Rating: 
Summary: Another excellent Crutcher novel
Review: I've been a big fan of Chris Crutcher's work since Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and the new Whale Talk draws on the same stuff that made that book an awesome read: swimming, intolerance, bad home lives, and what it is to be an outcast. Whale Talk is about The Tao Jones (T.J. for short), a mixed-race guy in a very white town, who despite being very athletic refuses to participate in organized sports. That is, until his favorite teacher, Mr. Simet, grabs him for his new swim team. Though there are some difficulties (the school has no pool and no one can actually swim except for T.J.), together they round up an unlikely group of swimmers: a brain-damaged boy, a bodybuilder, a walking-thesaurus intellectual, an overweight guy, a shadow, and a one-legged psycho. T.J.'s mission? To get this band of misfits some highly-valued letter jackets. Throw in the racial undertones and some really funny dialogue and Crutcher's got another really great book on his hands. Though a teensy bit derivative, definitely worth reading. (Watch out for the character of Andy Mott. Crutcher always seems to pick a character we are meant to love with abandon. In Sarah Byrnes, it was Ellerby. In Whale Talk, it's definitely Mott.) It also reads really fast...I couldn't put it down till I had finished it, though it meant staying up half the night. Two thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: A new personal best from a YA literary titan.
Review: It should come as no surprise that the newest book by Chris Crutcher, young adult literature titan, sets new ground as far as excellence is concerned.In the recently released "Whale Talk," Crutcher does exactly what he has done before, in such books as "The Crazy Horse Electric Game," "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes," and "Ironman." Thank God. A true master realizes you don't mess with perfection. On the surface, the story is simple. It's only upon further examination that the complexities are revealed. The Tao Jones (call him TJ) is a high schooler of mixed Japanese and African-American race, the adopted son of a white couple composed of a sophisticated lawyer and a former trucker, and a gifted swimmer. When a controversy arises over letterman's jackets, TJ finds himself putting together a swim team right out of "The Far Side." There's a kid whose mother's boyfriend wrapped his face in saran wrap as a baby to stop him from crying, and cut off the oxygen from his brain. There's also a guy who is just enormous and not built for the water, a virtual ghost who never says a word, an assistant coach who is living in a 24-hour gym to put his son through college, a studly guy who attracts the female crowd, an absolute brainiac, and a one-legged psychopath. Intertwined with the humor that arises from such a situation is the story of Crutcher's characters' lives. TJ is at odds with a local maniac, who just happens to be the abusive white stepfather of a half-African-American little girl. When things get to be too much at home, TJ and his family take Heidi in, which doesn't please the nutcase. Crutcher effortlessly bounces between swim team and home struggles, as the psycho grows more and more desperate to get his family back and the team must overcome their apparent loser status to become champions. Sounds pretty cut and dry, doesn't it? You think you know what's going to happen, don't you? You're wrong. Crutcher adeptly finds a balance between comedy and drama, and heroes and heartbreak in "Whale Talk," which has surpassed "Sarah Byrnes" as my favorite Crutcher tale. You will laugh one moment, and cry the next. (Especially during the Happy Meal scene between Heidi and TJ's father. That one's going to get talked about for ages to come.) I said before that Crutcher is doing with "Whale Talk" exactly what he has always done in his other works. Which is not entirely true. One gets the idea that Crutcher is testing the waters with many aspects of the new novel, seven years in the writing. There are parts in "Whale Talk" that are more gruesome, more hilarious and more touching, and which reach new heights. Other, lesser critics will call "Whale Talk" formulaic. But Crutcher knows better than to fix what's not broken. Instead, he only plays with it to come up with his best offering yet. Crutcher went outside his comfort zone and outside the comfort zones of his readers. The result is the equivalent of a chef taking an old favorite recipe, throwing in some new spices and whipping up a zesty new dish on the brink of perfection.
Rating: 
Summary: Making a Difference
Review: T. J. Jones is a bi-racial child that was abandoned by his biological mother and adopted by a social worker and her husband. Throughout the novel, this background shows that he is sensitive about not fitting in. At Cutter, the jocks "rule the school" and treat the other students horribly. When a retarded boy wears his older, deceased brother's letter jacket to school they terrorized him and told him that wearing the jacket was a privilege that he had not earned. T.J. sees what is happening and steps in to stop the abuse; he becomes a target of the "bullies". He then decides that he will ruin the jocks reputation by creating a team of misfits that will be able to letter in a sport. If the team earns a letter then they will be eligible to wear the jackets.
T.J. is a gifted athlete and a great swimmer but he did not want to be part of the "jock" group.
When a teacher approaches him with the idea to create a swim team, he puts his plan in motion. He asks the most rejected kids in the school to join his team. As the team travels, they spend more time together, which cause secrets about each to be exposed. The book was good, but it was sad and at times slow moving.
