Stick Man

Stick Man is a controversial coming-of-age novel by the American writer Richard Rossi. The book is a roman à clef novel about Jeremiah Young, a boy growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1970's. Over the course of the book, he becomes a man. The name Jeremiah Young was chosen by Rossi to blend the character's mix of prophetic and childlike qualities. Jeremiah is an antihero, a creative but troubled boy with talents for art and music.
Title
The title refers to a nightmare manifestation, a man made out of the sticks of a crucifix with nails for fingers who haunts Jeremiah in his night terrors. The archetypal demon leaves temporarily when Jeremiah falls in love for the first time with a girl he calls "Angel," but returns when his sweetheart is away from him. In the end, Jeremiah faces Stick Man and defeats him.
Story
The novel tells the story of Jeremiah's fears of Stick Man and feelings for his first love. The book explores the harrowing relationship between Jeremiah and three domineering figures: his manic depressive father, a fundamentalist neighbor named Reverend Mordecai Rawlings, and Stick Man. The novel ends with a letter from Jeremiah to Angel sharing the lessons he has learned about life and love. The book was banned and burned by some fundamentalist Christian groups who considered it blasphemous
Film and Music versions
Pop star Justin Bieber is rumored to be under consideration for the lead role of Jeremiah Young if Richard Rossi, a filmmaker in addition to a novelist, makes a movie version. Two months after the novel's release, Rossi also released a musical soundtrack for Stick Man. Sales of the Stick Man book and music CD were sparked by an hour-long interview Rossi did on in his hometown of Pittsburgh. The special broadcast was a ratings grabber due to Rossi's controversies and popularity in Pittsburgh in the past, coupled with the fact he rarely gives public interviews. <ref name="worldbookandnews5"/>

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