Whoa- the first 37 pages of this book will blow you away. You know the secrets about ourselves that we hold inside where no one can see them? Well, Jarrett Lerner is about to write down exactly what his secret looks like and it's going to make you feel uncomfortable and maybe you'll feel pain because you'll recognize the feelings he is dealing with. I love this book.
Will is about to walk into school and have some short bully shout for everyone to hear that Will is fat and everyone knows it. Fat. It's like a public shaming in the hallways of your school - where everything matters. Will runs for it. Wouldn't you?
A lot of us have ugly memories that come back to us when we sure as heck don't want them to come back to us. We remember all the details. In this story Jarrett Lerner writes down every detail. We are about to walk the walk with Will and feel the shame and the self-hatred. It's horrible what one human being will do to another with words.
So, what will become of Will? Is he going to lose 100 pounds and become a new version of himself? Should he have to? Is there really anything wrong with who Will is?
Every human being on this planet deserves to fall in love with him/her/themselves. Every human being deserves to see themselves clearly and accept the really special things about us - even if we eat too much. Sometimes we need a mirror - another person who can really give us the gift of seeing us and accepting us when we can't do it for ourselves. Get ready to meet Marcus. Everyone should meet a Marcus. Marcus is a kid who has figured it out.
For every child, every middle schooler, every teen who cannot see themselves through the eyes of love and acceptance, this is your book. We owe a debt of thanks to Jarrett Lerner for having the courage and the wonderful ability to remember step by step what it was like to be in his skin back in those days. Maybe you aren't fat but you will still recognize the self hatred and the shame and it's time that you read this book and take the hand of Jarrett Lerner who is inviting you to a new space - a space where you get to love and accept yourself.
This is a brilliant and courageous story that is being repeated every day around the world by kids who are fat or kids who have been sexually bused or kids who have been emotionally abused in their own homes where they are supposed to be loved and to be safe. These kids don't have to believe the trash talk they are being handed - they are wonderful human beings and Jarrett Lerner has walked where they are and he has written a brilliant story to throw them a life preserver and a mirror. You are wonderful. You are lovable. You get to be you. An incredibly important story.
I love this book. This is a book that can save lives.
368 pages 978-1665905152 Ages 9-13
Keywords: self acceptance, crush, body image, bullying, self esteem, self image, hope, courage, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration.
Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who knows he doesn’t have a chance with—string beans only date string beans—but he can’t help wondering what if?
Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing.
As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.---from the publisher
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“Watching and waiting
For a friend to play with
Why have I been alone so long?”
– Justin Hayward and Ray Thomas (1969)
“Body shaming involves humiliating someone by making inappropriate or negative comments about their body size or shape. As well as ‘fat shaming,’ you may also hear negative comments if you're underweight or in reference to a specific body part. This type of criticism can be made to others or yourself.”
– HelpGuide.org “Body Shaming: The Effects and How to Overcome it” (10/3/2023)
“...he SPAT it.
That word.
He spat it at me
like it was the worst one
he knew.
Like I’d committed
a crime
and he wants
to make sure
I knew
I was GUILTY
‘You’re FAT,’ Nick said
and the whole entire hallway
fell silent.
Everyone
was listening.
And then
he said it
again:
‘You’re FAT
And EVERYONE
thinks it.’”
“Something like that happens to you–
something like what happened to me
in that hallway
with Nick Fisher
in fourth grade
–and it never
leaves
your head
It’s in there.
For ever.”
A WORK IN PROGRESS is a powerful, heartbreaking, coming-of-age, picture book story for older readers. Presented in an illustrated, prose poetry format, it’s the story of Will Chambers and the long-term effects of Nick Fisher’s name-calling and body shaming, back in fourth grade.
“More than three years ago…
But I’ve thought about it–
that handful
of never-ending moments
–every single day
since.”
The story quickly fast-forwards to middle school. The incident has led Will to extreme self-loathing and a serious eating disorder. Will essentially ostracizes himself from the school community, until the new-kid-in-town comes along and becomes a real friend to him.
Two significant issues develop in this satisfying, eye-opening read: the name-calling and the overweight health issue.
A WORK IN PROGRESS will serve as a perfect companion to James Howe’s groundbreaking 2001 tween tale, THE MISFITS, which spawned National No Name-Calling Week, an awareness campaign that has been commemorated since 2002. (No Name-Calling Week 2024 will take place January 15-19th.)
Will’s internal reactions to the fourth grade name-calling incident ring uncomfortably true. Readers–both young and old–who have been victims of similar cruelty, will repeatedly cringe in recognition while reading A WORK IN PROGRESS. (Here’s hoping that some other readers will cringe in recognition of what their hurtful words and behavior have likely done to others.)
The issue of people being overweight adds a complexity that can readily lead to great discussions and enlightenment. Many young people will wonder, “Being overweight is not like being born a certain color or gender, where you are what you are. Can’t fat people simply choose to change their eating and exercise habits and become more ‘normal’?”
Well, yes…and no. It turns out to be a complicated issue:
“When it comes to obesity, multiple factors are at play, many of which are beyond your control, including genetics, childhood habits, medical conditions, and hormones.
Though becoming overweight or developing obesity may not be a choice and shedding excess weight may be difficult, you can lose weight if you choose to.”
– Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN, “9 Reasons Why Obesity is Not Just a Choice” Healthline.com (1/19/2022)
The formatting makes A WORK IN PROGRESS a super-quick read, one that’s ideal for elementary and middle school audiences. Young readers will identify with and root for this quiet kid with a serious talent for drawing.
Recommended by; Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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