The Earth, My Butt, & Other Big Round Things

Mackler, Carolyn. 2003. THE EARTH, MY BUTT & OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763620912.

Virginia Shreves struggles with being the youngest child in a family full of successful people. Her parents both work, her sister is away with the Peace Corp, and her brother was a sports hero at her high school before going to Columbia. Virginia struggles with her weight and acceptance from her family while dwelling constantly over her weight. She shares with readers how she is not sure how she is actually part of the Shreves family. She believes she was possibly switched at birth. As well as dealing with the struggles at home, Virginia is faced with high school all by herself. Her best friend Shannon has just moved across the country to Walla Walla, Washington. Now, she spends her lunches in the bathroom listening through the stalls to the popular girls. 

She dwells so much over her weight that she finds herself creating a Fat Girl Code of Conduct, which has much emphasis on relationships with boys her age. So much so, that she keeps her Monday afternoon meetings with Froggy a secret because she does not believe a boy would actually find her attractive or have real feelings for her. “4. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever push the relationship thing. Everybody knows that guys hate discussing relationships, so make it easy on him. Same goes for dates to movies and school dances. Bottom line: Let him get the milk without having to buy the cow.” (p. 17).

As the story continues, we are introduced to the silent problems that are found within any perfect family and high school socialism. “Virginia is the sassy, sad, chubby teen in a "perfect," prominent family. Cracks occur when idolized college brother Byron, commits date rape. Piercings and wild clothes symbolize Virginia's rebellion, enhance her confidence, and unexpectedly help heal family rifts.” (Hoffman, 2005). Still she receives very little positive attention from her family until the end of the story when she realizes, “Now that I’ve been deemed an official family member, I’m not even sure I want that affiliation.” (p. 245). She realizes the skinny girls at school suffer in different ways, such a bulimia. 

With a bit of rebellion, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things presents a coming of age story of finding yourself, and being comfortable in your own skin. Virginia had to become happy with herself in order to become healthy. Even though she was not one of the skinny girls at the end of the story, she found a comfort in who she was. She began kickboxing to become healthy. She found that Froggy actually did like her and find her attractive. She found out that she could make a difference within her school community by creating an online newspaper for her school to speak out about what is really going on within the school. She found herself, for herself and no one else. “Maybe it can mean whatever I want it to mean, like taking care of myself and not letting people walk all over me.” (p. 245).

Many readers will find that they can relate to Virginia. “The teen’s funny, rocky journey to self-acceptance also includes a brush with self-mutilation, incredulity that the boy she experiments with sexuality likes her and the support of a sister who escaped to the Peace Corps.” (Hoffman, 2005). She is humorous in her life issues, however, these issues create a controversy as some have asked for it to be censored “for sexual content, antifamily, offensive language, and unsuitability to age group.” (American Libraries, 2007)

Resources:

American Libraries, Apr2007, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p10-10, 3/5p

Hofmann, Mary. School Library Journal, Nov2005, Vol. 51 Issue 11, p58-58, 1/9p