Tiger Eyes

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume (Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers) ISBN: 0-440-98469-6

Plot Summary

Davey Wexler's father is murdered while minding his 7/11 convenience store.  Her mother finds herself unable to both death with the grief and take care of Davey and her little brother Jason, so the family goes to stay with family in New Mexico.  The trip to visit her aunt Bitsy and uncle Walter turns into a year of working through grief.  Davey's primary means of coping are hiking the local canyon -- where she meets Wolf (whom she develops a crush on) -- and working as a candy striper at the local hospital -- where she meets Mr. Ortiz who is dying of cancer.  These two paths end up converging in a way that Davey doesn't expect.  Davey is also forced to confront a number of conflicts unrelated to her father's death.  She struggles with how she ought to confront her new friend Jane about her drinking problem and how to communicate with her overprotective aunt and uncle.  While Davey doesn't solve all of her problems, she has a number of important breakthroughs.

Critical Evaluation

Blume crafts a concise problem novel that manages to avoid being overly didactic.  While many threads feel prematurely clipped or too easily tied into a bow, Blume maintains a strong sense of realism throughout.  While this isn't always narratively satisfactory, it is consistent with life.  Davey's mother has a believable tantrum/breakdown midway through the novel -- followed by an equally believable sense of emotional catatonia and a medication induced lethargy.  And even the grand gestures made by many of the characters don't indicate full healing.

Davey's frustration at her drunken friend was very familiar to me as a formerly straight-edged teen: "Jane's face is red and she is laughing and slobbering all over the place.  I don't like to see my friends drunk.  Lenaya once said that if I drank myself I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable" (Blume, 1981 p. 129).  And the consequences of Jane's drunkenness didn't feel overblown -- she kissed a boy in the back of a car and vomited.  A lesser author would have shown Jane blacking out, or engaging in unwanted sexual activity, or worse.  But the realistic portrayal of teen drinking does a better job of highlighting the actual consequences and ultimately serves as a stronger message because it isn't alarmist or reactionary.

The unresolved narrative threads create ample room for thought and discussion.  Blume keeps the language simple, and despite the somewhat dated references (most notably the cold war references to Russia and the attitude of mutually assured destruction), the concepts feel universal.

Reader’s Annotation 

After the death of her father, Davey and her family find themselves leaving Atlantic City for Los Alamos.  Davey finds new friends in the mysterious Wolf and troubled Jane, and struggles to negotiate a relationship with her aunt and uncle who essentially take over parenting duties when Davey's mother breaks down. 

Information about the author

From the author's webpage:

Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 82 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-two languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.

Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.

Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.

Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild. (Blume, 2007)

Genre

Problem Novel; Realism

Curriculum Ties

The book is an easy, fast read.  The prose may actually be more appropriate for a middle school aged audience, which would make this book perfect for students not at grade level or reluctant readers (especially if they enjoyed Blume in middle school).  In many ways this could be seen as a transitional text from middle school to high school themes.

Booktalking Ideas

1) Read Davey's first encounter with Wolf.
2) Explore the conflict between Davey and her aunt and uncle.

Reading Level/Interest Age

The prose is probably at a level that a 12 year old would find the book accessible, and after reading a work like Are You There God It's Me Margaret, a 12 year old may very track down a book like this.  Eighth grade and up may very well be the interest level.  The mentions of alcohol, necking, and sexual fantasy are brief.  The alcohol consumption is vociferously condemned.

Challenge Issues

Blume writes about teen drinking.  15 year old Davey has sexual fantasies about 20 year old Wolf (the two maintain a strictly platonic relationship).

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the book I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

Blume is considered a classic young adult novelist and this particular work has just been adapted into a film (a first for a Blume novel).

References

Blume, J. (1981). Tiger eyes. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell books for Young Readers.

Blume, J. (2007). About Judy. Retrieved from http://www.judyblume.com/about.php
Tiger Drawing inspired by doodlekat1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ1JX77fFLs