In the title story, "The Crying Jesus," 17-year- old Luc's devoutly Catholic family celebrates the "taking of vows" of his sister, the saintly Alisa. Luc acknowledges he is "not an out-and-out atheist" because he "has not made up [his] mind yet"; however, his raging hormones brand him a sinner in religious terms. When Alisa begs his forgiveness for a childhood transgression, he decides to lie almost convincingly; likewise, she agrees not to pray for him.

      Often with painful clarity, the stories reflect universal themes of death and loss, love and hate, religion, sexuality, relationships, and family dynamics which show young people bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood and losing innocence.

      MacIntyre's style is direct and often wryly humourous like his comments about cats in the excerpt from "Ways of Killing Pepper." The prairies provide the setting for the stories although Penny's quest in "Eating with the Dead" leads her to Mexico. The protagonist's experiences and insights merit Jesus' tears: Cynthia, in "Cursing Shane," faces stalking; Penny copes with death and anorexia; Mike, in "The Code," cannot seem to escape "the team" because "nobody quits a hockey team"; Kevin, in "Mona With the White Lips," deals with alcoholism. A mystical quality emerges as the stories progress with Cynthia's "Cursing Shane," Heman's fire-walking in "Sleeping in the Nude," the restless spirit of the dead in "Hitler's Hands," and the visions and Elvis-sightings in "The Apprentice." MacIntyre integrates the mundane with the bizarre in his portrayal of the characters and events.

      Finding selections that appeal to male adolescent readers often challenges teachers and librarians. The collection of stories in The Crying Jesus should assist in meeting that challenge.

Highly recommended.