The November Criminals

A Novel

By: Sam Munson

Narrated by: Sam Munson

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A darkly funny, pot-infused novel of teenage maladjustment in the tradition of Beautiful Children from a compelling new voice in American fiction.

For a high school senior, Addison Schacht has a lot of preoccupations. Like getting into college. Selling drugs to his classmates. His complicated relationship with his best friend (NOT his girlfriend) Digger. And he's just added another to the list: the murder of his classmate Kevin Broadus, and his own absurd, obsessive plan to investigate the death. When presented with an essay question on his application to the University of Chicago - "What are your best and worst qualities?" - Addison finds himself provoked into giving his final, unapologetic say about all of the above and more.

Addison Schacht finds good company among American literature's cadre of unsettled, restless youth, from Huck Finn to Holden Caulfield. The November Criminals takes on the terrain of the classic adolescent truth-telling novel and with nerve and erudition carves out its own unique territory.

©2010 Sam Munson (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"I don't know Sam Munson personally, so I can't tell you his worst qualities. But I can tell you one of his best: He's a great, funny and original writer. Please accept him." (A. J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of The Year of Living Biblically)

"Debut novelist Munson combines a classic sense of adolescent alienation and a keen comedic voice to depict a bleakly funny teenage wasteland in the wilds of the District of Columbia … deft comic timing and a caustic, ambitious protagonist make this a perfectly valid entry in the teen noir subgenre." ( Kirkus)

"The book has every earmark of a debut: bratty, precocious, tangential, and in love with its own voice, yet Munson ably reminds us why such qualities are irresistible in the first place. " (Booklist)

Extremely modern and adult

Does a fantastic job of capturing teenage angst in a very literary novel that's much more modern than those other classic novels.

Quite an admissions essay...

Addison is a very interesting character. The way he describes himself you feel like his interests should also include chopping up unsuspecting women on their way home from work, but deep down he is harmless. The story drags on, but his tangents are so interesting that I honestly did not mind. I would call it a good coming of age story, but honestly this guy would kick my ass for saying so... I recommend it for readers who want a peek at the seedy underbelly of the teen world. Lots of jokes and trivia inside. Worth a credit.

Good One

This was the best audiobook I've listened to! Mr Susskind assumes very little physics knowledge but still manages to not talk down to the listener and clearly explain complex concepts. In addition, he has many fascinating, illuminating stories about many of the great luminaries of the physics world, from drinking a beer with Feynman in a small bar in NYC in the 1960s to touring San Francisco's steep hills with Stephen Hawking. This was a great audiobook!

Don't waste your money - horrible narration

Sorry to diss the narrator, but he is by far the worst one I've ever heard. I could not force myself to finish this one. That's a first for me in over 100 audiobooks. I'm not really sure whether the story was any good. The narrator was so bad, the story was besides the point.

Just Awful

I could not even finish this story. I was tempted to stop after the 1st hour but held on for 4, hoping it would get better. Inane ramblings of a 17yr old pothead. Nothing deep or interesting about it. Do not waste your money!

Fine story, but the narration ruins it.

I can't understand the current fad for having authors with no dramatic experience reading their own novels. Sam Munson's reading of this novel (much like Sam Lipsyte's reading of "The Ask") makes it impossible to follow at many points, and the story gets lost in a dreary monotone. Go buy the paperback when it comes out.