Two Perspectives Done Right

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

I bought this book for two reasons: 1 it's a signed copy and 2 I loved All the Bright Places by the same author. I was hoping this would be as good, and it was.

First, we have Jack. He is bi-racial, sports a righteous afro, and can't distinguish people by how they look. Meaning he has to find identifying features for everyone in his life, including his parents and siblings. He can't remember a time that he wasn't like that, but doesn't know if he was born that way or became that way due to an accident he had when he was six. He's a bit of an asshole, but that's more of a mechanism to make up for his handicap. By the way, no one knows about this handicap.

Then, we have Libby. She was once known as the Fattest Teenager in America, and had to be cut out of her house. Her mother died when she was ten, it was unexpected. She was also bullied when she was in grade school. Libby's way of dealing with this was to eat to fill the emptiness inside her. At the present time, she has lost 250 lbs, and is returning to school. People make her life miserable due to her size, but Libby is valiantly trying to make it.

One day, Jack comes up and wraps his arms around Libby in what is called Fat Girl Rodeo. Jack does it to keep his friends from doing it and humiliating Libby, and she punches him. They end up in a counseling session that lasts several weeks, and have to fulfill community service, which causes them to form an unlikely friendship.

What I like about this book is that it tackles bullying in a real way. It's less about Libby being overweight than it is about teenagers being assholes, which is something I see on the regular.

There's so much more going on in this book than what I have presented here, but to catch it all, you need to read it.