Customer Reviews

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Chris Crutcher has tapped into the teenage psyche for this one. This is a most confusing time in any person's life: you are just starting to deal with certain issues (sex, fitting-in, questioning religion, et cetera), and you may be angry and don't know exactly why. I remember my teenage days quite vividly and have found that I can relate to this story on certain levels.
This is a story about Eric "Moby" Calhoune, a so-called fat kid, who bonds with Sarah Byrnes, an outcast burn victim. They form a friendship that is tested on many occasions by Sarah's inability to face her past and her relationship with her father (Mr. Byrnes is one of the most evil characters I have ever encountered in literature). Soon things get dangerous for both Sarah and Moby, but I won't divulge anymore details. You must read the book to find out what happens.
I will only say that while this book centers on abuse (in many forms), it also deals with a wider range of teenage problems. What is so profound about this story is that it could happen, it may have even happened to some of us or someone we know. It's truthful and realistic. Be careful. It may hit you hard when certain things are revealed. If you tend to cry while reading books or watching films, you might want to have a tissue handy when you sit down with this one.

The question I get asked most often has got to be, "So what's your favorite book?"

It's a tough one to answer, because there are so many wonderful books out there. But when all's said and done, I think I have to go with "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes," by Chris Crutcher.

Overweight Eric "Mobe" (as in "Moby") Calhoune and burn victim Sarah Byrnes united during junior high because of their shared "terminal uglies," fighting off bullies and insidious school faculty, to name a few.

Now in high school, Mobe's an athlete on the swim team, despite his efforts to remain plump and preserve his treasured friendship with Sarah Byrnes (sick of every idiot calling attention to her condition and her last name, she makes everybody call her by her full name).

When she winds up in the psych ward, the story launches into something both horrifying and heart wrenching: When Sarah Byrnes was three, her abusive father Vergil held her face to a hot stove.

Mobe's got to find a way to protect her from her father and bring her back into reality.

It's a truly gripping tale, one that will have readers on the edge of their seats. Vergil Byrnes is by no means an ordinary villain; he is a monster. But Crutcher doesn't simply stop with Sarah Byrnes' saga.

On the sidelines, but no less important, is the story of Mobe's rivalry with Mark Brittain, a fellow swimmer.

Mark is hardcore religious, while Mobe's more accepting and easygoing. It's fascinating to watch such different individuals with so different beliefs go head to head, whether in the pool or in their debate class, Contemporary American Thought.

It's heavy stuff, but Crutcher adeptly balances it by giving his characters the ever welcome gift of sarcasm. The humor is a welcome counterbalance to such controversial taboos as abortion, religion and censorship. Virtually every line is one that will make you howl with laughter, even as you are moved to tears by the characters' plights. This, my friends, is real life.

And what characters there are! Besides the aforementioned few, Eric's mother is a delight, the very picture of hip maternal instincts, and her geeky boyfriend Carver ultimately proves heroes can come in surprising packages. Ellen Lemry, Mobe's swim coach/CAT teacher/adviser is a force to be reckoned with.

But my hero is Steve Ellerby, an enigma in and of himself. Son of a preacher and a choir boy, he also possesses an obnoxious blue car and what some would consider a sacrilegious personality. He's acerbic, he's disrespectful, he's fun.

And he has the best scene in the book, but race through it and you'll miss it when Brittain kneels at the pool side to lead his teammates in prayer: "Ellerby drops to both knees, throwing his head back as he stretches his arms wide, and loudly begs Jesus to come swim the laps for him. When there's no answer, he opens one eye to a squint and asks if John the Baptist is home. `Damn,' he says in the face of no response."

In fact, "Staying Fat" is frustrating because no amount of description will be adequate in capturing its splendor in its entirety. This review is only the tip of the iceberg. There's still so much to discover: Read it and find out for yourself.

