Hail Caesar
by Thu-Huong Ha

    HAIL CAESAR by Thu-Huong Ha
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  2/1/07
    Publisher:  Push
    Reviewed by:  Long Nguyen
    Rating:  5 Stars


    HAIL CAESAR is the story of the big-shot. That one guy everyone knows or knows of and can't help respecting,
    loving, wanting to be or to be with. PUSH Writing Intern alumna Thu-Huong Ha began writing HAIL CAESAR
    when she was fifteen years old, winning her internship and finishing her book at seventeen. She is part of a new
    generation of young writers whose talent exceeds their age by years and years and showcases writing ability and
    wisdom seldom common in contemporary teenage voices today.

    John, known to everyone else as Caesar, is the most popular guy around. He can't be touched, he gets what he
    wants and does what he wants. Life is good for him. He has nothing to worry about. Caesar believes he has
    everything but realizes everything in his eyes doesn't mean what it once used to. Not since Eva appeared, at least.

    Eva, the new student who doesn't see Caesar as social royalty. No, to her he's just a normal everyday asshole. Eva
    is witty, spontaneous, immovable, and outright antagonistic. Through experiences with Eva, Caesar learns to ask
    himself questions and be more open with himself about his own feelings, leaving one to believe: does Caesar really
    have feelings after all? Eva changes Caesar. She changes everything. But the question she has him asking himself is:  
    is all of this change really beneficial, or just a detriment in the end?

    Thu-Huong Ha models a narrative of a guy who is on top of world but doesn't feel it anymore. The voice she creates
    is funny, methodical, deep, and classically misunderstood. With her debut novel, HAIL CAESAR, Thu-Huong Ha
    enters the world of a young-adult audience with explosions and purpose and great effect.