Customer Reviews

Deenie

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The relationships between Deenie and her mother, father, and sister are very well thought-out. I admit I was scandalized when I first read this book in seventh grade at the makeout scene between Deenie and Buddy, but it certainly didn't encourage me to go out and do that myself, and as for masturbation, Blume is VERY VAGUE and merely wishes to point out that this is normal, which it is, as any two-year-old could tell you if two-year-olds could talk well enough. People who want this book banned on a couple of minor details are missing the whole point of the book, which is about a teenager who is trying to do the right thing amidst a whole lot of physical and emotional barriers. A good read.

When I first found out I had scoliosis one of the first things my mother did was give me a copy of this book. The book Deenie is about a thirteen year old girl who was thinking about becoming a model when she learns that she, beautiful Deenie has scoliosis. Judy Blume so accuratly described the feelings and emotions of Deenie that it felt as though she was writing about me. Untill I had read this book I felt as if I was the only one going through this even though doctors had told me there were other girls my age with scoliosis. This was such an excellent book that the only time I could put it down was to wipe the tears from my eyes. This is the perfect book for any girl especially one who has scoliosis.

"Deenie" piqued my curosity since it appears regularly on the ALA "Frequently Challenged" list, and even in my home county library there is a note in the catalog saying, "No copies available in any library." I was able to buy the book easily enough, however, and after reading it, I find the challenges groundless and saddening. There is nothing to fear in "Deenie." If I had a daughter, I would have no trouble letting her read it, and as it is, I wouldn't stop my son either.


That being said, "Deenie" is no "Face on the Milk Carton." The characters are painted believeablty with a surprising economy, but just as they become really engaging, the book ends. I would like it better if we were able to follow Deenie through all four years of her treatment and observe more of her character development, see how the relationship between Deenie and her sister develops, and see if her mother is able to "grow up" a little more.


For perhaps the most interesting irony of the story is that Deenie's confinement in the Milwaukee brace really sets her free. Free from her selfish and domineering mother, free from the enculturated stereotypes that keep Deenie from talking to (or even looking at) any people with visible health issues, and free from virtually all of her social inhibitions. In many ways, her diagnosis is the best thing that could have happened. It becomes the catalyst for her development as an independent young woman, and not just the daughter of her parents.


There is also a lot of material in this little book for further discussion and study. Blume manages to cover the details of scoliosis without becoming too stiff, and provides resources for more current information. The relationships between Deenie and her two friends is subtly nuanced; an amazing achievement, considering how few sentences are devoted to them. Blume has an eye for detail, and is able to get the most out of the short scenes. Finally, Deenie's father provides a sterling example of good parenting, once he rises to the occasion, illustrating admirably when to yield and when to stand firm.


While "Deenie" is not as impressive an achievement as "The Face on the Milk Carton" or "The Pigman," it is certainly a worthwhile read. There is no reason that it should be suppressed: I plan to write a letter to my community library, and I would encourage otheres to stand up against such cowardly censorship in their communities as well.


P.S. I contacted my local librarian, who assured me that the catalog listing was misleading. In fact, there were at least four copies in circulation, although the one at my local branch seemed to have disappeared. Certainly, this is good news, but I was really touched by how enthusiastic she was about my concern. I was rather afraid of being treated like a crackpot. I think I'll sign up for some volunteer work the next time I've over there...

This book was about a girl who's a teenager and has a wonderful life until one day at school she goes to school like normal, and she's at PE. Her PE. teacher asked her to bend over to see her back and she thinks something is wrong with her back. The next time she goes to the docter and finds out that she has a back problem with her spine. It wasn't staight, and at the end she ends up having to wear a brace and she doesn't like that idea. So her freinds cheer her up about it and everything, and she feels so sad and doesn't want a brace at all. She goes home to find her mom and dad fighting about her brace and that makes her feel even more upset. When she gets the brace everyone tries to make her feel good.......but, you will have to read it all!!! Its like a diary of a girl, and it's a really sad and true story!!!!!

I recommend this book to everyone who loves to read diarys about people's life and everything they have to go through. I enjoy all of Judy Blume's books, and this one is especially good.

I read Deenie a few months ago because my mom told me I should. She thought I could relate to Deenie because I have scoliosis as well and some say I could be a model. People tell me I'm beautiful and tall (I don't always agree). However when I got scoliosis in 7th grade and had to wear a brace, most everything in my life was changed and my dreams were put on hold. Even though it's not a barrier to my friendships, my goals, or my schoolwork, I still feel very different from everyone else. I don't consider myself to be disabled at all. I can do anything. I may have a brace but I also have a life, friends, a family, and my goals. Deenie feels this way also. I would recommend this book to anyone who has trouble accepting themselves or who just would like to read a good book.

Deenie is a beautiful seventh grader whose mother desperately wants her to be a model. Deenie doesn't really know if she wants to be a model, but goes along with her mother's wishes so as not to rock the boat. Whenever she goes on modeling interviews, they seem to always comment about her posture, which makes her mother angry. Deenie promises that she will begin working on her posture. When her school gym teacher notices that Deenie's posture is a problem, she notifies Deenie's parents who take her to a specialist. It turns out that Deenie has adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and that she will have to wear a brace to correct it. So much for her modeling career.

