''Men of Stone'' is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by

Gayle Friesen Gayle Friesen (born September 18, 1960) is a Canadian author of young adult novels. She was raised in Chilliwack, British Columbia. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia. She is married with two children. Fries ...

that was first published in 2000.Oppel, Kenneth. (September 2000
''Review of Men of Stone by Gayle Friesen.''
Quill & Quire. Retrieved August 7, 2012. It was the second book that was written by Friesen.

Plot summary

The novel follows Ben Conrad, a fifteen-year-old boy struggling with family affairs, school, and bullying. Ben is surrounded by females at home: three older sisters and his mother. His father died when he was only five years old. Now that he has grown older, he knows he has to step up and be the man of his family. When a distant relative, Aunt Frieda, comes to visit, he finds out how strong an old woman can truly be. As Ben learns about Aunt Frieda's past life in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and her love and determination for her family, the two rapidly develop an unexpected relationship that strengthens both, especially Ben who learns to stand up for himself and believe in what he does. Ben initially strives to keep out of trouble - he is a good son at home and a good student at school, showing kindness to everyone, including Claude, who regularly bullies Ben and humiliates him at the school dance. Frieda reveals that she has experienced similar troubles to Ben in her life. Her husband Henry had been taken away to prison by corrupt officials, which she called "men of stone". When she went to visit Henry, her son went missing and never returned. While Frieda had thought of nothing but revenge, she learned that being controlled by hatred did nothing to solve the problems before her. The pressure of keeping his anger and hatred inside himself gradually consumes Ben, along with the desire to exact revenge on everyone who has teased him about his dancing and hurt his friends, and for not understanding him. However, Ben recalls Aunt Frieda's stories during his fight with Claude and realizes that he is turning into a "man of stone" from being consumed by his desire for revenge. Ben learns to let go of his anger and move forward.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Men of Stone excerpt at Kids Can Press

2000 Canadian novels Canadian young adult novels