"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 group of outcasts as they
take on inequality and injustice in their high school.
"Crutcher's superior gifts as a storyteller and his background as a
working therapist combine to make magic in Whale Talk. The thread of
truth in his fiction reminds us that heroes can come in any shape,
color, ability or size, and friendship can bridge nearly any
divide."--Washington Post
T.J. Jones hates the blatant preferential treatment jocks receive at his
high school, and the reverence paid to the varsity lettermen. When he
sees a member of the wrestling team threatening an underclassman, T.J.
decides he's had enough. He recruits some of the biggest misfits at
Cutter High to form a swim team. They may not have very much talent, but
the All-Night Mermen prove to be way more than T.J. anticipated. As the
unlikely athletes move closer to their goal, these new friends might
learn that the journey is worth more than the reward. For fans of Andrew
Smith and Marieke Nijkamp.
"Crutcher offers an unusual yet resonant mixture of black comedy and
tragedy that lays bare the superficiality of the high-school scene. The
book's shocking climax will force readers to re-examine their own values
and may cause them to alter their perception of individuals pegged as
'losers.'"--Publishers Weekly
An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Features a new afterword by Chris Crutcher.
