Module 7: My Louisiana Sky and Fat Kid Rules the World

Citation:

Willis, Kimberly. My Louisiana sky. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 1998. Print.

Summary:

Tiger Ann is the daughter of two mentally challenged parents.  The three of them live with her grandmother.  She is coming of age in an unusual situation that becomes dramatically more so with the death of her grandmother.  She has to choose between a life caring for her parents in a small town or with her sophisticated (to her) aunt in the city.

Personal Impression:

I found this to be a sweet tale.  Unfortunately, it happens often that a child has to grow up to fast in order to care for a parent that is incapable of truly parenting.  In this instance, there reason is not bad choices, simply nature.  Tiger Ann shows true grit and compassion with her choices as well as her youth and inexperience.  

Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly

In this "unusually auspicious debut," a girl living in a small Louisiana town in 1957 must choose whether to care for her mentally slow parents or to move in with a glamorous aunt in Baton Rouge. "The author presents and handles a sticky dilemma with remarkable grace," said PW in a starred review. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc

Retrieved from Amazon.com; http://www.amazon.com/Louisiana-Sky-Kimberly-Willis-Holt/dp/0312660952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303144743&sr=1-1

Set in central Louisiana in the 1950s, this lyrical first novel brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled. Tiger Ann’s parents are “retarded,” and her love for them is mixed with shame, especially when the local kids jeer at her simple, childlike mother. Strong Granny keeps them together in their small, rough house in central Louisiana; but then Granny dies suddenly, and 12-year-old Tiger is tempted to take up an offer from her worldly aunt, Dorie Kay, and move with her to Baton Rouge. Of course, we know that in the end Tiger will not abandon her home, but her spare first-person narrative is full of surprise as she discovers complicated secrets about family and responsibility. Why did Dorie Kay leave town? What was the tension between her and Granny? All the characters, including Tiger’s parents, are drawn with warmth but no patronizing reverence. First-novelist Holt knows this place: its cruel segregation and abuse as well as its loving support. Tiger must give up being a child, but she finds courage in her Louisiana home. — Hazel Rochman

Retrieved from Booklist Online; http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=259068

Suggestions in a Library Setting:

Much of the novel revolves around the fact that it is in Louisiana during a certain time period.  This book would be an excellent choice for a showcase of the state.  It could also be used in a school library in conjunction with social studies on the time period as a demonstration of what it was like before civil rights even though that is not truly the focus in the book, it does permeate it.  

Citation:

Going, Kelly L. Fat kid rules the world. Putnam Pub Group, 2003. Print.

Summary:

Troy is fat.  That fact rules his life.  Everything in his mind revolves around that one simple statement.  As a teenager, it is an unforgivable sin especially in New York where appearance is everything.  Enter Curt MacCrae, an apparent punk scene guitar god who sees past the miserable fact of Troy's size to the person within.  Even though Curt is far from perfect, he changes Troy's life for the better and helps him to get past the fat.

Personal Impression:

I have shared Troy's problem since mid-high school.  As a teenager, dwelling on problems comes naturally as does being so totally absorbed in your own internal world that you miss everything around you.  I think the book has a good message though I find it hard to believe that anyone is as totally self-absorbed as Troy.  

Reviews:

His name is Troy, but to the world--and in his internal dialogues--he is the Fat Kid. Really Fat. Almost 300 pounds of sweating, unhappy insecurity. Then out of a moment of despair comes magic. As Troy considers whether to splatter himself on a subway track, Curt MacCrae, a charismatic punk rocker/homeless kid/dropout, comes along and stops him. For the price of a meal, Curt befriends Troy, and he sees something under all those layers: a potential musician, a friend, and someone with the ability to see through life’s bull. First-time novelist Going has put together an amazing assortment of characters. Troy is the ultimate fat kid, the kind whose every move, every thought is predicated on what it is like to wear a coat of blubber. Curt, as thin as Troy is fat, is a combination of Kurt Cobain, Ratso Rizzo, and a fairy godfather. He sprinkles Troy with the dirt and grime of punk rock and brings out the prince hiding inside the weight (to the book’s credit, Troy doesn’t get any thinner). Equally well drawn are the lesser characters, including Troy’s father, a former Marine with an innate sense of what kids need. The narrative could have been tighter in places, but this is an impressive debut that offers hope for all kids--dross transmuted into gold. — Ilene Cooper

Retrieved from Booklist Online; http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=216172

GOING,K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. Putnam. Tr $17.99. ISBN 0-399-23990-1. Gr 8 Up–An unlikely friendship buds between 296-pound loner Troy Billings and punk-guitarist Curt MacCrae, two troubled teens who share a love of music. Told with humor and a great deal of heart, this powerhouse of a novel will resonate with teens. (May)

Retrieved from School Library Journal; http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA339559.html

Suggestions in a Library Setting:

This novel is a good example of seeing inside someone else's head.  Stereotypes are prevalent in our society.  It would be a good book to use for a reading program that focuses young adults on people who are subjected to negative environments because of stereotyping like the obese, homosexuals, and minorities.  If this type of program started while relatively young it might curb the amount of bullying issues later in puberty.