Whale Talk

Book cover of Whale Talk

Book description

"A truly exceptional book."-Washington Post

There's bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don't have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. Bestselling author Chris Crutcher's controversial and acclaimed novel follows a…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Whale Talk as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Rebecca Fjelland Davis

Author

I fell in love with T.J. Jones, who is a gifted athlete, but an outcast because he’s multi-racial in a white community. After a rocky start, he’s landed in a loving adoptive family and has learned this kind of wisdom: “…I learned...that the color of a person’s skin has to do only with where their way-long-ago ancestors originated, so my mind tells me all racists are either ignorant or so down on themselves they need somebody to be better than.”

I couldn’t help but root for this unlikely hero who stands up to racism and bullying while training like the…

From Rebecca's list on young go-getters remaining loyal to friends.

Paul Volponi

Author

I once traveled in a compact car across Michigan with Crutcher, my wife, and daughter. His conversation was as magnificent as his prose. Whale Talk brings together a group of high school misfits that comprise their school's swim team. Guess what? The school doesn't have a pool, which is fine because only one of them can swim anyway. Read and enjoy a master at work in Crutcher.

From Paul's list on for fearless readers.