In the tradition of most Judy Blume books, Deenie tackles many issues that teenage girls face. Deenie's mother is constantly harping on her looks and the hopes that she had for Deenie to become a successful model, whether Deenie wanted to or not. She is a typical stage mom who puts both of her daughters into very specific roles: Helen is the brains, Deenie is the beauty. When things don't work out the way that she plans, she takes her frustration out on Deenie. In turn, Deenie wonders if the disease is her fault.

Deenie also has to deal with the issue of being self-conscious about something that is really outside of her control. At the beginning of the novel she focuses on others' deformities: a girl with eczema, which Deenie refers to as "creeping crud," is avoided because of her red and flaky skin; Deenie never makes eye contact with a woman who has a hunchback until her own spine malformation is noticed. Deenie is a story about growing up and maturing, and the change in Deenie from start to finish is evident.

Unfortunately, for some, Judy Blume also tackles teenage sexuality in this novel, which has caused it to be one of the most challenged works of young adult fiction. Personally, I felt the references were mild at best, and completely appropriate. Deenie mentions touching herself as a way of feeling better when things spiral out of control. The subject of teenage masturbation is handled with tact and elegance, and I think people just make more out of it than they should.

As a whole, Deenie was an excellent book, and one I never got a chance to read when I was younger. I'm glad I picked it up now, and can honestly say that it has a lot of good messages for young adults. If you can look past the mild sexual references to the heart of the story, a young girl who has to learn to look past exteriors to see inner beauty--including her own--I think you'll enjoy this story.

...and for 13 year-old Deenie Fenner, it seems as if life couldn't get any worse. When she sees the brace for the first time, her brain churns with thoughts. "I won't wear it. Never!" she says to herself adamantly. Deenie can't imagine wearing the brace, let alone living normally in it. Even more distraught over the situation is Mrs. Fenner, Deenie's mother, who had high hopes for her daughter's career as a model.

For as long as Deenie can remember, she has been the beauty of the family. Her mother considers Deenie's good looks to be a precious gift that will help her to get far in life. Helen, Deenie's older sister, is known as being the smartest of the two. I get the impression Mrs. Fenner is a bit shallow. She pays less attention to Helen than she does Deenie, all because Deenie is endowed in the looks department. Mrs. Fenner drags her daughter to countless modeling agencies, searching for work. She lives vicariously through her daughter. "You're going to work somewhere where they pay you, not where you pay them," she says.

Mrs. Fenner is really no help with Deenie's scoliosis, a.k.a. curvature of the spine. Fortunately, Deenie has two wonderful friends. At first, when Deenie finds out about her back problems, she's sure doctors will need to operate. When she gives her friends the news, they go out to the nearest department store and buy her a cute pink nightgown to wear at the hospital.

Deenie's scoliosis doesn't require surgery - just a brace for four years or more. Deenie sees she'll have to change the way she eats. She cannot lean over to eat soup or take a bite out of a sandwich, as she soon finds out. She can't wear the same clothes - she needs to move up a size so they fit over her brace. "Damn you crooked spine!" she shrieks before whacking off her beautiful hair with a pair of scissors.

As I'm sure you can imagine, Mrs. Fenner is not pleased.

Still, those who truly care for Deenie for more than just selfish reasons do stick by her. Her best friends stay by her side and don't act any differently towards her. Buddy Brader, an eighth grader, still doesn't hide his interest in Deenie, despite the brace and wacky new hairdo.

Blume has written yet another realistic novel with likeable, believable characters that many readers can relate to. Nothing in Blume's books ever seem contrived or fake. Things happen as they would in honest-to-God true life and the endings are never sugar-coated, sappy, or overly happy - just straight up real. And that, I do believe, is why America's youth has enjoyed her writing for decades.

I first read this book when I was 12 years old. It was the first time that I felt anyone in the world understood how I felt as a young teen with Scoliosis. Even though Deenie is a girl, her emotions and experiances mirrored mine as I dealt with wearing the cumbersome Milwaukee brace for 23 hours a day.

Thank you Judy!

This book was the first clue I recieved that I was not alone in my affliction with scoliosis. I read it over 19 years ago for the first time. I was the only person I knew of that had this dreaded abnormality. Up until I read "Deenie", I felt like a freak, literally. Most of the kids in school had already labeled me as "retarded" because of my cumbersome back-brace. I was diagnosed with scoliosis in the fifth grade, and from that point until the end of my freshman year of high school, I was cursed with my brace 24/7. My story seemed so much like Deenie's that throughout the book, I cried with her. Deenie and I share so many similarities that it seemed astounding to me at the time, and still does. Deenie's story could very well have been my own. Deenie still seems to me like an old friend that helped me through a very rough time in my life, even after all these years. "Deenie" has made such an impact in my life and in the way I view my affliction that I would strongly reccomend it to sufferers and their families of ALL ages. (Even though there are graphic sexual references, I still feel that the book helped me [at age 11] too much to corrupt me.) Thank you Judy Blume!!!!! Jeannie Bernardo; Roseburg, OR

Deenie is a great book. It's about a girl that gets scoliosis. She has to wear a back brace that she hates,I would too. One day she gets so sick of wearing that thing, so she does something that she will regret,I don't want to tell you because it should be a surprise. One reason that I like this book is because Deenie is close to my age and Judy Blume is a great author. The ending was shocking, but the book was exciting. I first read this book in 5th grade because my friend had read it and wanted me to, so I did. Now, I'm no book worm, but when I read that book I didn't want to stop. If you haven't read Deenie, I encourage you to.