LAST NIGHT I SANG TO THE MONSTER By Benjamin Alire Saenz Cinco Puntos Press http://www.benjaminaliresaenz.com/ Finalist of the PEN USA Award in the Young Adult category “I have it in my head that when we’re born, God writes things down on our hearts. See, on some people’s hearts he writes Happy and on some people’s hearts he writes Sad and on some people’s hearts he writes Crazy on some people’s hearts he writes Genius and on some people’s hearts he writes Angry and on some people’s hearts he writes Winner and on some people’s hearts he writes Loser. It’s all like a game to him. Him. God. And it’s all pretty much random. He takes out his pen and starts writing on our blank hearts. When it came to my turn, he wrote Sad. I don’t like God very much. Apparently he doesn’t like me very much either.” --Zach, protagonist Saenz captures the vulnerability and defiance of youth beautifully in his latest novel. It is a poignant, heart wrenching and, sometim...