Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: March 2003
format: paperback (5x7)
pages: 304
Ages: 12 and Up
genre: teen fiction
from the publisher
"Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend.Now Sarah Byrnes -- the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known -- sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under."
My thoughts
This is high school with a few extreme characters thrown in. Dave, the boy who prays before every swim practice and condemns you for not believing his way. The tolerant minister who's son drives a "God Mobile". The hateful Vice-Principle. The one teacher that they can always to go for help. The Bully.
Then there is the CAT class. An elective on Contempory American Thought where all subjects are open for discussion, much to the dismay of Dave who can't get it through his thick skull that there is more than one way to believe. Throw in one mother who is dead, another who ran away, a mental dad and you've got it.
I laughed and cried, wanted to hug and comfort. I also wanted to hide. I didn't want to believe that parents and kids could be this cruel. I loved the car and the relationship the minister had with his son. There were several "huh" moments where I had to stop and think. This is a novel about friendship, courage, perserverance and hope.
I checked this out of the library but it is well worth having in your personal library.
content warning there is a suicide attempt and an abortion discussion with the kids going over the "when does life begin" argument. Also one of the dad's is seriously mental so there is violence. (scare tactics, car jacking, knife to the throat) it fit in with the story.
amazon.com's buy link
Amazon.com Sales Rank, as of 8-22: #27,961 in Books
#2 in Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Crutcher, Chris
#2 in Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Crutcher, Chris
#7 in Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Dysfunctional Relationships
1 comment:
Sounds like an interesting read!
I nominated your blog for an award on my blog.
http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/2009/08/hush-hush-contest-winner-bbaw-and-tons.html
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