You Don't Know About Me by Brian Meehl

16-year old Billy Allbright is tired of being the other half of his zealous mother’s J-brigade, whose “Whac-A-mole” missions for Jesus typically resulted in having to move halfway across the country suddenly in the middle of the night. He wants to have a normal childhood, which means attending high school instead of being homeschooled and fighting off regular bullies instead of Satan. When Billy receives a Bible with a DVD and geocache instructions from his father who was supposed to have died many years ago, he decides to seize the moment and finds himself hitching a ride with Ruah Branch, a famous gay black baseball player who is also running from his responsibilities. In spite of their political and religious differences, Ruah and Billy find commonality in the reading of Billy’s dad’s copy of Huckleberry Finn, and ultimately what began as a search for a valuable Twain manuscript ends up in self-discovery for all.    

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in spite of its length. I appreciated the parallels and similarities between the journey of Huck and Jim and that of Billy and Ruah. The political and theological conversations between Ruah and Billy are very realistic, although perhaps a little too belabored, but necessary for the growth of both characters. All of the characters experience a journey of some sort, and it is thought provoking and refreshing to read such an intelligently written novel.

Recommended for grades 9-12. For more information, visit Brian Meehl.