I Am Not Joey Pigza

Joey's got a problem. His no-good dad, Carter Pigza, is back in town, having won the lottery. He's changed his name, changed his tune, and he's swept Joey's mom Fran, off her feet again. Joey struggles with what he owes his father -- if you've read the the other books in the series, you know how bad Carter can be -- and finally decides to forgive him, an act of grace. I like it when children's books tackle big issues in an age appropriate way. Kids will cheer for Joey, but they will also learn about forgiveness, starting over, karma, and how sometimes, setting a good example is a way of loving.

This book, like its characters, has an identity crisis. It's trying to be a children's book, but I think it's really for grown ups. Mr. Gantos has done a superb job of exposing the workings of the mind of a troubled and confused youngster and the impact of the actions of the sometimes feckless, sometimes neglectful, sometimes abusive adults in his life. This dead-on true-to-life story careens non-stop through the misadventures of this hyperactive kid who gets only bad examples and confusing demands from the people who should be guiding him towards discovery of his best self. As a pediatrician and as a teacher, I have known children like Joey-aka-Freddy, lost in families like this. So I really appreciate how Mr. Gantos has laid bare the real difficulties of special-needs kids who get just what they don't need from their parents. But who is this book for? It is decked out in a cover which bespeaks zany humor and suggests that it is appropriate for ages 10 and up. I don't think so. Child abuse and neglect just aren't funny. Like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time this story will be of great interest to educators and people preparing for careers in which they will work with troubled children and dysfunctional families. I can envision it being extremely useful in a support group for parents of hyperactive kids or in a parenting class for fathers who want to do better by their kids. But it's not for preteens. Kids who are just beginning to be able to think about thinking need more reality-processing in their literature. Kids who, like Joey, get no good models from adults at home are probably better served by stories that model a constructive inner dialog and appropriately supportive family relationships. This story is a masterpiece, but it's too raw for preteens.

A good author has the ability to piss off their fans. Pissing off fans is a delicate art, though. On the one hand, if you can emotionally engage your readers to the point where they are so invested in your characters that they consider them to be real people then you know you're a pretty darn good writer. On the other hand, you always run the risk of losing those same fans if they feel you're being needlessly cruel to the fictional people they've grown to know and love. "I Am Not Joey Pigza" walks this tightrope and I've heard strong opinions about it from all quarters. Some people are furious with what Gantos has done to Joey in this book. Other people just see it as a continuation of the stories they've already grown to know and love. To my own mind, this is one of those books where kids will read the story on one level and adults on another. William Faulkner once said of writing to, "Kill your darlings". Well nobody dies in this book, but Gantos definitely puts his hero, and his readers' emotions through the wringer. The result is probably one of the smartest little ole books about the nature of forgiveness I've read in a very long time. Joey's been doing pretty well for a while now. He's taking his meds for his ADD regularly. His mom has been happy and he likes his newest teacher at school. Heck, things would be perfect if it weren't for his no good father Carter Pigza. One day Carter arrives at Joey's front door with some crazy news. He's won the lottery, has changed his name to Carter Heinz, and now he wants Joey and his mom to join him in his newest moneymaking scheme. Suddenly the boy is ripped out of his happy existence into "Carter's" nutty world. Joey is renamed Freddy Heinz and all the progress he's made is put to the test. At the heart of this story, however, is Carter's search for Joey's forgiveness and Joey's struggle to figure out what it means to forgive someone who is truly repentant and, at the same time, truly dangerous to be around. Bear in mind that as I write this review the only other Joey Pigza book I've ever read was the first one in the series, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. From this I can determine a couple things. 1. I'm fairly certain that this book stands perfectly well on its own. You may have missed some action in the past, but it doesn't really matter. Gantos is quick to bring you up to speed. 2. Not having seen how well Joey was doing, I don't have the sense of indignation that some people have regarding what he's going through in this book. Gantos did originally intend the Joey Pigza books to total three in number, but Joey kept talking to him. Kept growing and changing in his head. Now people are mad because Gantos listened to that little voice and went where it took him. Adults read this book and what they see is a kid suffering abuse. A child yanked out of the educational system just when he was doing well. Who comes this close to spending his days getting hit by a paint gun f

