Bibliography:
Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. 2009. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9780385733977
Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. 2009. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9780385733977
Plot Summary:
16 year old Cameron is an outsider in his Texas high school. However, when he contracts Mad Cow Disease and it is said he could die, he suddenly becomes the talk of the town. After experiencing numerous hallucinations and being admitted to the hospital, an angel by the name of Dulcie comes to him and says that he most escape and search for the mysterious Dr. X, a man with the cure for Cameron's disease. Cameron talks his dwarf friend Gonzo into going with him and they set out on their adventure across the United States, picking up a yard gnome along the way. It is hard to tell Cameron's hallucinations from his real life and we are constantly wondering what is real.
16 year old Cameron is an outsider in his Texas high school. However, when he contracts Mad Cow Disease and it is said he could die, he suddenly becomes the talk of the town. After experiencing numerous hallucinations and being admitted to the hospital, an angel by the name of Dulcie comes to him and says that he most escape and search for the mysterious Dr. X, a man with the cure for Cameron's disease. Cameron talks his dwarf friend Gonzo into going with him and they set out on their adventure across the United States, picking up a yard gnome along the way. It is hard to tell Cameron's hallucinations from his real life and we are constantly wondering what is real.
Critical Analysis:
Nothing like Brays' previous works, this is a sometimes hilarious look into the teenage experience. However, the story can get repetitive at times and is a bit long. Bray touches on pretty much every aspect of teenage life from the growing up outcast story, to drugs, sex, tv, marketing, education, you name it. Much of it will go straight over the head of a teenager, but some may get the teens asking important questions about what is really going on in their lives. Bray's writing style is unique and believable. The plot is fresh, original, and surprising. Going Bovine is part contemporary realistic fiction, part fantasy. It deals with serious issues, but it is humorous and outrageous. It is a truly uniquely written novel that parents and teens alike should read. I am sure many parents will undoubtedly find it too much, possibly inappropriate, and many will likely ask that it be taken out of the collection. However, this is the world our teens are living in and we must stop and ask ourselves why.
Review Excerpt(s):
Children's Literature: "This is a huge book in every way: an epic, picaresque 480-page journey; a scathingly observed social satire of the ways in which we numb ourselves to avoid the pain and risk of actually engaging with our lives."
Publisher's Weekly: "Bray's surreal humor may surprise fans of her historical fantasies about Gemma Doyle, as she trains her satirical eye on modern education, American materialism and religious cults (the smoothie-drinking members of the Church of Everlasting Satisfaction and Snack 'N' Bowl)."Nothing like Brays' previous works, this is a sometimes hilarious look into the teenage experience. However, the story can get repetitive at times and is a bit long. Bray touches on pretty much every aspect of teenage life from the growing up outcast story, to drugs, sex, tv, marketing, education, you name it. Much of it will go straight over the head of a teenager, but some may get the teens asking important questions about what is really going on in their lives. Bray's writing style is unique and believable. The plot is fresh, original, and surprising. Going Bovine is part contemporary realistic fiction, part fantasy. It deals with serious issues, but it is humorous and outrageous. It is a truly uniquely written novel that parents and teens alike should read. I am sure many parents will undoubtedly find it too much, possibly inappropriate, and many will likely ask that it be taken out of the collection. However, this is the world our teens are living in and we must stop and ask ourselves why.
Review Excerpt(s):
Children's Literature: "This is a huge book in every way: an epic, picaresque 480-page journey; a scathingly observed social satire of the ways in which we numb ourselves to avoid the pain and risk of actually engaging with our lives."
School Library Journal: "Some teens may check out before Cameron makes it to his final destination, but many will enjoy asking themselves the questions both deep and shallow that pop up along the way."
Connections:
There is not much out there like Going Bovine, it is truly unique. However, you can read other Printz Award Winners from the past.
There is not much out there like Going Bovine, it is truly unique. However, you can read other Printz Award Winners from the past.
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