Fat Boy Chronicles

     Everyone that has taken Health with Coach Pop has read Fat Boy Chronicles. And, chances are, even if you didn't take Mr. Popivich's Health class, you've either read the book as well, or at least heard about it somehow. After all, it is about a kid whom once walked the same halls you do every day, here at "Good Ole' Willy Mason High School." If you've taken ECA with Mr. Geotz and Ms. Borock, you'd get that one too.

     Most of you will already know what the book is about, but I'm going to tell you anyway. It's about the freshman experience of Jimmy (Doug Henning). The book is set up like a journal that he was assigned to do by his freshman English teacher (I don't know who he had for English, I don't know one student that has had to journal for English I). So, the journal may be a fictitious aspect of the book, but the actions that take place are all but fake. Jimmy has what he claims to be a "less-than-average-appearance." Here's the deal: Jimmy is overweight and there are some kids in his class that use that as source for their jokes. Some worse than others, but everyone seems to get their piece of Jimmy one way or another. You may be thinking, or remembering the beginning of the book and thinking 'Awe, poor kid,' but Jimmy did have a group of friends. Now, this group will change throughout the course of the book, like some of yours may through the course of high school. His friends have their problems as well, and you may recall them or find for yourself, but Jimmy has the worst time at school than any of them by far.

     Jimmy visited the doctor and received some news that didn't exactly make him the happiest person in the world. In fact, it terrified him. The doctor was talking to him about how he was a bit heavier than the rest of the kids his age, and if he didn't do something about it starting then, he'd stay like that for the rest of his life. Did you hear what I said?! For the rest of his life. Jimmy thought his body was just going through a phase, but for the rest of his life? There was no way in heck that Jimmy wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life. As you can tell, this quote is a key aspect of the book. It is the spark that ignites almost every action that takes place later in the book.

     There is a clear theme in the book, and it is a very influential read that I feel should be read by everyone, whether it's a requirement, or not. When I first was assigned to read this book, I though, 'Oh, great. I get to read about another bullying story.' It's not that at all. The book is more than just a story, it gives you a chance to reflect on how you treat others and how you deal with situations of witnessing. I'll have to thank Mr. Popivich later for inspiring me to write this.

     I know this is getting long, and if you're still reading, congratulations. You're probably thinking, 'Oh my good golly, there's more?! Dude, you're on your fifth paragraph now. You know you only need two, right? Wrap it uuuup, let's goooo!' And I'm just going to ask you to turn down, and take it down a notch, because I'm wrapping it up right here. I could write about this book all day but I'll go ahead and conclude with a couple questions you can answer in the comments (you're welcome :) ). First, how do you treat others? I know you're not perfect, nobody is. That's not the point. I'm guilty of some minor joking around here and there, and I'm sure you are too; but when it all comes down to it, are you the person someone comes to for help, just a friend, or the cause of the pain? And it also speaks to your character how you react when you see someone getting constantly harassed. What kind of character are you? You don't have to announce it for the world to know, but I challenge you to ponder that for a while. Anyway, I'll wrap it up, the bell's about to ring. Outie.