John Basil

Let Me Wear Your Coat John Basil

The academic curriculum is college prep and the student body hosts house parties every weekend, yet 14-year-old Neil Bricker can't imagine a worse high school to attend than East Hill Regional. Shy and wholly disinterested in the opposite sex, Neil is unable to connect with his new, wealthy classmates. Instead, the New Jersey teen devotes his energies to his two favorite passions: rock and roll and sports -- the latter, serving as a barometer for his fragile self-esteem. Adding to Neil's adolescent angst are a popular jock classmate, who becomes a thorn in his side, and a complex relationship with his adopted African-American brother. Neil is envious of the pair, until a disturbing event reveals he isn't the only one of the three who's uncomfortable in his own skin. Set during the 1979-80 academic year, Let Me Wear Your Coat offers a poignant, painful and humorous take on an era where concert t-shirts, cut-off jeans and feathered hair were in style, and will strike a chord with not only adults who grew up during that time period, but today's teenagers, as well.