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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Allison Freeman
APA Citation:
Crutcher, C. (2002). Whale Talk. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.
Genre: Sports, Realistic Fiction
Format: Print
Selection Process: School Library Journal review
Adams, L. (2001). Whale Talk. Horn Book Magazine, 77(3), 320-321.
Review:
T. J. (The Tao) Jones is an adopted, talented mixed-race athlete living in a small town in the Northwest. He attends high school at Cutter High School where most of the athletes are arrogant and more concerned with winning then athleticism, including ex-football player Rich Marshall. This is precisely why T. J. has avoided joining any of the organized sports teams at Cutter until Mr. Simet, T. J.’s English teacher, asks him to help him start a swimming team. T. J. was a skilled swimmer when he was younger and is the only one that can swim let alone be able to help him start and to train a team of new swimmers. T. J. accepts only if by the end of the season that all of the swimmers earn a letterman jacket. Mr. Simet and T. J. begin recruiting and gather a team of ragtag outsiders. T. J. recruits Chris Coughlin who is mentally challenged and bullied daily by football players such as Mike Barbour (football star) because he wears his dead brothers letterman jacket. He wants to help Chris win his own jacket and show the Mike Barbour’s and Rich Marshall’s of the world what he is capable of. The other guys recruited to the team include Dan Hole (intelligent smart aleck), Tay-Roy Kibble (gentle giant bodybuilder extraordinaire), Andy Mott (paraplegic psychopath), Jackie Craig (quiet loner) and Simon Delong (overweight nice guy).
Through long, arduous practices to learn how to swim at the local All Night Fitness center (Cutter doesn’t have a swimming pool), T. J. and the All Night Mermen are made stronger physically and emotionally. T. J. may have it all together in the pool but life is more complicated outside of the pool. When he began his quest to help his Mermen earn their letter jackets, he also began a war against the status quo of the Cutter athletic world thus making Mike Barbour and Rich Marshall his sworn enemies. Matters don’t improve when Georgia Brown, T. J.’s therapist, asks his adoptive parents to take in Heidi, Rich Marshall’s mixed race stepdaughter, who has been verbally and physically abused by her racist stepfather. In the end, the Mermen are granted their letterman jackets and Heidi is given a chance at a better life away from her abusive stepfather but not before a disastrous decision on Rich Marshall’s part flips T. J.’s world upside down and back again.
Whale Talk was just the right mixture of athleticism, realistic issues and hope-filled endings. Chris Crutcher described the strength and endurance needed to be a swimmer accurately throughout the book. He also described the struggles of his many characters, which were often harsh, but often a reality for people who are different. T. J. and Heidi dealt with racist comments and physical abuse by Rich Marshall and other racist characters. Many of the Mermen dealt with obesity, loneliness, disabilities and other issues that alienated them from the rest of society and the other students at their high school. Mike Barbour and Rich Marshall preyed on these characters to bully and humiliate them. All of the Mermen found solace and friendship with their fellow teammates and were able to rise above their issues to find acceptance in themselves and the strength to accept others. The story had a tearjerker climax but amid the tears was an ending filled with hope for T. J.’s future and the futures of the other protagonists involved in the story. Whale Talk was hard to read at times because of the horrifying and sometimes graphic nature of some of the events like when Heidi tries to scrape her black skin off with a Brillo pad but even with moments like these it was hard to stop reading. The story was humorous, emotional, disturbing, uplifting and crushing but with all of the ups and down it ended on a hopeful note. Recommend
APA Citation:
Crutcher, C. (2002). Whale Talk. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.
Genre: Sports, Realistic Fiction
Format: Print
Selection Process: School Library Journal review
Adams, L. (2001). Whale Talk. Horn Book Magazine, 77(3), 320-321.
