Promising Young Man

<p><strong>A </strong><em><strong>Catcher in the Rye</strong></em><strong> for the ADHD Generation-raw witty and achingly real.</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>★ </strong><em><strong>BookLife Reviews</strong></em><strong> Editor's Pick ★ </strong><em><strong>Kirkus Reviews</strong></em><strong> Get It ★ </strong><em><strong>Readers' Favorite</strong></em><strong> Five Stars</strong><br><strong>★ Winner 2025 Firebird Award ★ Silver Medalist Readers' Favorite Award</strong></p><p><br><strong>Oscar Danielsson is eighteen brilliantly ADHD and about to ruin his life-again.</strong></p><p>Oscar would rather hide in his room than face high school graduation. Between his spectacular mistakes self-medicating for his ADHD and an overwhelming case of existential dread getting out of bed feels as hard as getting into Northwestern. His only real friend? His aging spaniel Enzo. His biggest fear? Everyone finding out he's not nearly as promising as they expect.<br><br>Then after one mistake too many everything goes sideways.<br><br>A scrape with the law he can barely remember launches Oscar on a bumpy cross-country road trip with an unlikely chaperone: his late-70s free-wheeling Grammy who's secretly done with playing by the rules. Leaving behind the girl he's falling for (adorkable Bette) his beloved dog and all his comforting vices Oscar discovers that even a journey based on a lie can lead to the most honest destination.</p><p><br><strong>Raw darkly witty and achingly real-a modern Holden Caulfield meets Harold and Maude with an ADHD twist.</strong></p><p>Praised for its distinctive narrative voice and vivid lyrical prose <em>Promising Young Man</em> is a witty intergenerational coming-of-age story about belonging societal expectations and loss of innocence that doesn't shy away from the messy truth of growing up.</p><p><br><strong>Perfect for readers who loved:</strong></p><ul><li><em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</em></li><li><em>The Virgin Suicides</em></li><li><em>On the Road</em></li><li>Anyone - in high school college or deep in their career - who's ever felt like a square peg in a round world</li></ul><p><br><strong>A quiet masterpiece that sneaks up on you... Axel resists the temptation to over-explain or sensationalize; instead lets the complexity of ADHD reveal itself through everyday frustrations distracted thoughts and small triumphs that feel monumental.</strong> - Samuel Durr Learning Specialist William C. Goudy Technology Academy (a 2025 Top Magnet School of Excellence)<br><br><strong>Oscar is breathtakingly real and appealing wrestling with his feeling of being 'defective' while staring down a future that feels empty and volatile.</strong> - T<em>he BookLife Prize</em><br><br><strong>Axel's writing crackles with energy and hard-won insight capturing Oscar's inner monologue in a way that feels both authentic and deeply relatable.</strong> - <em>BookLife Reviews</em> (Editor's Pick)<br><br><strong>Books like Promising Young Man should be on school curricula.</strong> - <em>Readers' Favorite</em> (Five Stars)<br><br><strong>Bittersweet and revelatory... a deft portrait that sidesteps stereotypes with sensitivity and skill.</strong> - <em>Kirkus Reviews</em> (Get it)<br><br><strong>I love this book.</strong> - Jill Wine-Banks MSNBC <em>The Watergate Girl</em><br><br><strong>A damn good read.</strong> - Dr. David George Ph.D. Professor of Modern Languages Emeritus Lake Forest College<br><br><strong>Promising Young Man is an intimate portrait of a modern-day Holden Caulfield drawn with intricate detail and insight into the mind and heart of one worthy to join the pantheon of unforgettable literary characters.</strong> - quest</p><p> </p><p><strong>Dark humor ✓ Road trip adventure ✓ Intergenerational friendship ✓ ADHD representation done right</strong></p><p>Oscar will melt break and then repair your heart.</p>