The Field Guide To The North American Teenager By Ben Philippe

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager written by Ben Philippe, is about a Black, outspoken, sarcastic teenage boy named Norris Kaplan, who moves from Montreal to Austin, Texas. He navigates his way through his parents’ divorce, a new country, racism, romantic feelings, and teenage life in general. To overcome the struggle of moving to a new country, Norris writes in his journal, finds a job to save money, and starts a hockey team. To begin, in dealing with the stress of a new country, Norris writes about his experiences in his journal: “The Notebook had become his own personal field guide, a spot for his observations of everything and everyone that had crossed his path since arriving in Texas. No one looked out of sorts and pathetic

Knowing that he will get to visit Eric, his best friend in Canada, brings him comfort and gives him a distraction from his new school. This is an effective way to overcome his stress because he has a goal he can work towards. Lastly, Norris starts a hockey team for beginner players: “He looked around at the group, joking around and laughing as they recalled the best moments of their first team practice, he closed it and smiled again” (190). Even though, at first, he does not want to start the team, it makes him happy and reminds him of Montreal. He makes friends on the team because of their similar interest in hockey and sports which helps him settle into his new life better and makes him more comfortable trusting people. In conclusion, Norris, from the novel The Field Guide to the North American Teenager, uses writing in his journal, saving up money to take a trip home to Canada by getting a job, and starting a hockey team to overcome the struggle of moving to a new