Barnes, John.  Tales of the Madman Underground:  An Historical Romance 1973. 2009.  532p.  Viking, $18.99.  (978-0-670-06081-8).  Gr. 9-12.

Karl Shoemaker’s goal as a senior is to be normal and separate himself from his therapy group that started in fourth grade.  But can he deal with his alcoholic, hippy widowed mother who keeps stealing his earning from his five jobs, and can he keep the friends he made in the Madman Underground group if he doesn’t attend the group anymore?  The wealth of details in this hilarious noir novel comes from the characters and the disastrous events in Karl’s life as he copes with all the pieces of his life.  He feels responsible for his friends who need to find a place to sleep because they are locked up or afraid of being beaten or sexually abused.  One of his tasks is to protect his gay friend, Paul, when he solicits males for money in nearby Toledo.  The reader feels as overwhelmed as Karl in this timeless coming-of-age epic.