Whale Talk, a young adult sports novel, was over-the-top and bordered on the melodramatic because of the many circumstances packed into one book, but the themes were deep and thought-provoking. It touched on racism, adoption, child abuse, bullying, dealing with death, living with guilt, high school relationships, fear, special needs children, anger issues, murder, peer pressure, romance, and of course, sports.
In this much-more-than-a-sports-story, an adopted mixed-race boy is the only person of color in his school. He does not participate in organized sports even though he’s a great athlete. His snubbing of school sports annoys many of the athletes with letter jackets. Letter jackets are the ultimate symbol of success and status in the school and community.
The protagonist, T.J., organizes a swim team, though the school has no pool. He puts together a group of misfit swimmers (one special-needs boy, one surly student with a prosthetic leg, one overweight boy, and others) and begins the quest to earn each of them a letter jacket.
On the bus to and from swim meets, with a sage bus driver/friend/coach/homeless man and a teacher/coach who delights in bucking the system to help the young outsiders grow and succeed, the boys guardedly share bits of themselves with one another. We learn of child abuse and loneliness and more on the bus rides (think: Breakfast Club).
I loved this book. My favorite character was T.J.’s father. Overcoming a horrendous accident resulting in the death of a child formed him into a wise, gentle, forgiving person full of smart insight and advice for his son.
A complaint about this book is the overly exaggerated stereotypes (good ole boy athletes and bullies), but the author did a good job, through T.J.'s father's empathy, of explaining why the bullies are the way they are.
This story is written for young adults (teenagers). I am far from that, but immensely enjoyed reading the novel.
JJ
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