Whale Talk
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| Whale Talk | |
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| Author | Chris Crutcher |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Laurel-Leaf Books |
| Publication date | 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 220 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0440229383 |
| Preceded by | Ironman |
| Followed by | The Sledding Hill |
Whale Talk is a novel by young adult writer Chris Crutcher. It is narrated by The Tao "T.J." Jones, an adopted Asian-African-American teenager living in Cutter, Washington, a fictional location described in the novel as being within the Pacific Northwest's Inland Empire, about 50 miles outside of Spokane.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The story takes place in Norwood Young America, Washington. T.J. lives there his adopted parents, John Paul Jones and Abby Jones. He attends Cutter High School, which prides itself heavily on the academic achievements of his students, and refuses to play for their sports teams. In the hallway, T.J. sees a mentally challenged kid named Chris Coughlin being bullied by Mike Barbour. Chris is picked on mainly because he wears his half-brother’s letter jacket, the ultimate symbol of athletic excellence; Brian Coughlin was a star football and baseball player who died in a freak accident. T.J.'s English teacher, Simet, starts a swim team to avoid assisting the wrestling coach and wants T.J., who was once a fantastic swimmer, to be on it. T.J. agrees and goes to recruit players. His team eventually consists mainly of the social outcasts in Cutter High, including Chris Coughlin. They are all unpopular and have something that makes them different from everyone else. For example, Simon DeLong is severely obese, and Andy Mott is missing a leg. T.J. wants everyone on the team to letter in swimming, but the athletic council tries to prevent this from happening.
During the year, T.J. meets a little girl named Heidi . Her step-dad is Rich Marshall, who is abusive towards Heidi’s mom, Alicia, and her kids. T.J. has already had a bad experience with Rich when he killed a baby deer from right underneath T.J. When Alicia and her kids are sheltered at the Jones’ house, Rich pulls a stunt to get them back.
The third plot point is T.J.’s dad, who, when he was a truck driver, accidentally ran over a toddler. The baby climbed under the truck because nobody was watching him. The incident haunted him terribly for years afterward, and he still occasionally falls into depression over the issue.
[edit] Characters in "Whale Talk"
[edit] Main Character
The main character in the story is The Tao Jones. His biological mother named him after a book based on the religion Taoism. To avoid confusion and humiliation, he goes by T.J. He is the narrator in the novel. He is adopted by people with the last name Jones, whom he calls Mom and Dad. T.J. is a virtuoso athlete, and is caring toward people who deserve to be cared for.
[edit] Others
T.J.’s swim team consists of the characters Chris Coughlin, Tay-Roy Kibble, Andy Mott, Jackie Craig, Simon DeLong, and Dan Hole. Each one is unpopular before joining the swim team. The coaches of the swim team are Simet, a teacher, and Oliver Van Zandt, also known as Icko, who lives at the gym where the swim team works out. Rich Marshall is the big antagonist in the story. He is ominous and is known for his viciousness and his visits to jail for his acts. Mike Barbour is also an antagonist and bullies people at the school. Heidi is the daughter of Rich Marshall's "wife," Alicia, who is a minority like T.J.; both have problems with Rich Marshall.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
This novel, like many of Crutcher's other works, deals with the harsh realities of life, and is consequently a target for challenges brought by individuals who believe the novel should be banned or removed from libraries and classrooms because of its coarse language and other adult issues. Crutcher has compiled a history of the attempts to censor his books on his home page.
