Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes

Crutcher, C. (1993). Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York, N.Y.: Greenwillow Books.  Summary: Eric Calhoune and Sarah Byrnes have been best friends since middle school as the fat boy and ugly girl with burn scars on her face and hands. In eighth grade they create the Crispy Pork Rinds, an underground newspaper ridiculing the bullies in the school, including the principal. Eric joins the swim team as a freshman, and loses much of his excess weight, but continues to overeat so Sarah Byrnes will like him until she tells him to stop. In the last semester of their senior year, they enroll is a class taught by Ms. Lemry called Contemporary American Thought where the class debates issues such as religion, child abuse, racism and abortion. Jody, Eric's new girlfriend, discloses to the class that she was convinced to have an abortion the previous year by her then boyfriend Mark, who then attempts suicide.  Sarah Byrnes falls into a catatonic state during class one day, and ends up a mental ward.  Eric discovers she is actually just there for protection from her father who purposely burned her on a wood stove when she was three years old.  Ms. Lemry hides Sarah and then takes her to Reno in search for the mother, while the father, Virgil Byrnes, attacks and stabs Eric. Carver Middleton, a Vietnam Vet who dates Eric's mother, breaks into Virgil's house, and severely beats him in self-defense. While Carver spends a little time in jail and is on probation for his vigilante justice, Virgil Byrnes is convicted for a multitude of violent offenses and is sent to prison for 20 years or more. The Lemrys adopt Sarah the day before her 18^th birthday, so she can finally drop the "Byrnes" from her name, and they enjoy the summer together looking forward to a hopeful future without fear.

Commentary: The book is told by Eric during his Senior Year in High School, using flashbacks to earlier years establishing his friendship with Sarah Byrnes. The characters are fully developed as we understand the physical attributes and emotions of Eric, Sarah, their classmates, teachers and parents. Many controversial subjects are addressed, including bullying, family violence, abortion, and religion.  The book is appropriate for ages 12 and up, and leaves several wonderful messages of empathy for the disabled and disadvantaged, loyalty toward friends and love ones, and individual courage and self-esteem.

Connections: Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher, Stotan! by Chris Crutcher, and Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher