It’s the late ’90s—the final days before smartphones and the internet changed the teenage landscape forever.
Welcome to the May 7th stop on the blog tour for Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph by Ari Rosenschein with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more guest posts, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Author
Friendship, Conformity, and Mental Health in Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph
While numerous themes are woven throughout Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph, friendship, conformity, and mental health are three that emerge predominately. This trio of concepts intertwine throughout the novel, creating a web of challenges and victories for the book’s protagonist, Zack, and his new Berkeley friend, Matthias.
Zack is a teenager who hasn’t experienced close male friendship in his life. Sure, there is Miguel, a pal from his hometown, Tempe, with whom he checks in periodically. However, their relationship is based on Miguel looking up to Zack, not mutual reliance or personal growth. That’s what makes Zack’s fast-moving bonding experience with Matthias so unusual. The intimacy that develops between the two young men is like a force of nature—they are magnetized by each other, superficial opposites who need something from one another. Their friendship leads Zack and Matthias to a slew of surprises, both good and bad.
Everyone at Berkeley High knows Matthias as an iconoclastic skater who wears his pants below his butt and flaunts his skinny physique and dyed hair. By contrast, Zack is a young man who stays close to the center of the path; sports and academic achievement are his main objectives. The closest he gets to worrying about his image is lifting weights. Matthias shows him the power of standing out, of flaunting your uniqueness in the face of convention. As Zack gets involved with Zaylee, he discovers that being his own person doesn’t simply mean dressing outlandishly and that social and political engagement are potent ways to take a societal stand.
Two characters in Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph face mental health challenges. Yet neither one of them is defined by this aspect of their personality. In fact, there is a good chance that in both cases, the presence of psychological struggle creates the circumstances for their flashes of brilliance and idiosyncrasy. As he traverses the twin terrains of friendship and family, Zack learns to appreciate what a mental health diagnosis means in real life, not on paper.
About the Book
Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph
by Ari Rosenschein
Published 7 May 2024
Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Genre: Young Adult
Page Count: 240
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
It’s the late ’90s—the final days before smartphones and the internet changed the teenage landscape forever. Zack and his mother have moved from Tempe to Berkeley for a fresh start, leaving behind Zack’s father after a painful divorce. A natural athlete, Zack makes the water polo team which equals social acceptance at his new school. Yet he’s more drawn to Matthias, a rebellious skater on the fringes, who introduces him to punk rock, record stores, and the legendary Telegraph Avenue.
As their friendship intensifies, Matthias’s behavior reminds Zack of his absent dad, driving a wedge between him and his mother. Complicating matters is Zaylee, a senior who boosts Zack’s confidence but makes him question his new buddy, Matthias. Faced with all these changes, Zack learns that when life gets messy, he might have to become his own best friend.
Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph is about how a friendship can challenge who we are, how we fit in, and where we’re going.
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Excerpt
We spend the rest of the afternoon messing around on Telegraph. I even take a brief spin on Matthias’s skateboard as a joke. I’ve got decent balance from wrestling, so I make it a whole city block. I kick the deck when I disembark, imitating how I’ve watched Matthias do it.
“Not bad, Dr. Z. Not bad at all.”
Like I said, I pick up athletic stuff fast.
And it turns out Anthony the gutter punk isn’t the only character Matthias knows. Every few feet, we run into a grommet, a punk, and even normal kids from school, all falling over themselves to praise Matthias for his skating.
He’s a star, and with my build, I feel like a personal bodyguard, someone cool and important.
It’s going great until I see a street clock. “I’m supposed to meet my mom back on campus at three.”
“Or what, you turn into a pumpkin?”
“No, it’s just—”
“I’m joking, Dr. Z.” Matthias pulls me in for a hug and I stiffen. I guess I’m not used to that kind of contact outside of sports.
“Do your thing,” he says. “But make sure to listen to both those CDs tonight. That’s your homework.”
“You know I will. See you at lunch on Monday.”
On my jog back, I pass the same funky boutiques and eateries, the bag with my poster and contraband whacking my side in rhythm with my breath. I’m no longer worried about the CD heist or the awkward hug. That unfamiliar contentment from this morning is back. I feel alive.
About the Author
Ari Rosenschein is a Seattle-based author who grew up in the Bay Area. Books and records were a source of childhood solace, leading Ari to a teaching career and decades of writing, recording, and performing music. Along the way, he earned a Grammy shortlist spot, landed film and TV placements, and co-wrote the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year.
In his writing, Ari combines these twin passions. Coasting, his debut short story collection, was praised by Newfound Journal as “introducing us to new West Coast archetypes who follow the tradition of California Dreaming into the 21st century.” Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (Fire & Ice YA) is his first young adult novel.
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Giveaway Alert!
Ari Rosenschein will be awarding a signed paperback copy of Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter.
| May 6 | Read Your Writes Book Reviews | May 7 | Westveil Publishing |
| May 8 | Literary Gold | May 9 | The Avid Reader |
| May 9 | A Wonderful World of Words | May 10 | Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews |
| May 13 | Long and Short Reviews | May 14 | Books in the Hall |
| May 14 | The Pen and Muse Book Reviews | May 15 | Kenyan Poet |
| May 15 | Full Moon Dreaming | May 16 | Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read |
| May 17 | The Faerie Review |
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Thank you for hosting today.
This should be an awesome read. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour.
Thanks for sayng this! The book is available everywhere today!
Thanks for sharing my guest post about the themes in Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph!
Sounds like a great read.