The Truth or Something: A Novel by Jeanne Willis

Willis, J. (2002). The truth or something: a novel. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-7079-8

Plot Summary

World War II is over, but scrappy, nine-year-old Mick is fighting his own fight in working-class England. His mother is taking them to live by the sea with Harry, who Mick is made to believe is his father come back from the war. Mick frequently has nightmares, which often result in his wetting himself. Through a series of events as Mick grows up, he is forced to live alone, with friends, or with different relatives including Nan, his maternal grandmother. He begins to learn the unsettling truths about his family and the little sister he remembers and whom he once believed his mother sold to the “rag-and-bone man.” Then Mick goes to live with his biological father who is kind at first but then does the unspeakable to Mick. Mick’s bloody revenge on his father forces him to run away from home, which is where the novel actually begins with this gripping first line: “I don’t know if I’ve killed my dad or not.”

Critical Evaluation

This novel, which is based on true events, takes place in working class post-war England. It is depressing and gray, and the bleakness of the land and times creates a melancholy mood, which is mirrored in the mood of the adult characters. In the beginning, Mick seems to be a carefree boy as shown through the child-like first person narration. However, as he grows older and is more aware of circumstances, the narration’s tone changes accordingly, even with humor, to represent his adolescent maturity and understanding. Characterization and setting are further enhanced through the dialect: “I realize my feet are cold but my arse is steaming. Wet myself again” (12). Readers unused to British dialect will quickly become acquainted with words like bloke and wellingtons. Readers will be able to connect with Mick’s changing from a young boy to an adolescent and trying to make a world for himself despite an insecure family, constant change and moving, and damaging events. Mick is determined to not be beaten in life, no matter what. The inconclusive ending is a dose of reality to readers; not everything in life is neatly tied up at the end.

Reader’s Annotation

 

Mick does not know where he fits in in the world. When tragic events happen to him, he is determined to make his place in the world.

 

Author Information

 

Jeanne Willis is most known for her award winning children’s books in the UK. Born in St. Albans, Hertz, United Kingdom, on Bonfire Night in 1959 (that’s November 5^th for those of us on this side of the pond), Willis always had an active imagination. In fact, her teachers and mother were so worried about her that her mother took her to see a doctor. Her creativity helped her with a career in advertising, which ended with her short stay in a psychiatric ward due to stress. It was a very stressful time in the 1980s. The Truth or Something is based on a friend’s triumphant childhood despite his growing up in a very troubled family.

Jeanne Willis currently lives in London, England, with her husband, son, and daughter. She is happy to give speeches, author talks, and workshops in schools, libraries, and bookstores.

For more information about Jeanne Willis, please visit her website. She has an entertaining biography made up of a picture collage:

http://jeannewillis.com/index.html

Genre

Young Adult

Historical Fiction

Coming of Age

Curriculum Ties

1940’s Post WWII Great Britain

Book Talking Ideas

How do you define family? How does a person’s environment affect him? How did WWII affect England?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 15 and up.

Challenge Issues

Sexual Abuse

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Booklist 06/01/02

Publishers Weekly starred 05/20/02

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 06/01/02

Why did I include this title?

This coming of age story grabbed my attention when I first saw the cover (again, judging a book by its cover?). The little boy looks so downtrodden, yet still hopeful. The time period also grabbed my attention. So much of what I have read during this time period has to do with the Holocaust and survival, but this story was about a different kind of survival. So many children are sexually abused, and this story presented it in a very real way. You can’t just get over it. I also appreciated that it has a phone number and website for a helpline for children offering free, confidential counseling service for any child with any problems at any time of the day: www.childhelpusa.org

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, C. (2001). Whale talk. New York: Greenwillow Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-688-18019-5

Plot Summary

T.J. Jones is the articulate mixed-race son of white ex-hippie parents who adopted him after his biological mother got caught up in drugs when he was two. Now a senior at Cutter High School, he is persuaded to form a swim team for his teacher, Mr. Simet, who would rather coach a swim team than be the school’s next wrestling coach. With a group of seemingly misfits, the swim team beats the odds and is successful. Each member of the team is subject to his own conflicts, and each member brings to the team a unique strength. T.J. faces many conflicts along the way including making the team eligible for letter jackets, dealing with racism, and facing bullies. During this time, he meets Heidi, a small, mixed-race girl living in an abusive household. T.J. learns about life with the encouragement and support of his parents and his therapist, Georgia. When tragedy strikes his family, T.J. learns one of life’s most important lessons from his father.

Critical Evaluation

The location of the setting is significant to the plot and characters. Cutter is a fictional town set near Spokane, Washington, which is well known for its white-supremacy attitude. The fact-paced plot is adrenaline packed with swim meets and emotional episodes that cause the reader to think about what it means to be a family. Classic, one-dimension high school characters such as the oppressive bully and worshipped athlete contribute to the conflict. T.J. and his friends are more fully developed, each having their own back-story, conflicts, and motivation. Readers might associate with the feelings of being an outsider and an underdog in school and sports and the need for camaraderie and connection. Furthermore, the language in this first-person narration told by T.J. does not shy away from what could be considered offensive by some. The story is rich in themes, one being, as T.J. says, “to be loud when I run into racism” (3). Other themes include “we take what the universe gives us, and we either get the most out of it or we don’t, but in the end we all go out the same way” (20), and that revenge is never the answer.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

 T.J. and his diverse group of swimmers must overcome odds and obstacles on their road to victory. Meanwhile, T.J. learns some valuable lessons about how to get by in this world despite what life might throw at you.

