Module 7: The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Picture taken from:

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Butt-Other-Round-Things/dp/0763620912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318193699&sr=8-1

Summary:

Virginia Shreves follows a strict code of conduct for fat girls. She has developed lists and laws for what a girl of her shape can and cannot do. Virginia is the youngest in a family of beautiful smart people and she is convinced that she was switched at birth because she is so different from rest of her family. Her workaholic parents try to help Virginia with her weight problems, but the assistance causes Virginia to feel even more like an outcast.

It isn’t until her “perfect” older brother is accused of date rape that Virginia begins to see herself as more than her body size. Virginia can now see that many of the people she once placed on a pedestal have problems of their own. Virginia begins to take her life into her own hands and throws her fat girl code of ethics to live outside the box. Once Virginia discovers that she is so much more than her body size, she can finally be her wonderful self.

Citation:

Mackler, C. (2003). The earth, my butt, and other big round things. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

Impression:

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, broke my heart and then put it back together again. Growing up with a less than perfect body myself, I found a real connection with Virginia.  This book is categorized as a problem or realistic novel with the point of connecting with the reader on a real level and personal level and Carolyn Mackler does a great job of doing this by telling the story from Virginia’s point of view.

Virginia had a lot against her; her mother, who grew up overweight, didn’t want her to deal with the same issues as she did and pushed her to lose weight, her father, who was infatuated with thin, beautiful women, pressured her to diet, and her siblings were both attractive and popular in high school. At school, Virginia was ostracized because she wasn’t like the other students, she even overheard one of the most popular girls say she would rather be dead than overweight like Virginia.

I believe the author did a fantastic job of showing the flaws in teenage society. In high school teenagers are accepted for fitting in and rejected for being individuals. I really hope that when young readers experience this book it changes them to be more accepting of themselves and others. I’m so happy this book exists. 

Reviews:

Virginia is lonely and uncertain; her best friend has moved across the country, her talented brother has gone off to college, and her gifted sister has gone off to the Peace Corps, leaving overweight, unaccomplished Virginia with her hard-driving parents. She's so convinced that her weight makes her unworthy that she's got a list, "The Fat Girl Code of Conduct," which bitterly sets out her limited expectations and firmly decrees that her exciting sexual grapplings with one Froggy Welsh III ("Go further than skinny girls. Find ways to alert him to this") can never translate into any public relationship ("Any sexual activity is a secret"). When her brother gets kicked out of college for date-rape and her family struggles to adjust, however, Virginia realizes that her perfect family is itself deeply flawed, that she's not the sole fallible member, and that she has a right to find her own persona even if it conflicts with her parents' expectations. This isn't exactly untrodden ground, plot- and character-wise, and some of the proceedings are a trifle cliched, but Mackler writes with a clarity and impact that lifts her material above the ordinary ("Sometimes my parents are so sure of what's best for me that I don't stop to think about what I really want"). The book is knowing about the relationship between image and self-image, and there's genuine understanding and a welcome absence of condescension in Virginia's exhilarating change of style as she moves from being her formerly fat mother's frumpy plus-size proxy to a cool chick at her current size, complete with piercings, purple hair, and thrift-store wardrobe. It's no particular surprise that Virginia has underestimated Froggy and his genuine affection, but Virginia's gone through so much to become her own kind of princess that readers will be pleased to see her find her frog. DS

Citiation:

Stevenson, D. (2003). [The earth, my butt, and other big round things] [book review]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 57(2), 69-70. Retrieved from http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/
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Gr. 7–10. Fifteen-year-old Viriginia Shreves is the blond, round, average daughter in a family of dark-haired, thin superstars. Her best friend has moved away, and she’s on the fringes at her private Manhattan school. She wants a boyfriend, but she settles for Froggy Welsh, who comes over on Mondays to grope her. The story follows Virginia as she tries to lose weight, struggles with her “imperfections,” and deals with the knowl- edge that her idealized older brother has committed date rape. There’s a lot going on here, and some important elements, such as Virginia’s flirtation with self-mutilation, are passed over too quickly. But Mackler writes with such insight and humor (sometimes using strong language to make her point) that many readers will immediately identify with Virginia’s longings as well as her fear and loathing. Her gradually evolving ability to stand up to her family is hard won and not always believable, but it provides a hopeful ending for those trying stand on their own two feet. —Ilene Coope

Citation:

Cooper, I. (2003). [The earth, my butt, and other big round things] [book review]. Booklist, 100(1), 115. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Uses:

• Have a girls only book display and use this book as a selection to depict self acceptance. 
• Virginia really gets into Kickboxing in this book as an alternative to traditional exercise. Introduce the book and then bring in a member of the community from the local YMCA to discuss fun and different types of exercise.