Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Dear Readers,
My past few weeks have been as close to hell on earth as my life has gotten. I won't go into to many details, but it was not fun. Because of that shit I haven't been reading much. I started reading Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes before the shit started, and I read it sporadically over the past three weeks. It was a very good escape. It was exactly the book I needed to read. Another great one by Chris Crutcher. It is really one of those books that makes you realize how wonderful your life is, and how hard some people have it.
The main man of the novel Eric, also called Moby, struggled with weight all of his life. He has never been the skinniest kid. He was really never accepted by anyone but Sarah Byrnes. Sarah Byrnes is a breed all her own. When she was younger a pot of boiling pasta supposedly fell onto to her face and left her horribly disfigured. Eric always felt comfortable around Sarah Byrnes. They both were rejected by the normal kids at school.
One day Sarah Byrnes stop talking in class. When the bell rings she doesn't move, doesn't said a word. She is sent to the hospital because no one knows what is wrong. Eric feels alone and confused without his partner in crime. As Eric visits his friend in the hospital he flashes back to better times. The Crispy Pork Rinds articles, the other mischief they got in to, and trying to stay fat for Sarah Byrnes.
It is basically a book about friendship, helping others, and confronting your troubles. It was a very consoling    book in my shitty weeks. It is bad to say the book showed me that others are worse off then me, but it really did. I am not a huge heifer, my face isn't burned, I have never had an abortion, and my parents really don't pressure me into anything. But along with showing me that I have it pretty good, it showed me not to underestimate other peoples problems. What I might not think is bad, might cause someone else to break. Everybody has problems. Everybody deserves kindness. Treating someone like crap because you don't like how they look, act, smell, think, or speak is not okay. So remember, dear readers, that you have it pretty good and that what you might think is okay might be hell to someone else.
Pick up this book. I liked it, so see for yourself. It is an easy read, but it isn't meaningless. The book like the other Chris Crutcher books I have read brings up very good points. So read it.
Lindsey