Customer Reviews

Tiger Eyes

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this because it's on the ALA's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books (1990-2000) and I'm slowly working my way though the list. This is one of the few Judy Blume books I managed to miss when I was younger and I have to say, I'm quite surprised that it's on this list at all. I found absolutely nothing objectionable about the book at all. I agree that the subject matter might be unpleasant to some, but for anyone who's experienced (or might experience) the sudden (and possibly violent) loss of a loved one (and everyone does at some point in their lives) this book is an exceptional read. Not only does it deal with one families struggle to deal with the sudden, violent death of their father/husband it also deals with other types of loss and grief issues. Included in this book are the difficulty of being childless for a couple that wants children (the aunt and uncle), Wolf's experiences with the inevitable loss of his father to cancer, Jane's drinking to cope with the intense and often unrealistic expectations of her family and her own fears about wanting to live her own life but being afraid to at the same time. Tiger Eyes manages to convey an intensity of emotion with regards to each family members fear, grief, anger, and depression...and manages to do it without being depressing or having the main character wallow in it. The struggles of Davey and her Mother are very real, they "feel" authentic, you get a depth of emotion in the reading and I think that is what makes this an excellent book. I think it's a shame anyone would try to censor this, to pretend that death doesn't occur or that there aren't difficult issues in families that lead to children and/or parents making bad/self-destructive choices. I think it's a very good thing that there are books like this that allow readers to enjoy a good story and realize that we are each human and must come to terms with our problems as best we can. I give Tiger Eyes five stars and two thumbs up...highly recommended!!

Davey Wexler is merely 15 years old when her father is shot to death in a hold-up that takes place at his 7-11 store. His death means that he's not only gone for good, but that a ton of new changes are to follow. It means Davey, her mother, and her younger brother, Jason, will be moving to New Mexico to cope. It also means leaving behind the old life, along with other people she loves, such as her best friend, Lenaya, and her boyfriend, Hugh.

It takes awhile for reality to settle in over the denial Davey should naturally - and does - feel. It's ever-so hard for her to believe that, at the funeral, it is her father's body in the casket and not someone else's. She contemplates life without him and wonders if it is feasible. Perhaps this book should be titled It's Not the End of the World, rather than Judy's middle school read about divorce and how it affects a suburban family. This novel is titled TIGER EYES because Davey has gorgeous hazel eyes.

Once she arrives at Los Alamos, she naturally feels what one might feel. She's nervous about meeting people, about making new friends. She worries about how her life at a new high school will turn out. Although many parts of this story are intense, the entire novel flows smoothly and believably together and is not at all aimed at shocking audiences through violence like some may think. True to form, Judy addresses how to cope with loss and creates likable characters. I feel lucky I have yet to experience the death of a loved one and hope I don't have to any time soon. But it's something today's youth faces daily, so why not address it in modern-day literature? That's an especially wonderful way to go about it, a great way to reach readers.

After therapy, Davey's mother decides it's time to move back to New Jersey. Much of Blume's books take place in New Jersey because that is where she grew up and she still resides there today. With the Wexlers moving back home, we sense a return to normalcy. However, Los Alamos really has become normalcy for Davey. She's grown accustomed to it and it feels just like home. She knows the environment and has made friends as well. Still, it's as if she left her New Jersey life on hold and she realizes moving home will complete her experience in coping over her father's death. She simply needs to pick up the place where she left off.

You will (or should!) enjoy this book whether you've lost someone you cherished or you have yet to make it through such a harrowing experience. This YA novel frankly makes me wish Judy would bring us some more of her YA stuff - and SOON!

"Tiger Eyes" is mainly about a death in the family and how it almost tears a family apart. Davey's father gets shot and killed during a robbery at his convenience store. It makes Davey and her mom real depressed, so they decide that they need a change in scenery. They go to stay with Davey's aunt and uncle in New Mexico until Davey and her mom get back on their feet. While there, she will experience some major turmoil with her aunt and uncle, but to ease it up a little, she meets Wolf while she's exploring a canyon, and he's somewhat going through the same thing she is. Davey has to find a way to help her mom and herself get over the tragedy, while trying to do what she can to put her life back together.

