The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things
Carolyn Mackler
ISBN 1844282937
304 pages
Walker Books, 2006

Genre: Humor; Chick Lit; Contemporary Life

Readers Annotation
Overweight teen Virginia has always tried extra hard to win the affections of her picture-perfect family, but when an incident shows that they're not so perfect after all, she decides to live life on her own terms.

Plot Summary
Virginia's best friend Shannon has moved across the country--from Manhattan to Walla Walla--and now that her older sister has joined the Peace Corps and her older brother has started at Columbia, her parents have more time to obsess over her. While she's played the role of the dutiful daughter, they've mostly ignored her in favor of her flashier--and thinner--older siblings. Now, though, her mother--a therapist famous for her advice on how to relate to teens and a former fat girl herself--is convinced that all of Virginia's problems would go away if she just dropped a few dress sizes. Her father, who is quite vocal about how attractive he finds thin women's bodies, goes along with the plan.

Virginia is glad to be finally getting some attention from her parents, so she goes along with their wishes. But when her brother is kicked out of Columbia, she's forced to reexamine her family dynamics. Thrust once again into the background, Virginia finds comfort in food. But she also realizes that her family has some serious communication problems and that she's through living life on anyone's terms but her own.  She makes some changes that force her parents--and her classmates--to take a look at her and see the real Virginia for the first time.

Critical Evaluation
The Earth... was a genuinely funny, uplifting look at how a teenage girl learns to love and accept herself. I thought Mackler's portrayal of Virginia's family was wonderful. In the beginning, Virginia is so desperate to be included as an equal member in her family that's she's willing to overlook a lot of egregiously bad treatment on the part of her brother and her parents. But as she starts to examine their behavior, she realizes that she deserves a lot better. Certain things like her older sister's decision to join the Peace Corps make a lot of sense once Virginia's parents have shown their true colors; when Virginia's sister writes her a letter at the end of the book, it's nearly as cathartic for the reader as it is for Virginia. We know that she'll be OK.

The decision to have Virginia's best friend move away for the year was a smart choice, too. Virginia is forced into a position as outsider at her school, so she's forced to take a good look at the social dynamics at play. At first, we accept Virginia's conclusion that the popular kids will only talk to other popular kids, etc., but eventually we realize--as Virginia's beloved teacher Mrs. Crowley already has--that Virginia has chosen her isolation. A supporting cast of characters, including the eccentric Alyssa and the blond, bland cheerleader Brie, who has problems of her own, fill out the cast nicely.

Teenager girls will be rooting at Virginia's transformation; it puts an emotional context to the typical teenage rebellion. It may inspire them to shake things up a little themselves!

About the Author
Carolyn Mackler has written four young adult novels. The strong feminist undertone to The Earth.... may be explained by the fact that Mackler started out her career as an intern for Ms. magazine. She confesses that in high school she never quite fit in, which may have inspired the character of Virginia.

Curriculum Ties
The book could be used to talk about families and self-acceptance.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Write the booktalk in the form of the lists that Virginia uses.
2. Talk about Virginia as compared to her family--why does she feel like such an outcast?
3. Talk about Virginia as compared to her classmates--why does she feel like such an outcast?

Reading Interest/Level
Because of a few more adult themes, this book is probably most appropriate for high schoolers. SLJ and Booklist both recommend it for grades 7-10, and while junior high students would probably enjoy and relate to it, librarians should be aware of some potentially controversial material.

Challenge Issues
This book has been one of the most challenged books in recent years.  Virginia uses some strong language at times in the book. Her older brother is found guilty of date-raping a fellow students. Virginia self-injures herself when she's feeling particularly unhappy.  Masturbation is mentioned several times in the book.  Virginia gets drunk on New Year's Eve. 

If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should familiarize herself with the library's selection policy and be able to explain and defend it to the challenger.  She could point to the book's positive reviews, as well as its status as a Printz Honor Book, as proof of its worth.

Selection Criteria
The book was selected as a Printz Honor Book.