Comments on: Jay Bennett, R.I.P.

By: Dana Lynne

Dana Lynne — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 08:30:28 +0000

As a young teen, I read Say Hello To The Hitman, as suggested by one of my favorite teachers. LOVED IT. I hadn’t been all that into books pre-Say Hello, but subsequently developed a vast love for reading. I remember our entire class discussing the book, and all were in agreement that it was amazing. Am going to track down a copy, as this book absolutely belongs in my collection….not to mention, I would love to read it again!

Thanks for posting .. nice to see that his work touched others.

By: 2009 – Deaths A-B « The Graveyard

2009 – Deaths A-B « The Graveyard — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:19:26 +0000

[...] 2009) IMDB; Times obit; Guardian obit Bennett, Jay (December 24, 1912 – June 27, 2009) IMDB; Booklist Blog; Philadelphia Inquirer Bennett, Jay Walter (November 15, 1963 – May 24, 2009) Undertow; Smile [...]

By: brian

brian — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:03:54 +0000

As a nephew of Jay, and also someone who read all of his books growing up, I’m honored and touched by this post! I’m sure you had had more of an impact than you know, and this means a lot to our family!

By: Chris Crowe

Chris Crowe — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:36:28 +0000

Thanks for this great tribute to Jay Bennett! When my son, a confirmed reluctant reader, was in junior high and high school, Bennett’s books were the only ones that were able to penetrate his considerable resistance to reading. Like you, I hope teens are still reading his books.

By: Joel Reese

Joel Reese — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:59:49 +0000

I did re-read several of his books recently, mostly for writing this post. Bennett was great at setting a mood and establishing character, and you could tell he took language very seriously. I thought the terseness of the language got to be a little much after a while (there were several one-word sentences, like, “Silence.”), but the books were easy to read and really engaging.

Keep in mind that I’m now reading them some 25 years after I first picked them up, but I wasn’t rolling my eyes. I definitely saw why they grabbed me back then. I hope teens now are still reading his work.

By: Keir

Keir — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:22:47 +0000

Joel, I was just rereading this and realized I still have one question: have you re-read any of his stuff recently? And, if so, how does it hold up?