This book is VERY worth reading. Deadline by Chris Crutcher, is a bit sad, but really shows what someone might do if they were dying. Ben is the little guy. He runs cross country and has a younger brother (by 11 and a half months) that is about twice his size. They are in the same grade, though, and the largely built one is the big football star.
When Ben finds out that the chances of treatment helping him are slim to none, he tells his Doc not to tell anyone. (he's 18, he can do what he wants) Their compromise is a that Ben will go to a psychiatrist (or is it psychologist?) and discuss why he, in a way, wants to die. Even though, it's not that he WANTS to die, he just never saw himself as the type to grow old.
Ben decides to live the life worth living. He joins football instead of Cross Country, puts in a little extra charm to get the girl, Dallas, helps the town drunk, and smarts off to his history teacher. (man i'd love to smart off to my teacher!) It's all going well, no one even suspects his health is in danger.
Going to the pychiatrist, he mentions that he has these dream conversations with Hey-Soos. I'm not kidding, that's how it's spelled. Not Jesus. HEY-SOOS. Anyway, Hey-Soos says that Ben has to tell the truth. He can't live this way until he dies.
There's a twist. He's the star of the team, he gets the girl, the town drunk is sober and wise, and he couldn't be more smug during history. Dallas, however, shares secrets he'd rather not know. The former drunk, tells the tale of his life before he came to the small town. These secrets put a stop to Ben's own.
He tells all, Rudie, the drunk, Dallas, the girl, his brother, the coach, and his parents. If he thought it was bad with them not knowing, this was way worse.
In the end, of course, he dies. In order to find if they all forgave him, you must...READ!