Rating: 
Summary: Whale Talk
Review: The book Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher is a wonderful book for all religions and races. That is because in the book T.J. is black, Japanese, and white, but in school he is mostly considered black. One day T.J. spots all-school jock Mike Barbour picking on Chris Coughlin, a retard whose dead brother is the best athlete in the school ever, for wearing his brother Brian's letter jacket. So, T.J. decides that he will get Chris a jacket of his own. He does that be creating a swim team. Meanwhile T.J. is visiting a woman who helps kids with family problems. T.J has become more of a teacher than a student. He gets involved with a father that really dislikes T.J. The daughter adores T.J. so the family, minus the father moves in with them. T.J.'s family continues to get a lot of hang up calls which they know is the father. In the swimming world, T.J. gets 6 unique guys to go out for the team. T.J. is by far the best swimmer. The team gets a practice facility and an interim coach, Icko who lives at the workout place, until the teacher Simet can get permission. Practices are hard, but usefull as the team improves greatly. The team does horrible in the season, except for T.J. who wins the 50 meter and the 100 meter at regoinals. The team keeps on getting questions on weather swimming is a sport which might deny their privilege to a Cutter jacket. The book ends with many controversial decisions made by both sides. I believe the author, Chris Crutcher wrote about the book to teach the world about racism. He wants to show how it is tearing the modern world apart. Whale Talk is a wonderful book for teens and adults. Children should not be allowed to read the book because of some profane language and sexual harasment. They also will not get the idea about racism and prejudice. Teens, on the other hand, will understand the book and it will teach them about modern conflicts. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher is a wonderful for teens and adults.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth
Review: In typical Crutcher style, Whale Talk is set in a small town High School. Our hero, T.J.Jones, is a mixed race natural athlete who spurns the athletic department "machine" at Cutter High. Racism and intolerance enter the equation as sharp tongued, quick witted T.J.comes to the aid of developmentally disabled Chris, who, though no athlete, has the audacity to wear his dead older brother's letter jacket. T.J. gets his chance to thumb his nose at Cutter's sports establishment when his favorite teacher implores him to "help him out" by heading up a swim team. T.J. has swum competitively and is a natural, but, alas, Cutter High has no pool. T.J. recruits four of the most unnatural swimmers, and one of them inspires him to "go for it." Sheer determination and relentless late night and early morning workouts at a 24-hour fitness center with a pool earn the ultimate prize for this team. The bond that develops between the unconventional teammates is heartwarming and allows each to share unbelievable hurts and sorrows. Themes of abuse and abandonment recur, and the pain and anger generated by the suffering Mr. Crutcher shares with us will bring tears. You will laugh out loud as well as cry, but you will enjoy unraveling the mystery that is the title. I am a dedicated Crutcher fan, so I enjoy his consistent settings and themes. Some very powerful messages are offered to readers of Whale Talk. Good reading!
Rating:
Summary: The plague
Review: This is an outstanding book. Chris Cretcher finds all the things that are plaguing society now and brings them to our attention. From the halls of a high school to the real life of a kid. It is all there. This has to be one of the better books I have read and recomend it to all.
Rating:
Summary: Important Read
Review: In the novel Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher, a group of misfits, led by T.J. Jones, form a swim team at Cutter High School. You may think, why misfits, but T.J. wanted to change the whole idea of what an athlete is. His goal for the season was to have every person on the swim team letter. This may sound easy, but T.J. faced a lot of angry people from the athletic group and organizers after starting this team. One of the main reasons for the public's hostility is that no one on the team is "normal". T.J is part black and part Japanese, and is also adopted. He is just one of the seven swimmers on the team, and each one has something unique about them. Despite their differences, the team grows very close after spending so much time together at workouts and at meets. Each person learns something about the other and tends to understand why each one is the way they are. The team doesn't only learn about each other, but comes to an understanding that no one, not even the popular kids, should be judged and labeled. They learn to accept people foe the way they are and also that they aren't the only ones who are put down or shunned, and that many other kids at Cutter High feel the same way as they do. After reading this book, I learned that it is extremely important not to label people because you haven't given them a fair chance for them to show you who they really are.
Rating:
Summary: Whale Talk
Review: Although this book catches you at the end, it is a little distractive in the beginning. You are not quite sure where the book is going, and not sure what you should be focusing on. By the end of the book however, I couldn't put it down. A very good book, that teaches people of all ages, about how much people in our lives affect our life, and how much we affect theirs.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read Book!
Review: The book Called Whale Talk is about a high school senior named The Tao Jones. His mother was a drug addict and when she couldn't take care of him anymore she gave him up for adoption. He was very young when he was given up. His new parents then shortened his name to T.J. T.J. has a huge amount of athletic ability but doesn't go out for any sports because he doesn't like being told what to do by a coach. Soon he is approached about starting his own swim team. After agreeing to do this, he gets together a bunch of guys who would probably never be able to get a varsity letter in anything else, and puts them on the swim team. The story tells about how the boys form together as a team and make some new friendships.
Once I was done with this book I thought it was a great book. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I thought that the book had a slow start. I loved the way that the book was very athletic but still had some very serious sides to it. I thought the ending of the book was very good too although I wasn't expecting it and I'm usually not a big fan of surprise endings!
Rating:
Summary: Whale Talk
Review: Title: Whale Talk
Author: Chris Crutcher This book is about a black-Chinese boy that was adopted when he was 2. His name is Tao (pronounced Dow) Jones. He is an al around athlete that loves to play all sports. But he does not like to play them in an organized league because he does not like other people telling him what to do. When Mr. Simet puts T.J. in charge of recruiting people for the swimteam he puts flyers at a nearby river to get people to join. When he gets 6 others to join they become the Magnificent seven. Read the book to find out what happens with the team. Will only having away meets hurt their team? Will not having a swimming pool that is regulation have an effect? Read on to find out. I thought this was a good book because it had a black-Chinese boy living in with basically an all white community that all they care about is sports. T.J. is not the most popular kid in Cutter School because he does not like participating in sports. That is what I don't like about T.J. he is the best athlete at Cutter and he could be a great athlete but he doesn't like organized sports. I would recommend this to a female or male and from the age group of 12+ and recommend this book to who ever likes to read about sports.
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