Crutcher uses high school athletics as the proving ground for personal achievement; by testing their own limits, the boys in his books emerge from their crises as stronger and more mature individuals. Throughout his works, Crutcher addresses challenging topics; his protagonists encounter sickness and death, divorce, rape and sexual abuse, disability, discrimination, AIDS, abortion, and other issues as well as pimps, prostitutes, and motorcycle and youth gangs; in addition, his characters must cope with the attitudes and actions of their parents, coaches, teammates, and friends.
Despite the seriousness of his themes, Crutcher underscores his books with positive messages that stress integrity, dignity, honor, courage, tenacity, survival, and hope. In addition, he stresses the joys of competitive sports and often includes positive friendships--between boys and between both sexes--and romantic relationships in his works. The author also invests his books with humor, which ranges from subtle wit to raw, locker room-style banter. Due to their subject matter and use of rough language, some of Crutcher's books have been censored; the author is also criticized for the complexity of his storylines and for his concentration on male protagonists, though he is also credited with creating well-realized female characters in supporting roles.
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