The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things

Ok, this book is a little pat in some places. Turning your life around is probably not as easy as Carolyn Mackler would make it out to be. That being said, this is a really good book. Virginia (or Ginny) is a believable, sympathetic, likable character. Her problems are real, and her solutions to them are fun, if not entirely realistic. But they work for her, and I, at least, was willing to go along for the ride.

A good read aside, Mackler also deals with some serious issues in the book, including date rape and eating disorders (no, neither apply directly to Ginny). These I thought she dealt with very well, and very realistically, showing that not everything wraps up in a neat package at the end, and not every problem can always be show more solved.

Overall, this is just a good story about a girl who manages to find ways to empower herself despite not always (or usually) getting a lot of support from her family. But she has help from other people around her and figures out how to be herself, and, more importantly, how to be comfortable being herself. show less

I’m happy I found a book to love while hosting the Award Winning Read Challenge. I’d heard of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things and initially what really caught my attention was the name. Seriously?! With a title like that you have to pick it up to see what the author is trying to tell you. I’m happy this was the first book I picked up for this challenge, it makes me want to pick up other Prinz and Newberry books to read!
Carolyn Mackler made Virginia have her own voice. Being inside Virginia’s head was making me crack up with laughter at the ramblings going on in her head (I think the title was supposed to foretell). Along with the humor of course, Virginia is dealing with serious teenage problems such as weight, show more boys, and family. Carolyn did a fantastic job at portraying how Virginia may feel as being overweight and how she feels about food and losing the weight. I wasn’t expecting the big shocker to be in the book, from the reading the summary on the back of my copy, I was clueless (which I like being, lol). The characters were realistic and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things was super-fast paced which I really like.
Virginia did a complete 180 by the end of the book, I came to love her and had such pride for the by the last page. I know this review was on the short side, but I enjoyed reading was The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things the entire way through and I recommend it for any and every one to read! show less

First off, Virginia is a great character. She’s got a fun attitude and sense of humor, and while she does feel bad about herself, she doesn’t really wallow. It’s painful at times to read the undercurrent of disapproval from Virginia’s family as well as her own self-loathing. And I must say that her brother’s problem and how that affects her and her family is interesting and sets the book apart. My favorite part of the book was seeing Virginia go to Seattle—seeing her come alive again in a less oppressive environment. I thought that was very true to life. But realistically, I don’t think problems are resolved that quickly or easily in real life. It’s a bit of a whirlwind at the end: hair color, clothes, kickboxing, show more webzine, bam-bam-bam everything fixed! It was a nice ending—a positive message, etc, but maybe not totally realistic. Oh, and it’s frank almost to the point of crassness at times. show less

4Q 4P
Part of me wishes that I had read this in high school, but part of me knows that the old me might have been turned away from the minor sexual incidents (I was, let's just say, a little more prudish than now). Virginia's sarcastic dialogue and emotional struggles at home, at school, and within herself are what drew me in and kept me; her story holds many similarities to my own, and undoubtedly to that of many teen girls - especially those with issues of body image and subsequent sense of inferiority, eating disorders, family members with terrible secrets, and general loneliness or disconnect with others.
This book was challenged for sexual content, offensive language, being "anti-family," and inappropriate for teens. I would argue show more that for the most part, this IS the teen experience; they are going through adolescence and their sexuality is going to start waking up, they're going to start deviating from family expectations, including using harsher language and having more difficulty connecting with parents. A story with loving, supportive, constantly-present parents might be appropriate for younger children so they develop strong feelings of being cared for and having someone to fall back on and talk to, but when it's your freshman year in high school social communication is just harder all across the board and your parents are supposed to detach a little; Virginia's story echoes real-life fact in that parents tend to be less supportive of overweight children, especially daughters. When the family crisis occurs, it shows each person's personal reaction to the event and, to be honest, I think those are very realistic reactions.
Personally, this was a book I needed to read (that I wouldn't have found if it weren't for the title and its presence on a Banned Books list) and am glad that I did; the topics are extremely relevant to teens and people who grew up with similar stories, and gives you one of those characters you really want to love and root for. show less

Virginia's fat and, since her best friend moved to Walla Walla Washington, friendless. Initially Virginia tries to improve her situation, but after her perfect brother is accused of date rape, she finds it impossible to deal.

Virginia's straight-talking, pessimistically honest tone brings readers right into her life and her problems. Though readers may not have experienced everything Virginia faces-- body image issues, loneliness, trouble relating to parents, etc.-- they will likely connect on some level. While providing a full character and driving story, Mackler also demonstrates how teens can healthily (and unhealthily) react to their issues. And even though the book covers serious subject matter, Virginia's wry voice brings a bit of show more levity without dismissing the importance of the challenges.

Highly recommended. show less

It starts off as another painful and humorous tale of teen angst, but “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” turns out to be more as we get to know Virginia Shreves. Virginia knows she is fat. Not heavy like her perfect mother likes to refer to her, or extra-large like her perfect older brother calls her, but fat. There is also a perfect father and perfect older sister. Perfect means thin, beautiful, and fluent in French. Virginia looks and acts nothing like the rest of her family and is positive she was switched at birth. Somewhere a large blond family has a thin brunette teen. To make matters worse, her best friend is spending the year away in Walla Walla, Washington. Then one day, an “ordeal” happens to her family show more and Virginia starts to realize that her family is not so perfect after all, and that she, Virginia, was too quick to doubt herself. Told in the first person, Carolyn Mackler has smart adult perceptions about teens their emotions yet writes in a voice that appeals to the younger generation. show less

Virginia Shreves sometimes wonders if she was switched with another baby at birth; the rest of her family is aggressively slim, athletic, and overall overachievers, whereas she is fat and blond and uninterested in playing sports. To make matters worse, her best friend Shannon is gone for the year - to Walla Walla, Washington - and Virginia is left to brave high school alone. (Well, there's Froggy, but then there isn't, after he overhears Virginia's mother - an adolescent psychologist who puts none of her professional skills to personal use - talking to her about making an appointment to see a doctor about her weight.) And then Virginia's golden older brother, Byron, is accused of rape and sent home from Columbia for the semester, and show more Virginia's illusions about him come crumbling down.

Full (but not too full) of lists (e.g. The Fat Girl Code of Conduct) and e-mail communications with Shannon, Virginia's story zips along at a quick pace - easy to read in just one day. Next: The Universe is Expanding And So Am I.

See also: Dumplin' and Puddin' by Julie Murphy, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson show less