I liked this book, despite the twisted message at the end. The ending reminded me of another book with a similar message that was not handled quite so well. 
 I thought Ed was a believable, downtrodden character, and his struggle to find his way was nicely told. 
 I came across the book at a yard sale and got it for cheap money. Since I recognized Markus Zusak's name (I had previously put The Book Thief on my to read list) so I picked it up.