Module 15: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

"I know what it's like to hate your body so much that you want to hurt it."

powells.com

Citation

Mackler, C.  (2003).  The earth, my butt, and other big round things.  Cambridge, Mass:  Candlewick Press.

Summary

Virginia Shreves is fifteen, overweight and self-conscious.  She also might be the only person in Manhattan--or maybe in the world--who hasn't French-kissed.  Her best friend, Shannon, has moved across the country, and her parents don't seem to notice her in between weekend golf trips.   Froggy Welsh the Fourth--yes, that's his real name--has provided some physical distractions, but Viriginia still doesn't want him actually seeing her body.  Between her classmates, her mother, and herself, she is surrounded by pressure to slim down.  And then her older brother, Byron, comes home from Columbia in the middle of the semester.  As she deals with her brother's fall from grace, she begins to feel more empowered about her life and her body.

My Impressions

I was initially a little concerned about Virginia's priorities at the beginning of the book, as she seemed somewhat shallow.  However, she quickly won me over with her smart, candid voice.  She feels very much like a regular teenager, and I quickly related my own teenage insecurities with hers, even if they weren't the same.  Her issues are real, relevant, and necessary to confront.  Body image, fitting in, family dynamics, boys, friends, and boyfriends are all dealt with in this book, leaving the reader satisfied and, possibly, with a stronger sense of self-confidence.

Reviews

School Library Journal

"Gr 7-10-- Overweight 15-year-old Virginia Shreves is the misfit in what she perceives as her perfect, thin, good-looking, exceptional family in this novel by Carolyn Mackler (Candlewick, 2003). Her usually absent father and adolescent psychologist mother are so stifling that Virginia's older sister joins the Peace Corp to escape. Big brother Byron is universally adored by all, particularly Virginia, until halfway through the novel when he is suspended from college for date rape. Virginia slowly comes to realize that Byron is the cause of many of her insecurities, and she is the only one in the family to acknowledge and do something about the fact that he did commit this terrible crime. The absence of Virginia's best friend, romantic entanglement with Froggy Welsh, and the many casual cruelties perpetrated on her by the in-crowd cause Virginia stress and create a serious lack of self- esteem. However, once she realizes her perfect family isn't quite as flawless as she thought, Virginia is empowered to stand up to her awful but well-intentioned mother, reestablish contact with Froggy, and even do the ultimate in teen defiance-get a body piercing. Johanna Parker is a superb narrator for this first person novel. She successfully portrays the angry mother, clueless father, whiny and irresponsible brother, vapid in-girls and, best of all, the appealing main character. Pacing is excellent and Parker perfectly conveys the nuances of teen insecurity in all its painful glory. While the author tries to deal with too many issues and ends up giving many of them short shrift, teens will certainly care and root for the marvelous Virginia Shreves."

Gray, B.A. & Mandell, P.L.  (2004).  [Review of the book The earth, my butt, and other round things by C. Mackler].  School Library Journal, 50(12), 76-78.  Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com.

Publishers Weekly

""Chubby" New York City teenager Virginia Shreves is having a hard time: not only is her best friend, Shannon, spending the school year out west, but Virginia's being pressured about her weight by her family-especially her formerly fat mother, a prominent adolescent psychologist. Lonely and insecure, Virginia has even started to hurt herself. When the brother she worships is suspended from college for date rape, the news shocks Virginia into realizing that her "stellar" family isn't as perfect as her mother says it is, and that she doesn't have to conform to her mother's expectations. Mackler (Love and Other Four-Letter Words) occasionally uses a heavy hand when it comes to making her points ("Recently, I've been finding it harder to pretend that everything is A-OK"), and some of the plot elements, such as the overweight teacher who looks out for Virginia, or Virginia's discovery that a popular girl has an eating disorder, seem scripted. The date rape story line, on the other hand, is gutsy; her brother wasn't just accused of date rape, he actually committed the crime. Ultimately, readers will find it easy to relate to Virginia; she loves junk food, gets nervous about finding someone to sit with in the cafeteria and can't believe that Froggy, the boy she has secretly made out with after school, could be interested in her, not just using her. The e-mails she exchanges with Shalmon, and the lists she makes (e.g., "The Fat Girl Code of Conduct") add both realism and insight to her character. The heroine's transformation into someone who finds her own style and speaks her own mind is believable-and worthy of applause. Ages 14-up."

Roback, D., Brown, J.M., Bean, J. & Zaleski, J.  (2003).  [Review of the book The earth, my butt, and other big round things by C. Mackler].  Publishers Weekly, 250(29), 197.

Suggested Library Uses

• This book would be an excellent inclusion on any teens' book club list.  It makes an encouraging story full of discussion points that would hit home with almost any teenage girl.
• Have the teen group start their own webzine where they can share their own thoughts through articles, editorials, comics, etc.

Find it @ Your Library - Albany County Public Library

I FICTION M218E (young adult fiction)

Notes

YALSA Teens' Top 10, ALA, 2004

Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2004

Book Trailer: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Created for Assignment B for SLIS 5420

Book Trailer: Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Created for Assignment B for SLIS 5420.

Module 7: Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel Fattah

"Belief means nothing without action."

gcdamagazine.com

Citation
Abdel-Fattah, R.  (2007).  Does my head look big in this?  New York:  Orchard Books.


