Review: JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL, Module 5, Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Gantos, Jack. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. 2000. New York: Scholastic. ISBN # 0439338980

Young Joey Pigza is getting his attention deficient order under control. He has finally been given the tools, some helpful medication, which along with his own intelligence, awareness, and self discipline, is enabling him to function quite well on a day to day basis. There are times when he may make a bad decision, such as when he plays darts indoors and his chihuahua’s ear ends up pierced, but he mostly he is in control. That is he is in control until he goes to spend his summer with his estranged, alcoholic father. Joey’s dad, Carter, also suffers from attention deficient disorder. Carter, unlike Joey, is in denial about his condition. He feels that he can cope on his own without help. He attempts to convince Joey that he is a man and does not need the “crutch” of medication. Joey wants to believe his father and tries it his way. This is a story of the maturity of Joey and the realization that help is OK. This story will help adolescents realize that they can be responsible for many aspects of their lives and that unfortunately adults do not know everything. Joey Pigza also lets children know that normal is a perception and that there are many types of “normal”.