Slam

By Nick Hornby

Sam Jones lives with his mother in London. He has never had a serious girlfriend, but one day he meets Alicia and they fall madly in love. For a few weeks, they spend all their spare time together, and they start having sex. Being without Alicia “is like not breathing”, Sam thinks. However, Sam soon loses interest in Alicia and goes back to spending his time skating and gaming. He tells his mother that he wants to break up with Alicia, but he does not actually go through with it. He just stops seeing her or talking to her.

A slam is a hard fall in skateboarding, but nothing compares to the slam that Sam experiences when he receives a text from Alicia on his sixteenth birthday …

1 | PRACTISE: Listening for overview

Place the events below in the correct order according to what happens when in the text:

∙ Sam wants to sit on his mum’s lap

∙ Sam eats breakfast

∙ Sam is given cards, presents and doughnuts

∙ Sam turns off his mobile

∙ Alicia goes home to get more money

∙ Sam receives a text from Alicia

∙ Sam meets Alicia at Starbucks

∙ Sam and Alicia go to the chemists to check how much a pregnancy test costs

2 | PRACTISE: Listening for details

Answer the following questions: a Why is this a special day for Sam? b How does Sam react when he reads the text from Alicia? c Where does Sam go, and what is he thinking about on the way there? d What does Alicia tell Sam? e Why can’t Sam ask her all the questions he has on his mind? f What do they decide to do first? g What does Sam do when Alicia goes to fetch the money?

3 | REFLECT: Talking

Discuss in pairs or small groups. Remember to explain your opinion.

a What do you think of the way Sam acts? Do you have any sympathy for him?

b How should Sam and Alicia deal with this new situation, do you think?

c Do you think children and teenagers learn enough about important adult matters such as sex and responsibility? If not, what should be done to educate them better?

d Teenagers are often called lazy and uncaring, but is this a true description of today’s youth? Read the quote below and explain why you agree or disagree with it.

“This generation of teens is not particularly rebellious – they drink less, they do fewer drugs, they start having sex at an older age. They’re far more engaged; they’re highly preoccupied by their academic performance and their future job prospects – 70% of teenagers say it really matters to them what grades they get and making their parents proud.”

natasha kizzie, executive director of the national citizen service uk