I read this a few weeks back and had not gotten to writing a review of it. There is no good reason for this especially since I liked the book a great deal. Okay for Now is a follow-up to The Wednesday Wars. It is not really a sequel because it takes just one character, Doug Swieteck and moves his family to Marysville in upstate New York.
Doug is a kid trying to avoid becoming what his rough upbringing wants him to be. His father is abusive, his mother has difficulty standing up to her husband, his brother Christopher is on the path Doug is trying to avoid, his brother Lucas is fighting in Vietnam, and Doug struggles with school and interacting with people. His story is a reminder that "bad" kids become that way; there is always something to find out about them if you care enough.
Vietnam is in the background of the story (until Lucas comes home) the way WWI is a backdrop for The Great Gatsby and WWII is there in The Catcher in the Rye. Neither war drives the action of the story, but instead lurks in the background subtly influencing the action. Until Lucas returns seriously injured, Vietnam is also a cloud hanging over them, but not raining.
Ultimately the story is about the power of art, friendship, hard work, and second chances. Sounds mushy, gushy, but really the reader is a cheerleader throughout and a few tears fall just as they should. Doug is a kid you want to take home and be nice to, but Schmidt gives him those people and we see how powerful caring, attentive adults can be in the life of a kid.
Bottom line: READ this book!
