Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2009. 220 pp. ISBN 9780061771316


READER'S ANNOTATION  
Putting together a swim team composed of the most unlikely members, and then winning meets together and sticking it to the jocks and naysayers -- how cool would that be? 

GENRE
Realistic Fiction

SUMMARY
High school senior T.J. Jones, of mixed African-American, Japanese-American, and white ethnicity, was a prominent swimmer in his younger years.  He has avoided organized competition in recent years, however.  That is, until his beloved English teacher, Mr. Simet, approaches him for help with starting a school sports team.  T.J. decides to start a swim team, planning to use it as an example to the jocks and others who bully students in the school who don't fit the prescribed mold in some way.  In particular, he wants to use the team as a vehicle for Chris Coughlin, a developmentally delayed student who has been harrassed for wearing his late brother's letterman jacket, to earn his own jacket.  T. J. thus assembles a team of non-swimmers, each member with a different personality and personal issue.  As they train, they come to know each other and give their all to pursuing their common athletic dream.

EVALUATION
I found T.J. to be very inspiring in his convictions and follow-through.  Both adults and teens can learn much from this character.  Despite the anger that T.J. felt as a young child -- resulting from his biological mother's abuse of him -- and still deals with as a teen, T.J. does the right thing in most situations.  Although he does seem a little too perfect at moments, I think his self-awareness and approach to life are conceivable for an intelligent teen who's been through as much therapy as he has.  I would have liked to read more about his relationship with Carly, as it did seem unrealistic that two high schoolers would have such a hermonious relationship, but then Carly isn't the focus of the story.   And this is positive too; Crutcher's lack of focus on T.J.'s relationship with Carly hopefully demonstrates to teens that being in love shouldn't take over one's life, that one should remain one's own person with one's own interests and goals and friends outside of the relationship.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book should be helpful to any teen who is being bullied or who has been told they can't do something which they desire to achieve.  It should encourage teens to believe in themselves.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
The idea of creating a swim team from non-swimmers sounded intriguing.

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak [sound recording], by Laurie Halse Anderson. Read by Mandy Siegfried. New York: Random House/Listening Library, 2004. 5 CDs (72 min. each). ISBN 1400089980


READER'S ANNOTATION
Something happened at that party last summer, and Melinda still hasn't told anybody about it.

GENRE
Realistic Fiction

SUMMARY
Ninth grader Melinda Sordino memorably narrates her own story, and we meet her on her first day of high school.  We learn that over the preceeding summer she called the police to a party that she attended, although we do not find out the reason why she made this call until the latter half of the book.  For making this call and its consequences to party-goers, her best friends have dumped her and she starts the school year completely alone.  Melinda finds herself unable to speak to anyone, neither parents nor former friends, about why she made the call.  There are a few bright spots in her life, however, the most notable one being her art class, which is taught by a caring teacher who encourages her to express herself. Throughout this incredibly tough year, Melinda manages to maintain a wonderfully dry sense of humor and wit.      

EVALUATION
I have met few literary characters as engaging as Melinda.  She is equally capable of believably expressing sarcasm and wonderment, and everything in between.  Anderson describes her emotions, from  fear to moments of joy, palpably.  Anderson's descriptions of Melinda's feelings while eating alone in the lunchroom, for example, are spot on for anyone who's ever experienced that kind of isolation.  The plot of the novel  is fairly simple, consisting of the day-to-day school and home life of Melinda; the interest of this story is in Melinda's observations and interpretations of the actions of people around her. Readers will definitely find themselves rooting for Melinda, as she goes through her cocoon phase, and then grows, slowly at first and then more bravely, gathering strength and some new information which lets her know that she is not alone in her experience, that there are others to whom she matters, and that she is indeed strong.  Because I drive a lot, I listened to the unabridged audio version of Speak, read by Mandy Siegfried. I most highly recommend it.  Siegfried strikes Melinda’s various tones so perfectly and naturally, that I think it adds another level of richness to the narrative.  The aspect of this book which could be controversial to some is its discussion of rape.  However, Melinda's rape is described much more in terms of her emotional response to it, and not in terms of the physical act itself.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
I feel that Speak can help teens who have survived sexual assault, by letting them know that they are not alone in their feelings and response. Hopefully, reading about Melinda's year of isolation will encourage survivors to speak up sooner rather than later, to a trusted adult or friend.   

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
I had read rave reviews of this novel.