The heroes of Oleg Rain’s new story “The Deuterium Man” are ordinary guys, our contemporaries, with behavioral traits, habits, language, favorite music, etc. recognizable for teenagers in the first decade of the 21st century. But at the same time, the main character of the story is a boy, Grisha Krupitsyn belongs to the tribe of “white crows”, for whom survival in the world of peers and adults is very difficult. At first he leads the life of a school outcast, an eternal victim of beatings and bullying, but unexpectedly finds a friend who helps him discover himself, his creative abilities, gain courage and confidence. The story “The Deuterium Man” is a book about how to become yourself and how express yourself in a not-so-friendly world, how to survive if you are only thirteen or fourteen years old. Recommended for middle and older schoolchildren. Drawings by the author