Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Pocket Books, 1999.
Genre: Fiction


Catherine Hyde’s second novel Pay It Forward is absolutely fascinating with the way she makes an idea thought to be unbelievable and impossible, in fact believable and possible. Set in a small California town in the 1990’s lives twelve-year-old Trevor McKinney, son of Arlene, a recovering alcoholic who works more than one job, and Ricky, an absent father, that hasn’t been around for years. While returning back to school after the summer, Trevor’s new social studies teacher, Reuben St. Clair decides to give his class an extra credit assignment of thinking of an idea for world change, and putting it into action. Young Trevor comes up with the idea of paying it forward, which later becomes known as ‘The Movement.’ Trevor decides to pick three people at random, and do a big favor for each of the three people. When those people would ask how they could repay him, he would tell him to simply pay it forward, and thus a chain of human acts of kindness would grow. Little did Trevor know, this plan would touch and inspire more people then he thought possible.

“Speaks to the hunger so many of us feel for something to believe in that can give us hope….Hyde’s book delivers a profound vision: The simple magic of the human heart.” – San Francisco Chronicle.


Pay it forward is written a very unique way. Many characters such as Trevor, his mother Arlene, his teacher Rueben along with all the people that were helped or who paid it forward, narrate the story. The story is also written with excerpts by Chris Chandler, who was the reporter in the story who tracked down where the movement began and who started it. He was the reporter that made sure everyone knew about Trevor and his idea. The story also contains excerpts from Trevor’s diary where he talks about his progress with the movement among many other family issues. This book allows you to see through the various eyes of the characters and how the Movement impacted their lives.

“What made you all care so much? Why is this such a big story? This is our world. It’s the only one we got. And it’s gotten so damn hard to live in. And we care. How can we not care? There are our lives we’re talking about. And then a little boy came along, and he decided maybe he could change the whole thing. The whole world order. Make it a decent place to live for everybody. Maybe because he was too young and optimistic and inexperienced to know it couldn’t be done.” – Rueben (302)

This book’s theme and main message I thought was very important. We only have one Earth, and we should care. The Earth shouldn’t be a place for evil, it should be a place for everyone to live decent lives, and be kind to one another. People don’t realize how lucky our lives are, and take advantage of that. This book really taught me a lot about how to treat others, and really a simple act of kindness can go a long way and affect someone so deeply that you never thought it could happen. I also like the way the story is told in various points of views. I especially liked hearing from the people who participated in the Movement, and how they paid it forward. The characters in the book are also brutally honest, which I thought was enjoyable to read.