What would you do if you knew you had less than a year to live? Who would you tell? What would you say? How would you change your life, your world?
During a routine sports physical Ben finds out he has a terminal blood disease. At 18 Ben had never pictured himself past his teen years. Somehow he just knows this is what is supposed to happen. He figures he might as well take advantage of these last few months. Ben doesn't want is this time to be spent sick and puking or having people fuss over him. This will be a time to try things he hadn't before and do those things he had been to cowardly to do before - all without telling anyone. Not his parents, his brother, his coach - no one.
Living a lifetime of experiences in a single year is not going to be easy, but Ben is willing to try. He asks out his long-time crush, goes out for football for the first time, works as hard as possible to help his brother prepare to take on college, and befriends the town drunk.
Crutcher is never one to back off from tough issues, and Deadline is no exception. While the language and in-your-face attitude about the issues is toned down from his earlier works, this is another classic and compelling work. If you have never read Crutcher, Deadline is a great place to start.
Show off your ART or WRITING abilities by entering the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Art and Writing Contest. Entries should incorporate this year's theme : "Messages to Dr. King: Reporting from 2008." Entries can be submitted at the Manhattan Public Library through January 13, 2008.