No book has ever captivated me as much as this one. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a fiction. yet realistic book written by Cris Crutener. The characters of this book are strong characters that contribute to the greatness of this book. Eric Calhoune, a senior, faces the task of helping close friend, Sarah Byrnes, who was burned in an accident. Sarah's dad, her problem, is not necesaraly someone you'd like to be friends with. Eric faces other small, bothersome problems. The biggest of them all, Mark Brittain, a fellow classmate who constantly lectures everyone on his strong catholic believes. The only thing Eric doesn't despise form Mark is his girlfriend, Jody Mueller Mrs. Lemry, a strong character, is Erics swimming coach and CATS teacher. Eric tries to help Sarah overcome a psycological problem, by visiting her at the psycological center. Soon, he finds out a dark secret Sarah has kept from everyone for a long time. He then becomes involved in a constant fight to keep Sarah safe. This book came to me when i wasn't sure if I still enjoyed reading. Lately, as a student i have not been able to choose the books I wanted to read, and wa not enjoying reading. Choosing this book was not easy. Mainly, I thought I was going to have to face another boring book. I was wrong. As I read the first pages, I found myself cought up in the plot. Without realizing it I finished, what was perhaps, one of the best books I ever read. It's true that this book involves the same kind of drama many books involve, but something about it is different. it has this special thing that seperates it from other books. You will not encounter a language that is boring or too elegant. The language is realistic and so real that young people will have no trouble reading and understanding it. The author has not avoided using bad words: there are plenty that give this book a realistic tough. The characters don't talk like stuffy old people, but like everyday people, making this book even better. This book is great and not a moment! boring, once started it can be diffiult to stop. This book is perhaps the best ever. The author has known how to write a funny, entertaining, realistic book. It doesn't fall in the same category as those books htat constantly repeat the same ending as they all lived happily ever after. Without doubt, this book is a 10!

This book spoke to me from the shelf, so I picked it up, not knowing what I'd find. I found an intelligent and witty novel that is gripping from the first chapter. Sarah Byrnes, a tough, intelligent girl, is forced through life with the burden of her scarred face and maniacal father. Eric "Moby" Calhoune, an overweight swimmer, is her best friend, who has to deal with the knowledge of her secrets. Behind the main plot are a controversial bunch of debaters-Ellerby, the liberal preacher's son who challenges all Bible thumpers in style, Ms. Lemry, the strong-opinioned teacher and coach who fosters heavy debate in her classes, Mark Brittain, the overzealous pressured persuer of conservative Christian values EVERYWHERE, and Jody Mueller, who is torn between enforced beliefs and her life's hard facts-who are looking for the balancing point in a world of clashing beliefs.The crafted debating of abortion and values rings true if you've ever witnessed the real thing. Somewhere amidst the fight between libral choice and conservative value and struggle of survival for the teens, a happy(yet realistic)ending emerges.

A strong plotline and strong sense of humor make this book good, but Crutcher's strong characters are what make it great and worth reading. Eric, Sarah, Ellerby, Ms. Lemry, Mark, Mr. Ellerby, Mr. Mautz, Jody, and Dale are all complex and have a story or motive or simply an aura that makes the reader want to know more and more. A really, really strong recommendation for this one, folks.

Oh, yes: Ellerby's celebrated Christian Cruiser, a pale blue with airbrushed clouds station wagon that blasts Mahalia Jackson at full volume and states, "The wages of sin are a buck fifty", deserves an extra commendation. Such creativity.

Out of every book I've read recently, this is by far my favorite. "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes" was absolutely incredible for so many reasons, it'll be hard to fit them all in a decent sized review!

I think I really liked this book because it applied to me in so many ways. Like Moby, I'm a swimmer. Understanding the stress of long practices helped me feel his story in so many ways. Much more importantly, I also have a friend who was abused by his parents. To all of you who say that part of the story was over-dramatized or seemed unrealistic, you are sadly mistaken.

"Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes" dealt with so many other important teenage issues, such as self-image, dating, abortion, family problems, and religion that it was hard to put down. The way the author used the Contemporary American Thought class to present these views and still apply all of them to the story was very tactful. Rather than saying "Religion and God are good and abortion is bad," Crutcher showed both sides, and how each way of thinking shapes and morphs everyone differently.

One of my favorite parts was the side story about Mark Brittain. At first I saw him as the epitome of hypocrisy, but as the story goes on, you learn about his family life, and other things that happen and you begin to sympathize. I loved how the author presented religion throughout this story. Rather than bashing Christians, or even giving his church a name, Crutcher showed how people get caught up in their "beliefs" without first deciding what it is they actually believe. He also showed that there isn't necessarily just one "right" way.

The characters in this book were astounding. Each had his or her purpose and accomplished it quite well while still being unique. Crutcher didn't go overboard, didn't make stereotypes, and every personality trait seemed realistic, molded by surroundings and people rather than just "there."

