Delano
By John Orozco

     Eddie Delano will do anything to get out of having to do any type of work; that is why he shoots off his big toe. Without this toe, he is not allowed to fight in Vietnam, which paves the way for him to go to college, where he will do as little as possible. Luckily for Eddie, a man named Winston Ashford Gonzales takes Eddie under his wing. Winston is a teaching assistant who has come up with every trick in the book. As he tells Eddie, never read the actual textbook, just buy the Cliff Notes. Under Winston's tutelage, Eddie immediately sees improvement in his grades and now he has all of this extra time. Unfortunately, Eddie manages to get himself in trouble with just about everything. His girlfriend is crazy, the police are on his case about a busted reflector on his bike and his roommate is one sandwich short of a picnic. Will Eddie ever better himself, or will his life be a series of shortcuts?

     Delano has a fun, tongue-in-cheek type of humor that comes across well. Although, there are times when I wonder about Delano's moral fiber, deep down, he is a good person, which makes the story intensely readable. The parts at the end had me laughing, and I especially enjoyed the character Sam, Eddie's roommate. For some lighthearted reading, I suggest Delano.