McSweeney's: Yesterday's Book Reports from Today's Notables:

A Separate Peace

MATT DAMON, FEBRUARY 8, 1986

I really related to this book. It's about two best friends who go to a respected New England school: an earnest, responsible student named Gene and a carefree, inexplicably successful student named Finny. Even though it didn't make any sense to me that a guy like Finny could go to a respected New England school, I still liked this book. Especially the part where Gene pushes Finny out of a tree and Finny breaks his leg.

Finny is too busy having fun to notice that there's evil in the world. He doesn't even believe Gene when Gene confesses to pushing Finny out of the tree on purpose. That actually works out great, because Finny runs away and breaks his leg again. But this time marrow enters his bloodstream and kills him. I think this means that people who are too lazy and irresponsible to know what's going on deserve to die, even if they're your friend. And that people who study hard and go to good schools will be successful even if they're friends with an idiot they wish were dead.

via Junkiness