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daniellejones 's review for:
Whale Talk
by Chris Crutcher
I had put off reading any Chris Crutcher as I had been given the impression that he writes for boys who are into sports. True he is a good recommendation for "boys who are into sports", but he is such a strong writer who uses strong realistic characters, humor, irony, and symbolism to weave his tales that not encouraging others to read him is just plain shameful. (So o.k. I am not an expert on all his books as this is the first on that I have read, I just am a little excited about Crutcher, and can't wait to read more of his work.)
T.J. is high school senior of mixed race with adopted parents growing up in rural Washington. Athletically gifted he has never participated in any high school sports. When a favorite English teacher approaches him about starting up a school swim team, T.J. sees it as a means to irritate the male jocks in his school that he believes have way too much clout. He is able to get a “motley crew” of seven together, and the story is off.
Whale Talk is so much more than a sports story. There is humor, pain, healing, and loss, and it is filled with characters to root for, characters you come to love, and of course, bad guys. Rarely in youth fiction are there strong adult characters that are palatable, but Crutcher is magical in the way he brings them into the story in a believable way that they are strong role models without being saccharine.
What can I say, I am a bit crushed out on a writing style, especially one that continually gave me goose bumps, and left me with a good set.
T.J. is high school senior of mixed race with adopted parents growing up in rural Washington. Athletically gifted he has never participated in any high school sports. When a favorite English teacher approaches him about starting up a school swim team, T.J. sees it as a means to irritate the male jocks in his school that he believes have way too much clout. He is able to get a “motley crew” of seven together, and the story is off.
Whale Talk is so much more than a sports story. There is humor, pain, healing, and loss, and it is filled with characters to root for, characters you come to love, and of course, bad guys. Rarely in youth fiction are there strong adult characters that are palatable, but Crutcher is magical in the way he brings them into the story in a believable way that they are strong role models without being saccharine.
What can I say, I am a bit crushed out on a writing style, especially one that continually gave me goose bumps, and left me with a good set.