<BR>Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. &nbsp;That's when things start to get crazy.<BR><BR>At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away.&nbsp;The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself. <BR><BR>Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio.&nbsp; There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.<BR><BR>Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story.<BR>