 

Author Information

 

Chris Crutcher was born July 17, 1946 in Dayton, Ohio. His parents were a WWII bomber pilot and a homemaker, and Crutcher credits the loving relationship he had with them for his ability to think and feel. He was not good in school, however, and the only novel he had read by the time he graduated Eastern Washington State College was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. He received a BA in sociology and psychology, earned a teaching credential, and became a popular, although not very good, teacher. He currently works as a therapist and child protection advocate and uses his life experiences in rural Idaho, urban Oakland, and in the education and mental health fields as inspirations for his writing.

Crutcher currently lives in Spokane, Washington, and enjoys swimming, basketball, running, and music. He often speaks at schools and conferences. Crutcher has won many awards for his writing, and his writing is frequently challenged for its content and language. In a response to a parent’s challenge in 2010 of his novel, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Crutcher writes:

            To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, one of the tough things about standing up against censorship is some of the (crap) you have to stand up for. (And yes, I edited myself - or Mr. Vonnegut - in deference to the complainant.)  But I have been an educator and I have been a therapist for families in particularly tough circumstances and the characters and situations in this book come from real places.  When we ban books about kids who feel marginalized and diminished, we ban the kids themselves.  We say, "Your life is not worth examining, not worth being brought into the light.  You don't matter."  I would want to think long and hard before allowing my school to be perceived in that way. (emphasis mine).

Information was obtained from Chris Crutcher’s website. For more information, please see:

http://www.chriscrutcher.com/

Genre

Young Adult

Reality Fiction

Sports
Swimming
High school
Racially mixed people
Adoption

Racism

Abuse

Curriculum Ties
N/A

Book Talking Ideas

High School sports culture, racism, bullies, adoption

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school seniors; appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

Language, racism, content

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Book Links (A.L.A.) 12/01/02

Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/21/02

Book Report starred 09/01/01

Publishers Weekly starred 03/12/01

Booklist 04/01/01

Books for the Teen Age (NYPL) 05/01/04

Why did I include this title?

This was one of the first Chris Crutcher books I read and it remains one of my favorites. I admire Crutcher to bring to the forefront issues of racism and abuse in a sort of “in your face” kind of way. I have handed Chris Crutcher books to many of my reluctant reader boys and they always ask for another one.

Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

Fehlbaum, B. (2010). Hope in patience. New Jersey: West Side Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-374-37152-4

Plot Summary

When fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher moves to Patience, Texas, she hopes for a better life. After years of sexual abuse from her step-father and blame and hate from her mother, Ashley has a difficult time learning to trust and love her formerly absentee biological father, step-mother, and younger brother. To deal with the pain, Ashley scratches herself, sleeps in her armoire, and emotionally withdraws. Her new therapist helps her deal with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and when she must face her step-father and mother in court, she realizes that even though she has come a long way, there is still a long way to go. Having new friends like Z.Z. and a love interest, Josh, also gives Ashley hope as she continues to heal.

Critical Evaluation

In this sequel to Fehlbaum’s debut novel, Courage in Patience (2008), Ashley’s first person narration offers readers a glimpse into the mind of a sexually abused girl and how difficult it is to heal. A review in Publisher’s Weekly comments, “The story starts slowly, with multiple flashbacks; despite the emotional tension, whether Ashley will continue to heal is never in doubt. Fehlbaum, an abuse survivor herself, doesn't shy away from the brutality Ashley has suffered and the painful road she must walk. Her details are achingly real” (2010). This painful story of overcoming sexual abuse is made even more honest as Fehlbaum does not create a happy-ever-after ending: the step-father never spends a day in jail and the mother never faces the truth about her husband’s actions. Readers will recognize themes of people needing strong support systems to get through life’s hardships and that everyone deserves to be loved.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Ashley Asher has escaped her sexually abusive step-father, but can she escape the feelings and memories that constantly plague her and cause her harm? Ashley learns that there really are people who love her and help her feel hope in her new town, Patience.

 

Author Information

 

It’s no wonder how Ashley’s experience depicts the true emotional aspect of sexual abuse when we learn that the author herself, Beth Fehlbaum, is also a victim of sexual abuse. On Fehlbaum’s website, she writes, “I was inspired to write this story by my own recovery from childhood sexual abuse. In the process of working through my own grief, disbelief, and anger, I was writing poems and short stories, and sharing them with my (long-suffering) therapist. One day, he suggested that I try writing a novel.” Fehlbaum’s first novel, Courage in Patience (2008), is an effort to process the agony and healing from sexual abuse.

Fehlbaum was born in Dallas, Texas and is married to her high school sweetheart. Together, they have three grown daughters. She earned a B.A. in English and a minor Secondary Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She further continued her education by receiving an M.Ed. in Elementary Education, specializing in Reading, from Texas A & M. Not only is she an author, but she is also a teacher. The first part of her career was spent teaching middle school and she currently teaches 5^th grade in a bilingual education program in Texas.

We can learn more about Beth Fehlbaum by visiting her website:

http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com/

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Interpersonal relations
Sexual abuse
Family life
Post-traumatic stress disorder
High school

Curriculum Ties
N/A

Book Talking Ideas

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? How do people deal with a past of abuse?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Sexual abuse, molestation, rape, language

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Booklist 01/01/11

School Library Journal 01/01/11

Publishers Weekly 10/11/10

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/11

2011 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

Why did I include this title?

I read this novel for class. Its topic of sexual abuse is an important one for teens to be aware of because it is often not talked about. By becoming aware of Beth Fehlbaum’s own experience, teens experiencing painful situations might find hope as well.