"Tiger Eyes" is a great book, and it's realistic. Judy Blume does a great job in making the reader see the pain and grief that can happen when something like that occurs, while keeping the reader wanting to read more and more. If you like good realistic books, "Tiger Eyes" would be a great one to get.

15-year old Davey has just experienced the tragic loss of her beloved father via a robbery shooting. Her mother, unable to cope alone, accepts an offer of help from her sister-in-law, and thus Davey moves with her mother and younger brother from their home in Atlantic City to live with an aunt and uncle who are practically strangers to them in New Mexico. While there, Davey encounters unfamiliar rules, unexpected complications (eg, a friend's drinking problem), and some unlikely sources of support. As her mother deteriorates, Davey learns to cope with her own grief while at the same time negotiating the usual trials of being a high school student. A wonderful, moving book that would be especially appropriate for teens who have experienced a loss in their own lives.

Judy Blume did a fantastic job with this book. She really stressed real issues that many teens have to deal with. I feel she made a very good point in this book. The message that I had interpreted from this book was that: "No matter how bad life may get, things will always get better." I will recommend this book to all of my friends and I shall also make the recommendation to you to give this book a chance. You won't regret it!

Judy Blume is, of course, billed as one of the finest writers for young adults, and this book certainly supports her standing. Tiger Eyes, however, will appeal to all ages. Though written in the early 80's, it stands the test of time, dealing with complex, timeless emotional matters such as loss, anger, love with sensitivity and aplumb. It also makes a pretty good case for the role and value of therapy in dealing with life's hardships. I would recommend this book not just for coming of age teenagers, but also for their parents and anyone seeking a strong, captivating story.

Tiger Eyes,by Judy Blume. Is a magnificent book,and incredably realistic.It's about a young girl(Davey Wexler)and how she struggles to lead her old life again after her father is shot to death at his 7-11 store in Atlantic City,New Jersey. Blume does a magnificent job being extreamly realistic and describing the charecters and adventures through out the book.The feelings and emotions that Davey Wexler goes through, Pull you into the book and make you fell as if you are actually there.It makes me think that Blume must have gone through somthing simular in her own life to understand how it feels to loose someone so special. The describing of the charecters was also amazing. You get such a clear picture of what the various people in the book look like, along with all of their charecteristecs.Judy Blume surely has a gift for making the readers know what Davey and the other charecters are thinking without reading it in the print. I give this book four stars,I highly recomend it to all ages.It doesn't matter if your 10 or 80 this book is an enjoyable masterpeice for everyone.

The title and the summary on the back of the book lead me innitially astray. I expected a book about a girl and a wolf, a bit like in Tiger Tiger by M. Burgess. However, this story is not about animals talking to people, it is about a family grieving about the sudden violent dead of a father. The focus is on Davey as 15 year old girl. You read how she tries to deal with the death of her father. First in her normal environment suffering from depression, lethargy, hyperventilation. Then her mother takes her and her younger brother to an aunt and uncle in another town. There she struggles with grief in a different way. Through her friendship with Wolf she can process things in a different way.

What I liked about the book is how you can see different ways of dealing with grief. The mother has a different way of dealing with it thanDavey. Also Davey tries different ways to deal with it.

I also liked the subtle way in which other grief is addressed. The grief of no children by the aunt and uncle. Or how Jane tries to cope with the stress of growing up in a family where they put huge expectations on a teenagers.

It was difficult to put the book away. I finished it in two nights.

Tiger Eyes is a very exciting book that tells about a girl who has troubles in her life. Her dad has just died and what's left of her family, her brother and mother, go to live with her aunt. All the rules for her aunts house are different. Davey doesn't know how to cope with the changes. That is until she meets Wolf. This book shows how to get over tragety and also it shows how making new friends really helps you. I recomend this book to everyone who reads books at all. I definatly don't think that Tiger Eyes should be ban.

Tiger Eyes is a really good book!After Davey Wexler's father get shot in their 7-eleven store and dies , Davey`s life torn apart by the tragic incident!Her mother thought it would be best if Davey, the mom, and the little brother Jason moved to Mexico with their Aunt Bitsy and Uncle Walter!It takes awhile for Davey to get over it. But at her new school she begins to make friends with Jane and Rueben!Then she meets this guy Wolf and institaly falls inlove with!But he moves away! One step at a time Davey starts to put her life together and get over the horrible trama!