Monday, March 10, 2008

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going, read by Matthew Lillard


There aren't too many books out there about fat kids--even though we know there are tons of them in the United States. This book has been out for a few years and I finally got around to listening to it. It's good. Mainly because it's about a fat kid who doesn't end up drastically losing weight in the end to become the perfect kid. Yes, things get better, but he's not pounds thinner. Basically Troy discovers that there are worse things than being overweight. He meets Curt, the local guitar hero, who is also homeless and addicted to OTC meds. Curt drafts Troy into his band on a fluke one night, but they both follow through. Troy takes lessons from the local punk band drummer and Curt practices hims, too. But Troy realizes that being fat is nothing compared to not having someone who loves you. Sure, Troy lost his mom to cancer years ago. But Curt doesn't have anyone besides friends. No parent or sibling to love him. Troy has his dad (even though he is a Marine who occasionally still barks orders) and his younger (and buff) brother who is the typical jock and everything Troy hates. But both love Troy, even though he weighs almost 300 pounds. Punk rock fans, read this. Or if you just feel like raging against the world, you'll like this one, too.

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