Summary
Amal is a fashion-savvy junior at a snooty prep school in a well-to-do suburb of Melbourne.  She is also Australian-Muslim-Palestinian and has just decided to wear her hijab--the traditional Muslim head cover--full time.  Her parents warn her to think carefully about her choice, warning her of the teasing she is bound to endure at school and the whispers she will hear in grocery stores and at the mall.  Her closest Muslim and non-Muslim friends are supportive of her choice to display her faith on he read.  Her classmates simply do not understand her choice or the reasons behind it, largely because they do not understand her faith.  Amal struggles to stay strong as she faces discrimination and learns more about herself and her Muslim culture, eventually coming to terms with her identity as a young Australian-Muslim-Palestinian girl.   


My Impressions
Does My Head Look Big in This? tackles issues that every teenager faces--identity, faith, and the pressures of teenage life.  Amal tells her story with a smart, and insightful voice, all the while remaining true to her youth with a little bit of sass.  It is refreshing to find a well-executed young adult novel with a strong heroine who does not bend in her morals.  Amal successfully fields questions about her choice to not drink or do drugs, as well has her decision to remain pure until marriage.  Teens face these choices every day, and this novel demonstrates that abstinence in any form is a valid choice without being preachy.  


Another aspect of this book is the understanding it brings to Muslim culture.  While the story takes place in Australia, many parallels can be drawn to American society.  One of Amal's biggest obstacles in school is the lack of understanding by her peers.  They see a hijab and immediately think of the Taliban, which is simply not the case for a majority of devout Muslims.  The reader also experiences a spectrum of Muslim families, from Amal's religious, yet contemporary, family, to her friend, Leila's, very strict, very traditional family.  Amal finds strength in her faith and freedom through her choice to wear the hijab.


Reviews

"I would sit beside other commuters bent over books containing the crude orientalist-type narratives in which Muslim women protagonists achieved 'liberation' because they 'escaped' Islam or were victims of honor killings, domestic violence and oppression because of Islam," says Randa Abdel-Fattah of what inspired her to write Does My Head Look Big in This? Rather than tell a story about victims and oppression, Abdel-Fattah created witty, fashion-conscious, Friends addict Amal, who could have a home in any number of chick-lit YA novels. Amal, a Pakistani-Australian Muslim, makes one of the most important fashion and social decisions of her life: She's going to wear the hijab full time. Her Muslim girlfriends are thrilled as are her loving parents. Buoyed by their support and her faith, Amal carefully chooses head scarves that will complement her complexion and match her school outfits. Once she enters her exclusive prep school, however, she finds that her classmates taunt her and call her "towel-head." Amal's strong sense of self and confidence, along with reassurances from her friends, help her stand up to the students who ask her what she knows about terrorism. Outside of school, Amal makes sharp observations of what it means to be a modern Muslim woman and describes the different ways her parents' friends interpret the Koran and practice Islam. Amal never wavers in her faith, even when it means letting go of a crush on cute, smart Josh. Despite the heavy subject matter, Amal narrates with humor and depth. "I wanted to write a book which allowed readers to enter the world of the average Muslim teenage girl," says the author, "and see past the headlines and stereotypes and realize that she was experiencing the same dramas and challenges of adolescence as her non-Muslim peers and have a giggle in the process."

[Review of the book Does my head look big in this? by R. Abdel Fattah].  (2007).  Kirkus Reviews, 75(23), 3-4.  Retried from http://www.kirkusreviews.com.

"With an engaging narrator at the helm, Abdel-Fattah's debut novel should open the eyes of many a reader. Headstrong and witty, 16-year-old Amal, an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian ("That means I was born an Aussie and whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens") decides during winter break from her posh private school that she's ready to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, fulltime, as a testament to her faith. Amal knows she will face discrimination by classmates and misinformed people but she is committed to her decision; her parents are initially concerned, but ultimately rally behind her. Their worries, in fact, are well-founded: Amal attracts her share of stares and taunts both at school and around town, but she finds strength, not only from her convictions, but from her close-knit group of friends, who for various reasons--being Japanese, Jewish, nerdy or body-conscious--are perceived as being outside "the norm." As Amal struggles with her identity in a post-9/11 world ("Do you have any idea how it feels to be me, a Muslim, today? I mean, just turn on the television, open a newspaper.… It feels like I'm drowning in it all"), her faith--and an array of ever-ready quips--help her navigate an often-unforgiving world. Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason. Ages 12-up."

[Review of the book Does my head look big in this? by R. Abdel Fattah].  (2007).  Publisher's Weekly, 254(21), 56-57.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com.

Suggested Library Uses

• Read as part of a junior high or high school-age book club.  This book provides an excellent opportunity to allow teens to discuss issues in their lives, such as identity, school pressures, and faith of all varieties.  It would be especially interesting in a mother-daughter book club, as mothers can provide insight into lessons they've learned and share in their daughters' struggles in a key time in their lives.  It would be especially interesting if a Muslim teen or community member could share their own experiences.
• Include in a display about Islam or during an important Muslim holiday, such as Ramadan.    

Find it @ your library - Albany County Public Library
YA FICTION AB231D