Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About the Grapes of Wrath by Steven Goldman

Emily's Comments: "We are standing at a party, a still, quiet eddy in the swirl of motion and noise.We aren't talking, but not because we aren't talking. We aren't talking because this is what we do at parties. We stand here. 'Here" is somewhere near the midsection of the party animal.We don't want to appear to want to be here. Everything we do implies that we might not need to be here long at all...We stand in the den off to one side with our backs near the wall, holding our Diet Coke and our beer, nodding every once in a while at people going by, but not really talking to them any more than we are talking to each other." "What are we doing here?" I ask David, after about an hour of this. "Mitchell," David answers after a sufficiently long pause to show that he's in no hurry to answer the question, "we are partying."

I had to share an excerpt, because I couldn't stop laughing. Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About the Grapes of Wrath is filled with one-liner quips, awkward high school moments, and hilarious chapter titles that lead you through the story of David and Mitchell, two best friends attempting to navigate their way through adolescents, English class, and prom. It's a story about growing up and understanding friendship, and a little bit about how a poorly made claymation film instead of a five page essay can ruin your reputation.