Fat Kid Rules the World
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2003
His name is Troy, but to the world–and in his internal dialogues· he is the Fat Kid. Really Fat. Almost 300 pounds of sweating, unhappy insecurity. Then out of a moment of despair comes magic. As Troy considers whether to splatter himself on a subway track, Curt MacCrae, a charismatic punk rocker/homeless kid/dropout, comes along and stops him. For the price of a meal, Curt befriends Troy, and he sees something under all those layers: a potential musician, a friend, and someone with the ability to see through life’s bull.
In an outstanding, funny, edgy debut, K.L. Going presents two unlikely friends who ultimately save each other.
Just for Fun Find out more about the Fat Kid movie!
1) The Stooges – Search and Destroy
2) The Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
3) The Ramones – Outsider *
4) The Buzzcocks – What do I Get?
5) Beatles – Yellow Submarine **
6) Lou Reed – Perfect Day ***
7) Nirvana – Come As You Are
8) The Fall – Totally Wired
9) The Urinals – Ack, Ack, Ack, Ack
10) Nirvana – Pennyroyal Tea
11) The Eyeliners – Party Till the Break of Dawn
12) The Clash – White Riot
13) Iggy Pop – I Got a Right ****
* It was pointed out that this track is not the best representation of the Ramones, but I like how it fits with the book. If you want to check out classic Ramones try “Teenage Lobotomy” or “I Want to be Sedated”, two of their big hits.
** This is the song I picture Curt and his mom dancing around the kitchen to.
*** A freind of mine said this was the song that kept going through his mind during the scene where Curt and Troy spend the day together. I absolutely agree.
**** Off the Live from NYC album – awesome song!
Awards & Recognition
- A Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2004
- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults from the past decade (chosen in 2005)
- ALA Best Books of the Year
- Blue Ribbon book, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
- School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
- Booklist Editors' Choice
- Booklist Top 10 Youth First Novel
- Miami Herald Best Book of the Year Readers Choice Award
- Pacific Northwest Library Association
- Top 10 First Novels for Young Listeners (audiobook version)
- AudioFile Earphones Award Winner (audiobook version)
Teacher Resources
Note to teachers: The idea for The Garden of Eve came about in two parts. The first was when my young cousin, Kyle, said “You should write a book about an apple tree.” His suggestion came out of the blue and it intrigued me. I began to think about all that apple trees have represented in literature and I started to come up with story ideas that might feature a magical tree.
Unfortunately, several months after that, my husband’s brother was killed in a car accident. As the family struggled to come to terms with this loss, I thought about the way children view death, and all the questions they have about it. I thought about death as a barren landscape. A dark, twisted tree without blossoms.
Gradually, the story of a girl and a boy, both dealing with losses, who must now find a way to bring life into their own barren landscapes, began to form. I hope the questions I’ve come up with below will help you discuss this book with the kids you teach.
Reviews
“The opening lines of this first-person narrative immediately hook readers as they enter the lonely, troubled, self-deprecating world of Troy Billings, a 296-pound 17-year-old who contemplates ending his life by jumping off a New York City subway platform. He is interrupted by Curt MacCrae, a legendary punk-rock guitarist and sometime-student at W.T. Watson High School. When Curt connects with him and “saves his life”, Troy is amazed that someone, especially someone as cool as Curt, wants to befriend him. An unlikely, almost symbiotic relationship develops between these two. Curt convinces Troy to be the drummer in his band, even though he hasn’t touched the drums since seventh grade. He is flattered by the suggestion and believes that being in the band could be his key to acceptance.
Troy’s voice is candid, irreverent, realistic, and humorous. He imagines the events of his life in facetious headlines always related to his weight. Curt himself is the product of a dysfunctional family, and he has plenty of problems of his own, including a reliance on drugs.
Going has created three-dimensional characters whose behavior rings true. There are many unexpected twists and turns, including the horrifying and hysterically gross depiction of Troy’s first gig. Fans of Joyce Carol Oates’s Big, Mouth & Ugly Girl(Harper Collins, 2002) will love this wonderful, engrossing tale.” —School Library Journal, starred review.
“His name is Troy, but to the world — and in his internal dialogues — he is the Fat Kid. Really Fat. Almost 300 pounds of sweating, unhappy insecurity. Then out of a moment of despair comes magic. As Troy considers whether to splatter himself on a subway track, Curt MacCrae, a charismatic punk rocker/homeless kid/dropout, comes along and stops him.
For the price of a meal, Curt befriends Troy, and he sees something under all those layers: a potential musician, a friend, and someone with the ability to see through life’s bull.
First-time novelist Going has put together an amazing assortment of characters. Troy is the ultimate fat kid, the kind whose every move, every thought is predicated on what it is like to wear a coat of blubber. Curt, as thin as Troy is fat, is a combination of Kurt Cobain, Ratso Rizzo, and a fairy godfather. He sprinkles Troy with the dirt and grime of punk rock and brings out the prince hiding inside the weight (to the book’s credit, Troy doesn’t get any thinner).
Equally well drawn are the lesser characters, including Troy’s father, a former Marine with an innate sense of what kids need. The narrative could have been tighter in places, but this is an impressive debut that offers hope for all kids — dross transmuted into gold.” —Booklist, starred review.
“At six foot one and nearly three hundred pounds, Troy Billings has but one dream — to make an inconspicuous exit from the world. Filthy, emaciated, usually homeless Curt MacCrea [sic] finds him contemplating the subway tracks, claims to have saved his life, and demands a free meal.
Curt has something to offer, too: a new dream for Troy, in which he’s the drummer in Curt’s proposed punk band, Rage/Tectonic. Troy knows he’s being cajoled, wheedled, and manipulated by Curt at every turn, but an immediate rise in his social status convinces him to stay aboard this train; Curt is indeed a gifted guitarist and a school legend, and any friend of Curt is a force to be reckoned with.
Troy has no drumming experience, but he’s swept into the current of Curt’s determination, and by gad, he actually learns to drum, or at least to provide the powerhouse banging that can drive the real star’s screaming riffs and raging lyricism.
Troy’s contemptuous younger brother begins to offer some respect, and Mr. Billings, an ex-Marine who believes anything can be achieved through will and discipline, surprises Troy by encouraging his efforts and treating Curt with unexpected kindness.
Going draws her characters with compassionate acuity; Troy’s bumbling advance toward drumming competence and self-respect is funny and heart-wrenching, while Curt’s semi-stoned rush at stardom exposes both his brokenness and his promise. Likewise, Going cuts through the theatrical pretenses of punk rock to capture the angst and artistry.
The language is raw, but the relationships are tender, and readers who followed the sadder fortunes of Koertge’s Stoner and Spaz will grasp thankfully at the possibility of double salvation.” —Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, starred review.
“FAT KID RULES THE WORLD is totally phat! While the joyfulness and quirkiness of the story and the body image issue may allow for grouping this book with some others you’ve read before, K. L. Going is truly a new voice on the YA scene…” —Richie’s Picks.