Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Candlewick, 2003. 256 pages. ISBN-10: 0763619582. ISBN-13: 978-0763619589.Plot:
Virginia has never really felt like she fits in with the rest of her perfect family. They are all dark-haired, slim, attractive, and brilliant. She is blond, plain, and terrible at French. She’s also overweight, which she and her family think is the worst difference of all. Self-conscious about her size, she hides in baggy clothes and withdraws from everyone at the school. Since her best friend moved to Washington, that means that Virginia doesn’t have any friends left in her school. She does, however, have a secret boy, Froggy. Though she and Froggy spend every Monday making out in her room, she follows her “Fat Girl Code of Conduct” and avoids him in public, thinking that he wouldn’t want to be seen with her. In order to be worthy of Froggy and her family, Virginia decides she must lose weight and begins a diet that makes her unhealthy and miserable.
When Virginia’s older brother, whom she idolizes, is suspended from school after being accused of date raping a girl, she starts to realize that maybe her family isn’t so perfect after all. She begins to branch out and start to accept her differences. Instead of trying to be perfect, she decides to try to be an individual. Though this causes some strain in her family, Virginia believes that it is worth it to become her own person.
Critical Evaluation:
Mackler manages the difficult task of writing a narrator who is insecure and unhappy with herself, but who isn’t whiny or self-pitying. Virginia is humorous, likable, and sympathetic. She’s sarcastic and self-deprecating, but she’s also vulnerable. Her journey towards accepting herself while at the same time improving herself in a healthy way is an admirable example for readers. She isn’t an unrealistic example, however. She makes many mistakes along the way, she hurts people, and she hurts herself, but she learns and she accepts her faults. By the end of the book, her life isn’t perfect, but it’s promising.
Mackler’s writing maintains a conversational style, but without stylistically delving into too many sentence fragments or grammatical errors. The result of this is a book written in the voice of a bright teenager, one that both teenagers and adults can enjoy. Mackler doesn’t shy away from sensitive material. She addresses the body image issue with honesty. Her inclusion of the date rape and her focus on how it affects Virginia’s family dynamic is a bold choice. Their reactions to the rape are defining moments for each of the characters, particularly Virginia, as it is the catalyst for changing the way she views herself and her family in relation to each other.
This is a book that offers both an entertaining storyline and good message. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who was struggling to find their place in their family, no matter the reason.
Reader's Annotation:
Virginia has never felt like she really fits in with her slim, beautiful, and talented family, so she sets out to change that. Along the way, she learns to accept herself as she is.
Author Information:
Carolyn Mackler was born July 13, 1973 in Manhattan. Her family relocated several times, but eventually settled in Brockport, New York. Many of her novels are set in the areas of New York where she lived. She was interested in writing from an early age and even started a newspaper at the age of four. She would dictate her stories to her mother, who would then write them down. She attended Vassar and earned an Art History degree. After graduating, she moved to Seattle, but soon returned to New York. She currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and son.
Much of her inspiration for her characters comes from her own experience as a teenager. In 5th grade, Mackler began to feel like a misfit and an outsider in her school. Things did eventually get better for her, but the experience stuck with her. Many of her characters are misfits looking for their place, like she was. She has published five books for young adults.
Genre:
Chick Lit
Curriculum Ties:
Psychology: Body Image and Self Acceptance
Booktalking Ideas:
- Discuss feeling different from your family
- Introduce Virginia in the style of one of her lists.
- Talk about learning to accept yourself.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14 and older
Challenge Issues:
Date rape
Sexual content
Anti-family
Unsuited to age group
Challenge Defense Ideas:
- Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
- If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
- Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
- Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.
Reasons for Selection:
It has an important message of self-acceptance that hasn't been lost on teenagers, given the number of letters the author has received on the subject.
