Whale Talk

Crutcher, C. (2001). Whale talk. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Awards: Washington State Book Award (2002)

Summary:

TJ Jones is not one for organized sports. But after witnessing the bullying of a classmate for simply wearing his deceased brother’s letterman jacket, he changes his mind. After assembling the most unlikely swim team possible, TJ is on a quest of equality. This quest doesn’t stay contained in the pool or classroom but in life as well.

Reaction:

The covers released for this novel are overwhelmingly disappointing. The initial release in 2001 shows a boy in a letterman jacket running, and in 2009 another edition was released with a boy running in jeans. The newest edition from 2018 is a drawing of two whales. TJ Jones is a multiracial character but both of the covers missed the mark. If someone were to pick up the book, they would have no idea that TJ is part African-American, part Japanese, and part white. The 2001 cover at least has what is presumably TJ running with the letterman jacket on, a symbol of school pride despite his disinterest. The brick walls could possibly be the bar TJ runs to when his father confronts another character. Or it could have a deeper meaning. Students of multiracial backgrounds are missing an opportunity to see themselves when white models are placed on covers.

“My father always said there are no coincidences; that when two seemingly related events occur, they are related and should be treated that way.”(pg 17, e-book). This line is at the very beginning of the book. While it could be easily dismissable at the beginning, events do come full circle for TJ’s father.

This is a gut-wrenching novel that tackles multiple tough topics for teens and adults alike. Some themes include, identity, racism, domestic abuse, child abuse, guilt, society expectations, bullying, etc. TJ is at the center of everything, though he doesn’t directly experience what some of the other characters do. But TJ is many readers. He doesn’t understand why girls and women like Heidi and Alicia go back to men that treat them the way Mike and Rich do.

The young character of Heidi endures the effects of her stepfather's abuse. She feels less than because of how the man she considers her “daddy” treats her. All because of the color of her skin. She attempts to scrub the black from her skin so she can be the same color as him, her mother, and her siblings. At one point she scrubs so hard she bleeds all down her arm. How utterly sad for such a sweet girl to feel such a way.

TJ is a hot-headed character. There is a rage built up inside of him that lets out when there is an injustice. He refuses to join any school sports because of the bureaucracy involved not to mention the treatment from a particular coach. But when he sees Chris Coughlin, a student in the special education program at his school, wearing his deceased brother’s letterman jacket and getting picked on for it, TJ has had enough. Fortunately for him, the bullying happens on the heels of being offered the spot on a swim team the school is attempting to put together by his English teacher.

His hot-headedness doesn’t stop at putting together a rag-tag bunch team together. He is often sarcastic when confronted with authority he deems unworthy. This often gets him into trouble.

Many books dealing with racism, particularly that against African-Americans, take place somewhere in the South. Whale Talk brings the reader to a small town in Washington state with a few visits in Idaho. This is a different position compared to more recent publications. It’s a refreshing change.

Connections:

Activities:

- “Chris Coughlin is big time special ed.” (pg 26, e-book). Just because Chris Coughlin was in special education courses didn’t mean he couldn’t be an athlete. Take time to volunteer for the Special Olympics and show your support.
- Investigate your own schools' rules for earning a letterman jacket. What are the requirements? Are the requirements fair regarding the sport?
- As a pre-reading activity, have students write down all of the stereotypes they have ever heard of, negative and positive. Discuss the validity of the stereotypes.
- Learn about the author’s background. How does it influence the storytelling?
- Choose one of the tragedies from the novel to write a newspaper article or write a script for a news bulletin and present it on FlipGrid or another outlet.
- Identity plays a huge role in the novel. What do you consider your identity to be?
- Character Analysis: Create a body biography - give students a silhouette and students will draw different symbols to represent the character. The different boys on the swim team all have various personalities and experiences.
- Research the different programs at your school. Which ones are given more attention? Check the budgets for the different programs. Why do you think one may receive more than another?

Books Dealing with Domestic Abuse:

Flinn, A. (2001). Breathing underwater. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Grace, A. (2011). But I love him. Woodbury, Minn: Flux.

Brown, J. (2011). Bitter end. New York: Little, Brown.

Video

[Tedx Talks]. (2017, October 18). Deep dive: What we are learning from the language of whales | James Nestor | TEDxMarin [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/JM77aTk1XyI

[TED]. (2013, January 25). Why domestic violence victims don't leave | Leslie Morgan Steiner [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/V1yW5IsnSjo