The Earth, My Butt, & Other Big Round Things  Review   3

Citation: Mackler, Carolyn The Earth, My Butt & Other Big Round Things. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press 2003

Genre: Coming of age                                                                      

Annotation

..."All I can say is, if I were that fat girl I'd kill myself." (26) Virginia Shreves is that fat girl, and although her issues include self-mutilation and poor body image, by the end of the book she discovers that self-esteem comes from the inside out.

Justification for nomination

Written in a first person narrative with journal entry's and emails, The Earth, My Butt, & Other Big Round Things follows the life of 15 year old Virginia as she tries to fit in with her perfect family. "And along came me, blemishing the image of a picture-perfect family"(18). Her parents are critical and unaware of Virginia's pain.  Her mother is a skinny, successful adolescent physiologist who only has time for Virginia when obsessing over her weight; her father, a successful businessman expresses is admiration for ultra slim women but not Virginia; her older sister is slim, smart and beautiful and has escaped the family by joining the Peace Corp; her brother Bryon is the "star" on the Columbia University campus.  Virginia starts a clandestine relationship with Froggy one of her classmates, but doesn't believe it can go anywhere due to the "fat girl" code of conduct she has written "Any sexual activity is a secret. No public displays of affection..."(14). Virginia is filled with self-loathing and seems to hate her body so much she hurts herself.  The only person she has to talk to is her best friend Shannon who has moved away, so email is their only form of communication.  Virginia has to navigate the sometimes harassing and uncomfortable school lunches alone. She is helped through these hard times by Mrs Crowley, a teacher at her school, who is also overweight but seems to feel good about herself.  The book comes to a head when Virginia's brother Bryon is accused of date rape. Her parents still don't "see" Virginia's pain, but rather work harder to gloss over Bryon's crime. After a teacher has a heart attack during school, Virgina realizes that she needs to empower herself.  She begins to speak out to her parents who actually listen; she starts taking kickboxing which she likes; she realizes Froggy does like her and doesn't care if they are seen in public; she makes a few new friends at school; she starts a web zine where students can talk about whatever they want.

In The Earth, My Butt, & Other Big Round Things we watch the metamorphosis of Virginia as she goes from a self hating girl to someone who has a place in this world.  Although this book is geared toward females, it delves into many subjects such as self-mutilation that are relevant for all teens. Virginia's transformation provides a learning experience and a hopeful ending for those who might be going through similar situations.