Billy and his religious zealot of a mother have picked up and moved sixteen times in Billy's fifteen years. Billy has always believed what his mother told him, that his father died before he was born in a car accident. Billy receives a package in the mail--a bible hiding a DVD and a note in a slit in the back cover--a message from his father! Billy starts off on a journey that he would never have believed he would undertake in his wildest dreams. The treasure hunt his father lays out for him involves The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, geocaching, hitchhiking, running from the law, crossing numerous states and thousands of miles, a runaway baseball star, naked worshippers at Burning Man, con artists, and an unusual inheritance. Billy will question his family, his faith, his sexuality, and pretty much everything else along this wild and crazy journey of self discovery.

Fascinating and well written, You Don't Know About Me is a wild and thought-provoking joyride. Incredibly meaty and multi-layered, this story is deep as well as rich with sarcastic humor and some truly eccentric and memorable characters. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is very important to this story and is read from, quoted from, and discussed at length. The "N" word is used often, as Billy reads Huck Finn aloud to his African American traveling companion, and Billy has a hard time uttering the word. Racism, Christianity and homosexuality are all key elements to this rich story, and would make for fantastic discussion material. Bible references are prevalent, and are used in multiple persuasive arguments and thoughtful moments. Those who have not read Huck Finn may miss ironic underlying parallels between the two stories, and those who have may have a different take on it after reading this book. Language is graphic and rather frequent, and homosexual slurs abound. A wild, clothing-optional festival (Burning Man) offers plenty of nudity and leads to a first "real" kiss. You Don't Know About Me is definitely most appropriate for older teens who can fully grasp all that this book delivers, and it would make an excellent choice for a book club or for a high school book report.

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