Booked

In this section, as Nick mends from his surgery and sprained ankle, he enjoys a return to normalcy at home and a new relationship developing with April. In the previous section, Nick’s mom broke down crying in the hospital and apologized for moving away. Based on this moment and the peaceful mood over the following days, Nick assumes that his “family is back together” (244). 

During “Family Meeting,” his parents behave with playfulness and affection rather than the emotional distance and conflict Nick previously observed. Nick’s mom and dad convince their son to date the girl he likes. His mom says, “I figured he might want to hang with her outside of school, and I thought since he’s so good at riding— / Nicholas, are you good at riding? / Dad, this isn’t about— / Just answer the question, please” (254). This sense of warmth makes the shock of “Conversation with Mom and Dad” even more painful. Nick fights back against his parents’ decision to divorce, correcting his father’s pronunciation of incompossible and questioning his mom’s reasoning for the breakup. His shock, anger, and confusion overflow in the wake of this news. 

One of Nick’s other conflicts in Booked is his fear of pursuing April. He feels more confident about communicating with her after he discovers he can connect with her through books. Calling her on the phone, however, proves a daunting task. April’s dad, a police officer, intimidates him with interrogating questions. Once April picks up the phone, Nick reads from a script, too afraid to talk off the cuff with his crush. Facing his fear, however, pays off when April affectionately calls him Nicky and invites him to her book club Nerds and Words.

In the poems that follow, Alexander creates humor through contrast: In earlier scenes, Nick avoided reading and doing chores at all costs. Soccer was all he thought and dreamed about. Now Nick avoids soccer in favor of cleaning the house and reads books into the night to become closer with April. Nick may continue to feel awkward around her, even tripping and falling at the horse stable, but he is learning that maturity means making the best of awkward moments. 

Nick also develops a genuine interest in books like Out of the Dust and Peace, Locomotion. These titles, as well as the ones in “Books You Find On Google,” might be Alexander’s recommendations for his readers to check out after they read Booked. Alexander creates a collage of book titles in “Books You Find on Google,” seemingly splashing across the page. The book titles appear in various font sizes and in effects like bold and italics. This poem also recreates the experience of using a search engine, which can be fast and frenzied, slow and uninteresting, and often overwhelming.