LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Gantos, Jack. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. New York: Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2000.

A.

PLOT SUMMARY: It has been a very long time since Joey has spent time with his father or his paternal grandmother. Finally Joey’s mom gives permission for Joey to spend a good deal of time with him one summer when Joey is middle school aged. Joey wants to please his father but knows his mother really does know best. Joey watches his father, Carter, begin to slip into his old habit of beginning breakfast with a beer. Joey’s grandmother is not quiet with her mutterings and objections to Carter’s behavior.

Still there is much humor in the book and self knowledge that Joey has learned with the help of his mom and his meds. One of the funniest moments is when Joey’s grandmother decides she wants to practice her golfing skills in the park. Putt putt golf is the only thing besides smoking that she seems to enjoy. She has a grocery store buggy and she brings a stepladder to get into the cart and Joey helps her settle in. She wears an oxygen mask at all times, unless she takes a break to smoke. Grandmother has come up with an elaborate scheme to put the oxygen tubing under her dress, through the arm holes, inside her purse and she takes the portable oxygen and holds it in her lap. Getting out of the buggy she trips over the tubing and bloodies her nose. It is funny because she laughs at herself. That makes it better for Joey who sees what’s going to happen before it does but he can’t get there in time to prevent her from falling. Next time Joey offers to take her to the park in the grocery cart Grandma decides that since she “almost lost” her nose right off her face that she better just stick to smoking and watching TV as her hobbies. She decides she is too old for golf practice.

The relationship between Joey and his father is the cornerstone of the book and the way each has learned or not learned as the case may be how to live in a complicated world when ADHD and hypomania cause physiological and behavioral symptoms every day of their lives. Through baseball pitching and bungee jumping Joey wants to be close to his father and he wants his father to be correct that he is becoming a “real man” and has no need whatsoever for the daily patch that Joey’s mom, Joey’s doctor, and Joey himself have learned improves his quality of life day in and day out.



B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gantos has told a compelling story that keeps the reader’s attention with uses of both humor and realism. I think it is critical that Gantos has shown that Joey has learned how to take care of his medical needs. He realizes that taking his meds helps him with family relations, school work, getting along with his peers.

The reader can not help but be engaged with the antics in the story. Middle schoolers are the target audience. All people, all children need to read about people like themselves in literature. For ADHD adults but especially for the statistically most prominent of ADHD suffers are boys in grade school.

The story works because it engages the reader. The plot line is believable and the story is realistic and true to life. Joey’s father, mother, and grandmother are portrayed honestly, all having good sides and human failings. The most poignant part is that Joey is more mature than his father in many ways and has to be the adult in many circumstances. A young person could see that divorce is not all bad, that Joey and his mom have done better in their day to day life with Joey’s father Carter.

One of the most common symptoms of ADHD is portrayed realistically, almost overplayed and that is the fact that Joey’s father talks non-stop and rarely listens. He talks over his child and even their first day of being reunited Joey is explaining to his father that to get to know each other they have to talk, think, then listen. Joey’s father at the nursery land park stops beside each display. He keeps trying to treat Joey like an adult. He tells him over and over things like Humpty Dumpty caused him to do a lot of thinking, a lot of thinking about how he needed to make amends to Joey as a parent who had had very little contact with his son because dad’s life was out of control. Carter constantly makes comments like, “Now listen to me son, listen to your old dad. Goldilocks really got me to thinking you know, really helped me get my life together for me and for you. When I need a pep talk I come to see old Goldie and put my life back into focus. You understand boy? Do you know what your old man is saying. When I come to Nursery Land park I remember who I’m suppose to be and how I want to act and cut out my bad habits and treat you right this time. Are you listening to me, son?” (All loosely paraphrased)

The story is believable and deals with topics young children often face today in America. Divorce, illness, not getting to see the custodial parent or their family very often, getting along in school, and learning to control your impulses are all shown realistically. But the plot line moves well, the characters are developed and it is just an interesting story to tell, very readable. Having a young character with ADHD makes the story more relevant to young readers. If Gantos had simply focused on Carter’s illness this would not have been a very big draw or palatable to the average middle schooler.

The most gut wrenching part was listening to Joey’s dad tell Joey that he needs to act like a real man, solve his own problem, and live his life anyway he sees fit. He tells Joey that his Rx patch is unnecessary and simply a crutch in life. He constantly tells Joey not to tell his mother about the drinking, the girlfriend (who is a positive role model), the bungee jumping, the crazy talks late at night, and the problems with temper and impatience that plague his father’s life. When Joey’s dad flushed all the patches Joey brought with him down the toilet despite Joey is very scared but he hopes his father is right about not needing the patch, but he knows better. He remembers life without the patch and Joey wants to take care of his health.

The book does so many things right on so many levels, and not the least of which is to catch the reader, hook the reader early on by having a hero the age of the intended reading audience. It is very clear why this title was chosen as a Newbery Honor book.

Another motif that will appeal to young adults is the struggle to love and accept your parents even when they do bad things. It is good to see that parents are not perfect and that helps kids learn that it is okay if they do not reach perfection. It is typical for a child of divorce to have torn loyalties and fantasize or worry that the parents will get back together. The family, especially his father’s appeared to be blue collar adults in the everyday world.

Joey doesn’t really remember his father well at all and doesn’t know what he will say or do. He is realistically anxious about the reunion with his dad and grandmother and fluctuates between happiness and fear about how they will all get along. Joey’s mom had told Joey that he reminded her of his father. Joey quickly learns why. Gantos writes, “He was wired. No doubt about it………..Now I knew what mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger.”


C. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Most of the professional reviews I found were for the book before this one. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. It was also highly acclaimed. I am going to go back and read it over the holidays. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL received a 4.5 out of 5 stars on amazon.com where 126 customers have penned a review. That number of reviewers is very uncommon, even among popular adult books.

Publishers Weekly comments, “
First introduced in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos's hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness, but after undergoing therapy and a stint in special ed., he now can exercise a reasonable amount of self-controlDprovided he takes his meds. His mother has reluctantly agreed to let him spend the summer three hours from home with his father, an alcoholic who, so he claims, has taken steps to turn his life around. Readers will sight trouble ahead long before Joey's optimistic perception of his father grows blurry.

REVIEWS ACCESSED AT :

http://www.amazon.com/Joey-Pigza-Loses-Control/dp/0374399891/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product




D. CONNECTIONS:

Though not absolutely necessary I would suggestion children read these books in order, leaving this one for the sequel. There are also “new” Joey books: I AM NOT JOEY PIGZA and WHAT WOULD JOEY DO?