Review:
T. J. (The Tao) Jones is an adopted, talented mixed-race athlete living in a small town in the Northwest. He attends high school at Cutter High School where most of the athletes are arrogant and more concerned with winning then athleticism, including ex-football player Rich Marshall. This is precisely why T. J. has avoided joining any of the organized sports teams at Cutter until Mr. Simet, T. J.’s English teacher, asks him to help him start a swimming team. T. J. was a skilled swimmer when he was younger and is the only one that can swim let alone be able to help him start and to train a team of new swimmers. T. J. accepts only if by the end of the season that all of the swimmers earn a letterman jacket. Mr. Simet and T. J. begin recruiting and gather a team of ragtag outsiders. T. J. recruits Chris Coughlin who is mentally challenged and bullied daily by football players such as Mike Barbour (football star) because he wears his dead brothers letterman jacket. He wants to help Chris win his own jacket and show the Mike Barbour’s and Rich Marshall’s of the world what he is capable of. The other guys recruited to the team include Dan Hole (intelligent smart aleck), Tay-Roy Kibble (gentle giant bodybuilder extraordinaire), Andy Mott (paraplegic psychopath), Jackie Craig (quiet loner) and Simon Delong (overweight nice guy).
Through long, arduous practices to learn how to swim at the local All Night Fitness center (Cutter doesn’t have a swimming pool), T. J. and the All Night Mermen are made stronger physically and emotionally. T. J. may have it all together in the pool but life is more complicated outside of the pool. When he began his quest to help his Mermen earn their letter jackets, he also began a war against the status quo of the Cutter athletic world thus making Mike Barbour and Rich Marshall his sworn enemies. Matters don’t improve when Georgia Brown, T. J.’s therapist, asks his adoptive parents to take in Heidi, Rich Marshall’s mixed race stepdaughter, who has been verbally and physically abused by her racist stepfather. In the end, the Mermen are granted their letterman jackets and Heidi is given a chance at a better life away from her abusive stepfather but not before a disastrous decision on Rich Marshall’s part flips T. J.’s world upside down and back again.
Whale Talk was just the right mixture of athleticism, realistic issues and hope-filled endings. Chris Crutcher described the strength and endurance needed to be a swimmer accurately throughout the book. He also described the struggles of his many characters, which were often harsh, but often a reality for people who are different. T. J. and Heidi dealt with racist comments and physical abuse by Rich Marshall and other racist characters. Many of the Mermen dealt with obesity, loneliness, disabilities and other issues that alienated them from the rest of society and the other students at their high school. Mike Barbour and Rich Marshall preyed on these characters to bully and humiliate them. All of the Mermen found solace and friendship with their fellow teammates and were able to rise above their issues to find acceptance in themselves and the strength to accept others. The story had a tearjerker climax but amid the tears was an ending filled with hope for T. J.’s future and the futures of the other protagonists involved in the story. Whale Talk was hard to read at times because of the horrifying and sometimes graphic nature of some of the events like when Heidi tries to scrape her black skin off with a Brillo pad but even with moments like these it was hard to stop reading. The story was humorous, emotional, disturbing, uplifting and crushing but with all of the ups and down it ended on a hopeful note. Recommend
(Taken from a reaction post for class; Chris Crowe refers to the author of an article examining the changing face of YA sports novels.)
Upon finishing Whale Talk, I had exactly the reaction that Chris Crowe disliked—“this is more than just a sports book!” Having little experience with YA sports literature (besides The Contender), and little interest in sports themselves, I chose Whale Talk in order to read something out of my comfort zone, something that appealed to sports-loving boys and reluctant readers. I wasn’t expecting the book to be so gripping! Even just considering the sports aspect, it’s exciting to read about a tense struggle to succeed, about a team’s training and camaraderie and the personal satisfaction they get from a sport. While a sports-loving teen may get another layer of satisfaction from a sports novel, readers do not need to care about sports to enjoy the novel.
I especially loved how Whale Talk treated racism and other forms of prejudice. As a review on GoodReads put it, racism is a major aspect of Whale Talk, but Whale Talk is not about racism. While “problem novels” have their place, they can start to feel preachy or overly depressing when all they’re focused on is the problem. The horror of Heidi scrubbing off her skin because of her own father’s bigotry hits us even harder because we’re not expecting unbelievable racism just from reading the back cover of the book. And the fact that T.J. has experienced enough racism that’s he’s used to it, that he can frankly talk about how his teammates have it worse, is painful to read.
Speaking of serious issues treated well, I adored the character of Georgia Brown and how therapy was realistically treated in the novel. I wasn’t surprised to find out that Chris Crutcher is a therapist; he avoids the traps that authors often fall into, such as acting like needing therapy is failure and portraying mental health professionals as villains who just want to eradicate children’s personalities by drugging children into oblivion.
