I agree that we should read more adolescent literature; it is the literature that our students will be reading. I enjoyed the book. Anderson's voice is very funny and relatable, even as she's writing from a male's perspective. As a girl, I can't say that I know what the male high school experience was like, but Anderson really seemed to make sense as a woman writing in the perspective of a male adolescent. I was surprised.
I do think that there are some teachable moments, though I don't know if parents would be on board with their kids reading this. Anderson touches on some heavy issues: bullying, suicide, pornography, and speaks somewhat crassly of raging hormones. With that noted, the book would be worthless without these issues. There are some pretty broad themes that I believe would spark student conversation. I would love to see what students thought about the party scene in which Bethany subjects herself to inebriation and the subsequent nude photographs taken of her.
I would also like to discuss character development. While this is limited, I do think that, for a freshman classroom, the characterization should be noted. Tyler finally stands up for himself at the end of the novel and grows up. It's important to note the ever-present theme of the video game that Tyler plays throughout the novel, Tophet. In this game, Tyler is trying to get through the circles of Hell to become the new Lord of Darkness. This parallels his life immensely (like a slap in the face almost), and maybe too apparent. Nonetheless, I would discuss it in the classroom. Along these lines, I would maybe make the connection, for an extension maybe, with Dante's Inferno, regarding his mission to get on the right track or face the tribulations of Hell. Just a thought; it might raise the level of scholarly learning to the classroom.