With OWEN MEANY, Irving has captured the essence of what it means to be alive and to be a friend. As a high school literature teacher, I wish I could require every senior to read this work. To read about John and Owen means to read about ALL of our lives. I believe there is a little Owen and a little John in each one of us. OWEN MEANY is a novel that will make readers laugh out loud, cry and really think about the issues that Owen and John confront together throughout their young adult lives. If there was ever a book that should be read by all, it is this one!