Coming-of-Age
Date Published: February 11, 2025
ADHD Much?
Witty, defiant Oscar tells an unforgettable story of a misunderstood, mistake-riddled teen. Of losing his sense of wonder. Of chasing a lie across America. Of discovering the power of second chances.
Oscar Danielsson isn’t ready for the real world—yet. But he’s 18 now, and everyone’s got expectations. Why not? With his sharp wit and melancholy good looks, his future's as promising as anybody’s. Lie. He’s not like anybody. He’ll take his bedroom over hanging out. Self-medication over whatever his shrink prescribes for his ADHD. And it’s hard enough to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write a stupid paper in time to graduate from high school. If it wasn't for his old spaniel, Enzo, he's not sure he'd want to stick around.
Just when he meets Bette, the weirdest cute girl on the planet, a scrape with the law Oscar’s too out of it to remember sends him blasting down America's highways with his eccentric Grammy. Leaving Bette, Enzo, and all his vices behind is torture. But he'll do anything to ditch the shame. And if they make good time, he can repay his debts to his boss, snag his diploma, and slip back into bed like nothing ever happened. But that would be another lie.
If you fell for Charlie Kelmeckis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sutter Keely in The Spectacular Now, or Theodore Finch in All the Bright Places, Promising Young Man’s Oscar Danielsson will melt, break, and then repair your heart.
Like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephan Chbosky and "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini, "Promising Young Man" explores themes of social anxiety, mental health, and the challenges of navigating adolescence told from the perspective of a young protagonist as he undergoes a journey of self discovery. Like Colin Higgin's "Harold and Maude," Promising Young Man's story is quirky & intergenerational.
Praise for Promising Young Man:
"I love this book. It's a page-turner... I found myself looking forward to bedtime to read it.” —Jill Wine-Banks, author, "The Watergate Girl;" MSNBC legal analyst; co-host, Webby-winning #SistersinLaw Podcast
"Axel is a natural... writes with a flow and energy that is absolutely compelling.” —Chris Canaan, Emmy Award-winning writer; co-creator "Walker, Texas Ranger" (starring Chuck Norris); screenplay, "No Good Deed" (starring Samuel L. Jackson & Stellan Skarsgård)
"At times funny, at times raw, at times so poignant you’ll find yourself tearing up.. It’s a story filled with wrong choices and thwarted dreams but also hope, resiliency, and redemption…” —Maggie Smith, award-winning author of "Truth and Other Lies
"...deeply moving... absorbing... truly enjoyable” —Sarah C. Maza, Member American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Professor of History Emerita Northwestern University
"a powerful story of survival, resilience, and hope... One of the best books I read in 2024." —Nathan Chung (early reader), Neurodivergent, recognized as a Top 50 Global Neurodiversity Evangelist, and a D-30 Impact List 2024 Honoree
"a raw, compelling journey... as humorous as it is heartfelt... the kind of book that sticks with you..." —Hollie Smurthwaite, Author, "The Psychic Color Series"
About the Author
A midwesterner through and through who writes to ignite sparks in every quadrant of the reader's brain and dreams of visiting all of America's national parks.
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