Whale Talk

Whale Talk 

• Genre: Fiction; sports; young adult 
• Originally Published: 2001 
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1000L; grades 9-12 
• Structure/Length: Approximately 304 pages; approximately 6 hours and 32 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The protagonist, T.J. Jones, is a multiracial high school senior, adept in athletics but disdainful of high school sports culture. He forms a swim team of misfits challenging the school’s traditional athletic hierarchy and racist attitudes. The central conflict involves T.J.’s efforts to help his team members earn letter jackets, confronting deep-seated prejudices and personal demons along the way. 
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism; ableism; violence, including gun violence and sexual coercion; child and domestic abuse; suicidal ideation; drug and alcohol abuse; bullying; trauma and mental health concerns; adoption; strong language

Chris Crutcher, Author 

• Bio: Born in 1946; an American novelist and a family therapist known for his significant contribution to young adult literature; often features sports as a backdrop in his work, through which he explores complex themes such as racism, disability, and child abuse, drawing on his experiences as a therapist 
• Other Works: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (1993); Ironman (1995); Deadline (2007); Stotan! (1986)
• Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002); ABC Children’s Booksellers Choices Award (2002); Pacific Northwest Book Award (2002); Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature (2003)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Violence and Bullying
• Loneliness, Individuality, and Belonging
• Race and Racial Identity
• Adoption, Blended Families, and Traditional Families
• Athletes and the Issue of Entitlement

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Explore background information on Taoism and the idea of entitlement to increase their engagement with and understanding of Whale Talk.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Violence and Bullying; Loneliness, Individuality, and Belonging; Race and Racial Identity; Adoption, Blended Families, and Traditional Families; and Athletes and the Issue of Entitlement.
• Demonstrate their understanding of the novel’s characters and its motif of entitlement by creating a poster for T.J.’s school expressing the novel’s ideas about entitlement.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the text, such as voice, tone, setting, characterization, plot detail, motifs, symbolism, and foreshadowing, and construct essay responses tying these to the text’s meaning.