I personally found the story interesting and realistic. Their swimming workouts must be TORTURE! It was a well rounded, deep story that I think will help me deal with lots of problems in my life. A definite must-read for any confused teenager with problems in

It almost hurts to find yourself laughing so much on the way through such a book. When the book is dealing with the pain of a socially ostracized teenager that was deliberately burned as a tender 3-year-old by a brutal, controlling father, and abandoned by a cowardly mother, how can these amazing lines force you to laugh? But they do.

This is a beautifully choreographed little book that hurtles along at top speed, lurching from highs to lows, with absolutely pitiless humor. It's only some breaths after finishing that the reader can consider and find it a bit too neat.

Eric (a.k.a. Moby) Calhoune is the fattest kid in the school. Sarah Byrnes, face and hands hideously burn scarred, is the ugliest. But they are both among the brightest. Thrown together by their deformity, they bolster each other's determination in the face of social attacks. Eric's talent as a swimmer buys his ticket out of ostracism, and the workouts begin to burn him out of his fat. But he is determined never to leave his first and best friendship behind.

This is a good story about loyalty, moral courage, and inner honesty. Although each character is well-drawn and believable, it is, however, perhaps a bit too pat, with too many absolute villains and heroes to be fully convincing. Still, a great read, darkly funny, and one to discuss with any young adult.

(suspense/drama/comedy novel) Sarah Brynes was literally scarred to silence. When Sarah Brynes was three, she was "mysteriously" burned. There was a possibility she could have had reconstructive surgery, but her father refused it. During her whole life(until the age of seventeen), Sarah was a very cold hearted person to everyone EXCEPT Eric Calhoune a.k.a Moby. They were both looked down upon in society. Eric was overweight, and Sarah had a disfigured face. Together, they wrote a secret newspaper in Junior High School called Crispy Pork Rinds. When Sarah was a senior in High School, she went into a state of mind where she did not talk. Her friend Eric stayed with her throughout the whole ordeal even though he started to become popular due to weight loss. Eric did not want to lose her friendship, so he ate like a pig to stay fat. This book is appeals to a mature teen audience due to graphic language. The ending is rather surprising and we promise you will be at your nerves ends during the whole book!

I have to admit, when I first saw this book I thought it was going to be another badly written, melodramatic sports novel. Eventually, my curiosity and boredom got the better of me and I read it. By the time I had finished, I had realized how completely wrong I was.

Unlike most "young-adult" literature, the characters aren't all gorgeous and popular, which makes them seem infinitely more realistic. Sarah, Moby, and Ellerby (3 of the major characters) are smart, funny, and not drips either, which tends to be rare in books written by adults about people their age. I think it's pretty cool that the author isn't afraid of swearing or making his characters sarcastic or cynical in places -- it makes the average "young adult" more able to relate. I noticed some people complaining that the fundamentalist Christian characters are a little too stereotyped. Maybe so, but I've actually met people like them a few times, so they don't seem so cartoonish to me.

I recommend this book to all teenage misfits who are sick of the perfect people in most novels for people their age.

Chris Crutcher's, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, is truly one of the most inspiring novels that could be read by any age group. This piece of literature has an amazing quality of portraying the hardships and triumphs faced by adolescents these days. Not only does Crutcher write in a sympathetic and easily understood style, but also with a little added humor. Any person can sympathize with Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune, the story's main characters. The mysteriously scarred face and the body size of Eric have made them outcasts their entire lives; however, it is these imperfections that have made them inseparable best friends. Eric must prove his devotion to Sarah when he suddenly discovers her in the psychiatric ward of Sacred Heart Hospital, completely withdrawn from human existence. Eric uncovers the horrific origin of Sarah's scars, and must decide between betraying the trust of his friend or granting her wish of keeping the secret. This story offers an unmistakable theme that everyone can relate to. The twists and turns presented by the author leave readers hungry for more and more. In fact, the only regrettable part of this novel is the undeniable fact that it has to come to an end. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a must read for persons of any age.

As a teacher, I have read hundreds of young adult and children's books. I found Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes to be among the best I have ever read. For me, it ranks with Bridge to Terabithia, The Chocolate War, Maniac Magee, The Giver, and A Wrinkle in Time as one of the must reads for young readers. Deeply affecting, richly written, yet easily accessible, this is a modern classic.