As for character growth, I adored T.J. as a protagonist and suspect teens would, too. He’s smart, sarcastic, and his narration doesn’t shy away from tough topics. His growth as a character, as he figures out how to really beat the bullies and becomes close to his outcast teammates, is very well handled. He may be more together than many teens, but he feels very realistic. His relationship with his father is wonderful—and his father, driven by regret, is a great character in his own right.
In sum, I would highly recommend this book to any teen, especially those who have faced racism or who feel like outcasts.
Upon finishing Whale Talk, I had exactly the reaction that Chris Crowe disliked—“this is more than just a sports book!” Having little experience with YA sports literature (besides The Contender), and little interest in sports themselves, I chose Whale Talk in order to read something out of my comfort zone, something that appealed to sports-loving boys and reluctant readers. I wasn’t expecting the book to be so gripping! Even just considering the sports aspect, it’s exciting to read about a tense struggle to succeed, about a team’s training and camaraderie and the personal satisfaction they get from a sport. While a sports-loving teen may get another layer of satisfaction from a sports novel, readers do not need to care about sports to enjoy the novel.
I especially loved how Whale Talk treated racism and other forms of prejudice. As a review on GoodReads put it, racism is a major aspect of Whale Talk, but Whale Talk is not about racism. While “problem novels” have their place, they can start to feel preachy or overly depressing when all they’re focused on is the problem. The horror of Heidi scrubbing off her skin because of her own father’s bigotry hits us even harder because we’re not expecting unbelievable racism just from reading the back cover of the book. And the fact that T.J. has experienced enough racism that’s he’s used to it, that he can frankly talk about how his teammates have it worse, is painful to read.
Speaking of serious issues treated well, I adored the character of Georgia Brown and how therapy was realistically treated in the novel. I wasn’t surprised to find out that Chris Crutcher is a therapist; he avoids the traps that authors often fall into, such as acting like needing therapy is failure and portraying mental health professionals as villains who just want to eradicate children’s personalities by drugging children into oblivion.
As for character growth, I adored T.J. as a protagonist and suspect teens would, too. He’s smart, sarcastic, and his narration doesn’t shy away from tough topics. His growth as a character, as he figures out how to really beat the bullies and becomes close to his outcast teammates, is very well handled. He may be more together than many teens, but he feels very realistic. His relationship with his father is wonderful—and his father, driven by regret, is a great character in his own right.
Spoiler
The shocking violence of his father's death was painful. (I’m not sure if I love the ending—although it was very much built up to, it felt out of place after the false ending of Chris winning the team their letter jackets. I’ll think on that.)In sum, I would highly recommend this book to any teen, especially those who have faced racism or who feel like outcasts.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
just, listen. just everybody read this book. it will take like a day! but man, you will wish you read it when you were seventeen. even though it's about sports! jesus! it's so good.
I was strangely interested in this book. What was strange about it was that this book wasn't my typical genre of book I'd read. But I read it.
At first I dismissed the book as something about a swimming team with no pool, racism, and letterman jackets. It turned out to be much more than that. You learn about the backstory of each member of the swim team as time goes on. This was a big plus for me because I'm sort of picky when books are lacking character development. The achievements they made and they obstacles they had to overcome were great.
I mean, this is a book about a swim team that “...consisted of one swimmer of color, a representative from each extreme of the educational spectrum, a muscle man, a giant, a chameleon, and a one-legged psychopath. When I envision us walking seven abreast through the halls of Cutter High, decked out in the sacred blue and gold, my heart swells.” Don't you want to know how it ends?
At first I dismissed the book as something about a swimming team with no pool, racism, and letterman jackets. It turned out to be much more than that. You learn about the backstory of each member of the swim team as time goes on. This was a big plus for me because I'm sort of picky when books are lacking character development. The achievements they made and they obstacles they had to overcome were great.
I mean, this is a book about a swim team that “...consisted of one swimmer of color, a representative from each extreme of the educational spectrum, a muscle man, a giant, a chameleon, and a one-legged psychopath. When I envision us walking seven abreast through the halls of Cutter High, decked out in the sacred blue and gold, my heart swells.” Don't you want to know how it ends?
