Mackler, Carolyn. (2003). The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763620912
Plot Summary: Virginia Shreves is going through a tough time: Her best friend is spending a year 3,000 miles away, the brother she idolizes is going away to college, her parents spend every weekend golfing in Connecticut and she is filled with self-loathing for her larger-than-average body. The only good thing happening is her Monday afternoon make-out sessions with a boy in class she barely knows. Coping with her inferiority complex and sense of loneliness is consuming her life as fast as she continues to consume junk food. But then an astonishing and shattering thing happens: her beloved brother is found guilty of date rape while away at college. Virginia’s world begins to change and she sees everything in a completely different way. She begins to see the hypocrisy of her “perfect family,” the façade of the popular kids at school and the destructive nature of her own self-contempt. Once a frumpy and passive teen, we witness through an series of soul-awakening events Virginia’s heroic and rewarding transformation into an assertive, sassy, funny and kickboxing feminist.
Critical Evaluation: Mackler lends a nice touch to the novel by creating characters that are realistic, albeit flawed and at times, dislikeable. Just as we see Virginia experience a character reversal from being a mousy and obedient child who wears “plus-sized” clothes and hides in the second floor bathrooms during lunchtime into a courageous, purple-haired, independent and self-aware class leader. We also see reversals of everyone else around her. Her mother is sometimes a sensitive and honest “adolescent psychologist,” other times a critical and unforgiving control freak and then again a proud mother who finally appreciates her daughters “chutzpah.” Her brother, the treasured golden child, is revealed to be a selfish and verbally abusive sibling who for once inspires Virginia's anger. Her tactless father comes around to showing Virginia his sensitive and caring nature. Even Froggy, her make-out partner that she assumes is just using her, returns to show that he genuinely likes being around her.
Reader’s Annotation: Virginia is sick of being fat, ignored, invisible and self-critical. But the idea of changing this seems impossible and useless. Yet when her “perfect” family image is shattered by shocking news, she discovers that it will be up to her to find out who she really is and what she really wants. Watch this funny, honest and uplifting gal take on the world and transform from a meek turtle into a beautiful butterfly!
Information About the Author: Mackler was born in 1973 and grew up in a typical family arrangement in the New York region. It wasn’t until adolescence hit that she began to feel like a misfit and sought refuge within young adult novels by Judy Bloom, Lois Lowry, M.E. Kerr and Norma Klein. Having been an avid reader and storyteller since the 4th grade, Mackler began to write articles for Seventeen, Glamour, CosmoGIRL! and American Girl. As she studied Art History at Vassar College, her parents divorced and Mackler again relied upon her “life-saving” friendships. When asked why she writes young adult novels today, she replies, “One of the biggest reasons is that I honestly believe that, along with certain friendships, I was saved by the books I read during those years. They spoke to me in a way that nothing else did. They helped me feel less alone. They made me laugh. They made me feel like there was a world bigger than my high school.” She currently lives with her husband and son in Manhattan.
Genre:
Teen Issues: Physical Challenges, Sexual Abuse, Outsiders
Contemporary Life: Coming of Age, Humor,
Other: Self-Realization, Body Image, Stong Female Protagonist Stories
Curriculum Ties: English class, Book Clubs, Health class, Psychology class, Physical Education class, Recommendations for Young Adult Female Readers
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) What it feels like to be ashamed of your body and the struggles of teens who want to lose weight
2.) Family relations and not being like the rest of your family
3.) Popular kids vs. non-popular kids in high school
4.) Date Rape: what it is and how it affects the perpetrator, the victim and their families
5.) Self-awareness and self-acceptance: Knowing who you are, loving who you are and being assertive
6.) Confronting family members and defying parents: How, When and Why or Why Not
Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 9-12
Challenge Issues/Defenses:
Potential Challenges:
• Content includes issues of date rape, sexual petting and masturbation
• Adult language
• References to teen bulimia and anorexia
Defense Strategy:
• Provide statistics regarding the reality of these key issues:
Date rape: http://www.your-personal-and-home-security.com/date-rape-statistics.html
Teen Sex: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html
Teen Eating Disorders: http://www.sadd.org/stats.htm#eatingdisorders
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp
• Refer to book reviews and awards earned by this book: http://www.carolynmackler.com/The-Earth-My-Butt-and-Other-Big-Round-Things-by-Carolyn-Mackler.asp?id=praise
• Provide guidelines book clubs have used to address issues: http://www.teenreads.com/guides/earth_my_butt1.asp
Why This Book Was Included: At first glance, this book title and cover image sounded like a lightweight and merely entertaining teen paperback. But judging this book by its cover was my mistake. The story delves much deeper and portrays an honest look at an overweight teen girl’s reality that will make you cringe from its poignancy. Mackler’s deft skill at creating full characters and a believable story that addresses the affect of date rape and family hypocrisy never feels forced and never speaks from an adult viewpoint instead of a true teen’s perspective. A worthy read!
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