Whale Talk

Ostensibly about a kid challenging the ruling power of sports at his high school, this story also shows the power of being a part of something. This was a beautiful and difficult read. Difficult because the author shows you all the ways that people are cruel and abusive to other people. Beautiful because most of the characters learn and grow. Crutcher is also very good at writing smart (and smart-ass) teenagers that are entertaining and funny. But seriously, have some tissues handy as you're reading this heart-wrenching and yet hopeful book.

An unusual inspirational novel that touched me far more than I expected it to, although after reading another of Crutcher's novels, "Deadline," I should have anticipated the simple but striking story.

The Tao Jones (abbreviated to T.J. for obvious reasons), is an athlete extraordinaire, although he usually chooses not to show it. But when his English teacher approaches him about starting a swim team at Cutter High, where there isn't even a pool, T.J.'s rebellious, stubborn attitude leads him to latch onto the idea. With intentional carelessness, T.J. recruits the six least likely students to ever succeed on an atheletics team: Dan Hole, a scholar with straight A's, Tay-Roy Kibble, a bodybuilder, Jackie Craig, a silent wallflower, Simon show more DeLong, a three-hundred pound outcast, Chris Coughlin, the autistic younger brother of a deceased high school champion, and Andy Mott, a surly bad boy with a prosthetic leg. Along with T.J., who is a mixed race Japanese-African-American adopted from a negligent mother, they form the Cutter High Mermen, the most unlikely swim team in the history of the close-minded, atheletics-worshipping town.

Dealing with everything from family issues to modern racial prejudice to a inspirational sports story, "Whale Talk" encompasses many themes and sheds wisdom on them all. Each of the characters is realistic, and you come to love and hate them with surprising intensity; the seven members of the Merman are brilliantly endearing in a Breakfast Club sort of way. Crutcher pulls no punches with the hard stuff, but in the end the story is true-to-life; touching on moments of unthinkable cruelty and heartwarming triumph. show less

Dear Chris Crutcher,
I said I would give you another chance after Chinese Handcuffs, which I basically hated. And I was really getting into Whale Talk, despite some animal torture (what is it with you and animal torture?) when you had to go and make me like these characters a lot and then bad things keep happening and I end up crying. What gives, Chris Crutcher? Is it that you like to see people cry? Huh?

Okay, so I liked this one even though it was tragic and sad and infuriating and made me hate people. I give.

After reading Chris Crutcher’s response letter I was so intrigued I had to go buy his book Whale Talk. The reader follows T.J. Jones a high school misfit and his group the “Cutter All Night Mermen” on a quest to attain the symbol of all that is wrong in his high school, a varsity letter jacket. Through this journey they are forced to interact with other members of the team and gradually learn things about themselves and their teammates that allow them to understand each other and grow in ways they did not think possible. I loved this book because of the realness. This is how teens interact whether they hide it from us or not it is there.
The interactions of the kids in this book include conversations full of sarcasm, sexual show more references, slang, and profanity. Though these things are often thought to be detrimental by adults I believe they make reading interesting for young people. If they can identify with the characters they are more likely to keep reading. I think this is the most important thing. show less

There were plenty of places where I had to wipe away a tear after reading sections of this book, particularly in the strength and kindness characters' showed each other after facing cruelty at the hands of other characters and life. The story centers around TJ, a gifted athlete who doesn't buy into the school caste system which places varsity athletes at the center of the universe regardless of the content of their characters. TJ puts together a swim team of those who don't quite fit. Although he does it initially as a way to stick it to the jocks, it turns out that this group forms meaningful bonds. TJ's own family is pretty amazing, his adopted parents open their home to an abused girl just as they did for TJ when he was a toddler. show more TJ's parents, coaches, and counselor, are pretty amazing role models. Over and over again the adults remind TJ that when people behave badly, even evilly, it points to a cycle of abuse. Crutcher's work as a child and family therapist is a clear influence throughout the book. It's a layered narrative that woven together makes a complex, emotional story. show less

Though Chris Crutcher is the master of extremes, this book is a must-read. I have read this book multiple times, and I am always enthralled by the characters, backstories and all. As a high school reading teacher, I latch onto any book that my struggling readers are willing to delve into and Whale Talk is one of them.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher isn't a book that captures your immediate attention. It honestly took me a while to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The character's stories in the book are so realistic and pragmatic that you'll always relate. From The Tao Jones, an adopted black teenager, to Rich Marshall, an abhorrent white man, the characters will enthrall every reader.