Louie, the coach, and principal.
The year progresses, with everything going not so good for Louie. The school principal is constantly trying to get Louie suspended, because he still holds a grudge from the football season. The saddest part of the book is when Louie's girlfriend, Becky dies unexpectedly. Louie does some surprising acts after Becky is killed, such as chopping down the oldest tree in the town's forest, yelling at her funeral, and throwing her memorial plaque into the river where she was killed. He did most of these acts out of anger because of her death or because of the way people were acting. He yelled at her funeral about the minister who said the mass, because he was saying things that were not important about Becky's life. In the spring, Louie joins the track team and does well most of the time. Being on the track team helps him relieve some of his anger and sadness that he had from the loss of Becky.
I think that the main thing that Louie learns from his last year of high school is that being the best at football or having the whole town love you because you "put on a show" are not the most important things in life. In the end, being kind to the people that you love and standing up for what is right and what you believe in is what makes you a good person. I think that Running Loose is a book that all high school students should read, because it gives a message that we all should learn.

5 out of 5 stars

A VOICE OF COMFORT August 19, 2000
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Poor Louie has a lot to contend with, including being the victim of a false accusation. Not to fear, folks -- Louie rises above his obstacles in a totally plausible, realistic and very sympathetic fashion.

Chris Crutcher followers will not be disappointed. The author tackles with sensitive, adult themed issues head on in a very intelligent and forthright fashion. He compliments the intelligence of his readers and he does not soften his tone for anyone, to his credit. Chris Crutcher is a truly outstanding, high caliber, first rate author. I wish I could rate this one more stars.

5 out of 5 stars Great book by Chris Crutcher December 16, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book Running Loose by Chris Crutcher was a very good book. It took a short while to get into it but once you did it was hard to put down. In the book, a kid named Louie Banks has everything going his way so far in his life. Chris does a great job of bringing Louie to life in this book. Louie is a senior attending Trout High School in Trout, Idaho. He has a beautiful girlfriend that no one expected him to have; even himself, and a great spot on the eight-man football team. During one of the games, Louie explodes because one of his teammates, Boomer Cowans, purposely hits a kid and puts him out of the game. He has to put up with Boomer, the big bully of the school, constantly after that. Louie gets into a big fight with the coach and gets kicked off of the team. Carter Sampson, the quarterback of the team and Louie's best friend, helps him through his problems. Things start to go downhill from there. Louie has other big problems to face but you will have to find out for yourself what they are. I really liked the fact that this was a very realistic book and could happen to anybody in high school. Louie goes through problems that anybody could face in the real world today. I really enjoyed this book.

4 out of 5 stars This is great book that has love,hatred,and courage. November 4, 1998
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a great book because it refers to what could happen to a ordinary high school student. It deals with real life of a high school student who is just trying to do things that he feels is right. Most teens can look at this book and understand what is happening to him and they can also feel what he is feeling by the way the author Chris Crutcher expresses the way Louie feels. Louie goes through many different feelings and Chris Crutcher describes each of these feelings with great word use. Running Loose is one of the best books I have ever read.

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