Howe, James. 2005. Totally Joe. Ginee Seo Books. 0-689-83957-X
Plot Summary
Joe Bunch is a teenager, learning who he is and how to be completely himself amidst a time in life when to stand out is usually not recommended. Supported by a group of friends that all have their own quirks, Joe revels to his teacher how he sees himself and the world in this alphabiography.
Critical Analysis
This is a clever, fun, witty, happy and entertaining read. Joe is a refreshing character for young readers who need a positive, confident, twelve-year-old boy to identify with no matter what their unique qualities may be. Joe deals with many universal challenges in this book with humor, creativity and an honest strength that reads as inspiration and encourages the pre-teenagers to be open about who they are and not be ashamed of their individuality.
The cast of characters are complex but support the main character, Joe, in interesting and important ways. His best friend, Addie is a quirky, outspoken feminist with individual and intelligent strengths. Joe’s two close guy friends each have less than normal family lives and have learned ways to navigate the world of middle school each in their own way. Joe’s parents are caring people who encourage Joe to be himself no matter what. His older brother is a “guy-guy” but in his own way loves and supports Joe. His aunt Pam is a young, hip confidant that Joe learns how to be strong and courageous. This motley crew is the perfect support network for a young boy who is gay, harassed by school bullies, but feels no reason to hide who is simply to fit into the cool crowd.
Joe steers through common middle school struggles such as crushes, relationships, fitting in, and is recognized as being “totally Joe”. A few gender stereotypes play a little tiresome in the beginning of the story. For example, “But, when you’re a boy, people just expect you to: 1. Make fart noises under your armpit and think it’s hilarious…8. Be an expert on a. video games b. cars c. sports d. fixing things e. acting tough” (p8). However, a lot of the emphasis is in order to show that Joe is the clear opposite of a guy-guy. It seems probable that a 12 year old may view boys and girls in such black and white ways. This is a great bit: “I also like books, but I wish there were more books about boys like me. I mean, most of the books “for boys” are about guy-guys. The characters are always trapped in the wilderness, where they become friends with a wolf, or their biggest worry in life is how they’re going to score the winning point for a team. Yawn.”(p83) A great quote to remember when emphasizing the importance for a diverse collection.
The language is a bit over the top, but the author is clearly trying to create a character that has a flair for dramatic emphasis. This is best exemplified in the footnotes to his teacher Mr. D. For example, he uses such phrases as “I am so not making this up” or “Peoples Exhibit A: Kevin = handsome. Not.” (p126) or the best one, “I picked this term [disclosure] up from C-SPAN, which I was only watching because I dropped the remote while channel surfing and the batteries fell out and rolled under the couch and it took me fifteen minutes to find them. After being stuck for one-quarter of an hour on C-SPAN, I have to ask: DO REAL HUMAN BEINGS ACTUALLY WATCH THIS? ON PURPOSE? SHOULD WE SEND HELP?” (p132).
This would be a great addition to any library collection. The cover is also fabulous!
Review Excerpts
"A character that lives and breathes with all the inconsistencies, fears, and longings of your normal, average seventh-grade homosexual." -- Kirkus Reviews starred review
"Obviously, the novel will be problematic for some--not only because of the gay theme and Joe's age but also the stereotypic portrayal of the bullying Christian family. Joe himself often comes off as a cross between Niles Crane and Harvey Fierstein. But he also reacts like a kid, and readers in his situation will wish for the love and support he receives from friends and family, as well as the happy life he so clearly envisions." Ilene Cooper, Booklist
Connections
Lambda Literary Award nominees for Nominees for CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT (17) Sept-Dec 2006:
- Wolfcry by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (Random House Children's Books)
- The Boys and the Bees by Joe Babcock (Carroll & Graf)
- Playing the Field by Phil Bildner (Simon & Schuster)
- The Manny Files by Christian Burch (Simon & Schuster)
- Life As I Knew It by Randi Hacker (Simon & Schuster)
- Is He or Isn't He? by John Hall (Avon)
- A Queer Circle of Friends by Lisa Lees (Phreeky Dragon Press)
- Wide Awake by David Levithan (Random House Children's Books)
- Full Spectrum, edited by David Levithan & Billy Merrell (Random House Children's Books)
- Between Mom & Jo by Julie Anne Peters (Little Brown)
- Tripping to Somewhere by Kristopher Reisz (Simon & Schuster)
- Skip Macalester by J.E. Robinson (Harrington Park Press)
- Getting It by Alex Sanchez (Simon & Schuster)
- Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan (Simon & Schuster)
- Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer (Houghton Mifflin)
- Erik & Isabelle's Junior Year at Foresthill High by Kim Wallace (Foglight Press)
- Pearl's Christmas Present by Thomas S. Wurst (Pearl & Dotty)
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/current_nominees.html#childrens
Additional Information
I found an essay that the author wrote about this book. He made some extremely important comments about how and why he developed Joe’s character. “He was the boy I wished I could have been when I was his age.” After two marriages and fifty years of denial, the author came out. “Hard as it is for me to believe, there are those who think gay people come into existence fully formed as adults, that there are no such things as gay children, or if there are it is only because evil, lecherous gay adults have seduced or recruited them. Because those of us who are gay (and most of us who are straight) know better…” He talks about using characters in the book to “express the anger I felt toward the hypocrisy of those who sit in judgment, those who use religion to hate and exclude, those who bully out of ignorance and fear.” All very important and thought provoking points to share. The whole essay can be found at http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=511175&agid=9.
Ages: 10 and up
Grades: 5 and up
Awards:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults Nominee
ALA Notable Children's Books
ALA Quick Picks Nominee
Bank Street Best Books of the Year
CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
Kansas State Reading Circle Middle School Titles
Kirkus Editor's Choice
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
Maine Student Book Award Master List
NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
NYPL "Books for the Teen Age"
Thumbs Up! Award Master List (MI)
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