I listened to the audio version of this new Joey book because there is just NOTHING BETTER than hearing these stories in Gantos's own voice. When I listened to What Would Joey Do? (Joey Pigza Books), tears poured down my face as I watched Joey care for his grandmother after she died. Gantos's tender and heartfelt reading of that scene still echoes in my heart. I think the absence of his voice that is the reason I have not been able to get through my audio book of The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs--as anxious as I was to experience this macabre tale of taxidermy. Lisa Datz ably reads the story but I have found myself unable to get very far in it because I just can't take those "Gantos" moments without him. I will probably end up reading it because then I can supply his intonation in my imagination. To have a new book appear in a series that we thought was at an end, is a treat. In this book Joey's "thought he was gone for good" father, Carter Pigza, has returned to pick up the reins of family-hood again. He has money because he won the lottery so the family is well off for the first time in their lives. Alas, we know these characters and we know they will not be able to handle it. In one of the most howling-ly funny wedding ceremonies ever, his parents remarry and in honor of their renewal as a family, they change their names to become new people. Carter has adopted Heinz ("You know, Heinz, like the catsup.") as a new surname and he wants Joey to change his identity to become Freddy Heinz. Of course being the Pigzas, they are not actually going through the legal system to do this which sets up a whole new set of problems. Joey's sense of self will not disappear without a fight though and he is buffeted between wanting to please his parents and his desire and need to hold on to his real identity. And Joey needs to hold on to something as his parents become obsessed with their own lives. His mother's new hobby is spending money and his dad spends his days looking for portents and signs to guide him in picking new lottery numbers. The writing pulls you into side-splitting laughter and then deep emotional empathy for Joey. There are also more of those signature moments that leave the reader shrieking. Joey's idea of recreating a ride over Niagara Falls using a refrigerator box and the porch roof is a scene that will have readers and listeners covering their eyes. His visit to his grandmother's resting place in St. Mary's Cemetery is at once dear and strange. He has collected cigarette butts to sprinkle over her grave because she loved smoking so much and brought along a can of silver spray paint. After his beautification efforts, his moving talk with her sent me in search of tissues. I have always loved Joey as a character. Despite his ricocheting attention span and crazy impulses, he is always trying. He understands better than his parents that you have to know and like yourself before you can change for the better and you cannot do it for someone

In I AM NOT JOEY PIGZA, author Jack Gantos has reunited the family for more fantastic Pigza adventures. In case you haven't met Joey and his family, they suffer from the affliction commonly known as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). He suffers from it, his father has it, and his grandmother had it, too. The beginning of this new book shows Joey and his mother are adjusting to life after the death of Grandma Pigza. They are doing pretty well. Joey is handling the pressures of school, and mom is working at a local nail salon. The two family Chihuahuas are as crazy as ever. Soon Fran Pigza announces to Joey that she has been secretly seeing his dad, Carter Pigza, for several months. His dad has recently had a lucky lottery win and "found" his new, true self - Mr. Charles Heinz. He wants to reconnect with the family and even has new identities for them. Fran is to be Maria Heinz, and Joey will be the new Freddy Heinz. Along with what Joey calls the rewedding of his parents, there is a fair amount of cash flowing. Before he knows it, Joey and his parents and the two dogs are moving. They are the proud owners of a roadside diner. The plan is to open the diner, keep playing the lottery, and win big so they can have the life his father says Charles Heinz and family deserves. Even with a new name, the Pigza "luck" and craziness take control. First there's a free Thanksgiving meal at the diner for everyone who needs it, then there's a wild Christmas with ATV's and paintball guns which leads to the new plan - building a Paintball Gun Shooting Gallery. All these plans are accompanied by furious spending sprees, preparations for a new baby, and dodging the school authorities who think Joey should be attending class. Middle grade readers who know Joey will be happy to see his return. For new readers, be sure to check out the previous titles in the series, which includes Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Joey Pigza Books), Joey Pigza Loses Control (Summer Reading Edition) (Joey Pigza Books), and What Would Joey Do? (Joey Pigza Books). Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"