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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4Q 4P JS
T.J. Jones is teenager living in Washington state. He has a great girlfriend, good grades, and gets along with his adoptive parents most of the time. He’s athletic, but chooses to abstain from organized sports until he gets talked into starting a swim team. He puts together a group of unlikely athletes, much to the annoyance of the other athletes who think that they are making a mockery of sports. At his high school, earning a letterman’s jacket is the highest honor one can achieve, so the possibility that the swim team will be wearing the same precious coat as the football team does not go over well.
T.J. and the other mermen travel long distances to the swim meets and get to know each other. Though no one but T.J. is particularly good at swimming, they all work hard and get progressively better throughout the season. However, the other sports teams are determined to prevent the team from claiming their hard-earned letter jackets.
I think that many teens would be able to relate to this novel. Though I pretty much don’t care about sports and have a tendency to glaze over long descriptions of athletic activity, I’m sure that a lot of guys and some girls would find it engaging. Underdog sports teams always have a certain appeal, but this one was different because they weren’t really competing against another team, but against their own swimming time and against other students at their own school. Chris Crutcher portrays people who have had devastating experiences that shape their character. Some of them choose to grow from those experiences, while others take out their anger and frustration on others. He deals with difficult topics, like racism, death, and domestic abuse, in a straightforward way. I was reminded of Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, because both narrators are minorities in Washington state who are determined to succeed, despite the unsupportive environment.
T.J. Jones is teenager living in Washington state. He has a great girlfriend, good grades, and gets along with his adoptive parents most of the time. He’s athletic, but chooses to abstain from organized sports until he gets talked into starting a swim team. He puts together a group of unlikely athletes, much to the annoyance of the other athletes who think that they are making a mockery of sports. At his high school, earning a letterman’s jacket is the highest honor one can achieve, so the possibility that the swim team will be wearing the same precious coat as the football team does not go over well.
T.J. and the other mermen travel long distances to the swim meets and get to know each other. Though no one but T.J. is particularly good at swimming, they all work hard and get progressively better throughout the season. However, the other sports teams are determined to prevent the team from claiming their hard-earned letter jackets.
I think that many teens would be able to relate to this novel. Though I pretty much don’t care about sports and have a tendency to glaze over long descriptions of athletic activity, I’m sure that a lot of guys and some girls would find it engaging. Underdog sports teams always have a certain appeal, but this one was different because they weren’t really competing against another team, but against their own swimming time and against other students at their own school. Chris Crutcher portrays people who have had devastating experiences that shape their character. Some of them choose to grow from those experiences, while others take out their anger and frustration on others. He deals with difficult topics, like racism, death, and domestic abuse, in a straightforward way. I was reminded of Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, because both narrators are minorities in Washington state who are determined to succeed, despite the unsupportive environment.
I haven't had a day recently where I got to sit down with the sole purpose of starting and finishing a novel, and I kind of feel like this wasn't a great one to do that with.
It's not that I didn't like [b:Whale Talk|6716186|Whale Talk|Chris Crutcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438137257l/6716186._SX50_.jpg|2291193], just that it seemed to be missing some elements. While there was a strong plot and a lot of character development, there just didn't seem to be a lot for the characters to develop from. There also wasn't much conflict, and the book just kind of ended when things were resolved, but lacked the central part.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this. There is a time and place for feel-good sports and academic stories, and I'm definitely at a place in my life where I need that right now. This book had everything I love about underdog movies like Stand and Deliver or McFarland, USA. Maybe it just doesn't come across as strong in book form, when the conflicts all seem more arbitrary or instantly solved.
I did enjoy this, but it's not necessarily a book I would read again. It was a little too nothing of a book compared to other books in the genre.
It's not that I didn't like [b:Whale Talk|6716186|Whale Talk|Chris Crutcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438137257l/6716186._SX50_.jpg|2291193], just that it seemed to be missing some elements. While there was a strong plot and a lot of character development, there just didn't seem to be a lot for the characters to develop from. There also wasn't much conflict, and the book just kind of ended when things were resolved, but lacked the central part.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this. There is a time and place for feel-good sports and academic stories, and I'm definitely at a place in my life where I need that right now. This book had everything I love about underdog movies like Stand and Deliver or McFarland, USA. Maybe it just doesn't come across as strong in book form, when the conflicts all seem more arbitrary or instantly solved.
I did enjoy this, but it's not necessarily a book I would read again. It was a little too nothing of a book compared to other books in the genre.
T.J., whose real name is The Tao, was born into a home with a mother who was addicted to crank and crack. T.J. is black, Japanese, and white. Despite growing up with anger issues, he has channeled his rage and grown into an attractive, athletic, smart, and witty (often sarcastic), young man. Despite his athletic ability, he's stayed away from organized sports at school because he despises the jocks, who think they run the school. When T.J. sees Mike, a football star, picking on Chris, a boy with disabilities, he takes action. T.J. forms a swim team of outcasts in opposition to the "cool" jocks at the school. Chris is T.J's first recruit for a swim team of misfits: "a representative from each extreme of the educational spectrum, a muscle man, a giant, a chameleon, and a psychopath." This would be a great novel for classroom use because it addresses self-identity and what it means to be a misfit.
Read this book for an adolescent literacy class and loved it! I had not read Chris Crutcher before but I will definitely be looking into his other books. This one was definitely heavy but I think teenagers could appreciate that. it also dealt with a lot of issues that today's youth deal with. I recommend this book!
Better than I would have guessed. And not as trite as the description makes it sound.
This book made me cry near the end. Then again. Then AGAIN. I truly think this is one of my favorite YA (?) novels. It speaks to true human emotions and experiences, and although not being entirely relatable to *me*, brings these experiences to light in a way that allows for acknowledgment, empathy, and understanding. In demonstrating some extraordinary lives (for both better and worse), readers learn that everyone has a story, and sometimes those stories are not simply good or bad. We as humans are a culmination of our experiences, and we need to remember that as we look at others who may be in different situations foreign to our own.
Aside from the interwoven lessons, I actually think this book contains a good sense of humor and some great characters. T.J. is written well as the main character and I admire his tenacity when it comes to selflessly standing up for his beliefs. I also think most of the other characters were woven into the narrative nicely and contributed to the plot in their own ways. Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants a short but emotional read!
Aside from the interwoven lessons, I actually think this book contains a good sense of humor and some great characters. T.J. is written well as the main character and I admire his tenacity when it comes to selflessly standing up for his beliefs. I also think most of the other characters were woven into the narrative nicely and contributed to the plot in their own ways. Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants a short but emotional read!
One of the BEST reads ever! If you love the sport of swimming, misfits finding a place to belong, and the bittersweet lessons of life, you'll love this too. Set in my neck of the woods, it hit me where I live. It was in the YA section of my library. Should be shelved more visibly; about teens, but very adult reading..
I chose this book for my banned book choice mainly because I saw the author speak at the (formerly) VEMA conference last fall and had intended to read some of his books but hadn't yet. I loved this book and read both it and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes today. I like how Crutcher approaches sensitive topics and spins them into tales that are interesting to teens. The characters are ones that the reader can relate to and his writing style is easy to read. In addition, he is hilarious -I laughted out loud many times while reading today, especially with his use of similes -some of his comparisons are just so funny. That being said, I did not particularly care for how this book ended and it made me cry too. I can see why this is one of the top 100 challenged/banned books, however would have no qualms letting my own children read it or Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (which is also in the top 100).
Chris Crutcher is a master. His characters are lifelike, the situations within his books are fraught and dark, but never morbidly so, and there is a sense of hope at the end. Whale Talk deals with the theme of motivation and what drives us forward. Fully recommended.