Preview at the (book) supplier http://wp.me/p1D93k-rY
This book was touching and compelling - I read it in one sitting. I recommend it if you are looking for a quick read, but one that really grabs you. Even the characterization of the team's bus driver is very observant and thoughtful - the misfits just keep adopting more misfits. I found myself rooting for the team with every page turn, celebrating every little victory. (Whether it was a swimming victory, or a social victory like someone finding a sense of belonging and safety with the Mermen.)
I rate it as a five because of the strong emotional responses to which it brought me. The afternoon that I read it, I sat down after class on the hill by Kirk-pond (sorta the student commons of GVSU) and I wound up crying in public, twice. Books don't usually do that to me. The second time, I was sobbing. It was a heart-wrenching/warming moment at the same time! Without trying to spoil anything here, it was both cathartic and painful because the character involved made a huge sacrifice, but it represented a lot of growth for him; he was able to finally free himself of some heartache and self-condemnation that had been troubling him for a very long time, but it came at a very high cost.
I've read this 3 times now, and it still has not lost its hold on me.
I rate it as a five because of the strong emotional responses to which it brought me. The afternoon that I read it, I sat down after class on the hill by Kirk-pond (sorta the student commons of GVSU) and I wound up crying in public, twice. Books don't usually do that to me. The second time, I was sobbing. It was a heart-wrenching/warming moment at the same time! Without trying to spoil anything here, it was both cathartic and painful because the character involved made a huge sacrifice, but it represented a lot of growth for him; he was able to finally free himself of some heartache and self-condemnation that had been troubling him for a very long time, but it came at a very high cost.
I've read this 3 times now, and it still has not lost its hold on me.
Just read two YA novels back to back this evening. Both books I read had back cover blurbs about kids trying to get the jackets that were worn by the kids who rule the school. I wasn't sure how different they would be. The first one was meh. This one--wow. The narrator's voice grabbed me from the get-go. T.J. may be wise beyond his years, but his wisdom is balanced by a more typical teenaged impulsivity and hotheadedness. All characters are distinctly developed, and the interwoven tragedies all hurt my heart. I think if you described the protagonists--multiple victims of abuse, a person of color in Eastern Washington, a one legged guy, fat guy, homeless guy, mute guy and brain damaged guy--you'd think the author was trying too hard. But he makes it work He makes the boringly healthy love interest work. He makes the side story of the little girl with the racist asshole dad work. He brings in domestic violence and freedom of speech. My taste in YA runs towards high fantasy and dystopia, but I will be looking for other works by Crutcher.
Not sure what's up with the white guy on the cover, now that I think of it. Oh well.
Not sure what's up with the white guy on the cover, now that I think of it. Oh well.
Possibly one of the most disturbing novels for young people that I have read. That may sound odd, as it's not as overtly "dark" as some of the other ones out there, but the violence that goes on in this book--especially directed at children--wow. This may not be inherently bad, as I know we do live in a world where people do incredibly ugly things, but this one will be difficult to get over. I hope that it tells some stories that may be helpful for teens who have endured similar horrors. Just because stories are hard to tell and uncomfortable to read does not mean they should not be told. Definitely a challenge.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- oh boy
- well let me first say i liked the writing style and pacing!
- this book is ostensibly about a boy who assembles a swim team of misfits in order to stick it to the jocks at his school
- and i did really enjoy the swim team parts of the book! loved seeing the members of the team bond and become friends (even if their "therapy sessions" felt a little degrassi-after-school-special at times)
- but holy shit i was not expecting... literally everything else
- particularly the scenes of graphic racist child abuse! i don't know if i have ever had a harder time reading anything before in my life
- at a certain point it just felt gratuitous
- and the ending????? was just one jarring come-the-fuck-on moment after another and imo they did not contribute to the story beyond shock value
- there were also a few female characters who were being abused by their male partners but the way this was framed by the author felt a little like "well. she's just going to keep going back to him what can ya do!"
- like not 100% victim-blamey but really really toeing the line
- and i haven't even touched on the therapist that just lets tj waltz in on a session with a client!
- but anyway. there you have it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism