The story of a young teen girl whose mother is obsessed with her becoming a model, believing her facial beauty to be the only way she'll ever be able to support herself in life. Mom's shallowness even extends to blaming her daughter any time a modeling gig is not successfully obtained. Eventually, the girl's PE teacher spots her abnormal posture and gait movements, sparking multiple trips to multiple physicians in order to get the proper diagnosis and treatment for scoliosis - a truncal brace. Mom copes poorly with all of the changes which makes the process all the more difficult for both of her daughters (one of whom she's internally labeled "the brains", while the other is labeled "the beauty").So much stereotyping to be found within these pages. Both parents feel like caricatures rather than realistic people. The process that the protagonist goes through in adapting her entire life to the brace she must wear is fairly accurately described, in most wayd. However, as I researched the Milwaukee brace and other current scoliosis orthotics (braces), I learned that the molded thermoplastic brace the author describes in the book is not an accurate description of a true Milwaukee brace (which is extremely bulky and comprised of metal and leather, not molded thermoplastics). Thus, the description of the plastic, molded brace used by the protagonist is actually one of the following orthotic devices; the Wilmington brace, the Boston brace, the Charleston brace, or the Providence brace (see this article for further details: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...).This type of sloppy research by the author is both misleading and confusing to any reader who may have personal experience with scoliosis treatment regimens (which, by the way, have been around for 2,000+ years). During my middle school years, two of my classmates (one of which was a friend) developed scoliosis and the psychological impacts of their braces on their social lives/interactions was both severe and dramatic. They both became incredibly shy and withdrawn, after having been popular, outgoing classmates, prior to starting to wear their braces. I had to start wearing some very ugly eyeglasses, about the same time, which had a somewhat similar effect on me, though wasn't nearly as life-altering as a truncal brace. Preteens and teens are so body-conscious and sensitive about looking "odd" or "different", none of the adults in our lives seemed to grasp that fact in any manner, back then. I can't help but wonder if things are any better now than they were back in the 1970's, in that regard. If some teacher or school nurse would have taken the opportunity to explain what scoliosis was, how the braces worked, and why they were necessary for these two girls to wear them, I believe we all would have coped better with the situation. Something like that was done when one of our classmates developed grand mal seizures, which frightened the students to death, until someone bothered to explain what was going on and why. Ignorance isn't bliss when it creates endless awkward scenarios which neither party knows how to handle well. Since both of the girls I knew with scoliosis wore genuine Milwaukee braces, they didn't have as many difficulties sitting at desks, picking up dropped items, being molded into a plastic form, nor dressing/undressing than this book's protagonist did. They were both better at most PE activities than I was, including games with balls. I was disappointed that the author did a poor job of explaining how frequent noncompliance with brace wearing is and the implications of this for those living with scoliosis and/or any other bone/joint/nerve condition which requires bracing. While the brief explanation of the differences between kyphosis and scoliosis was wise, its discussion was so superficial that the reader learns almost nothing about how kyphosis is both similar to and different from scoliosis, as are its treatment options. In addition, the reader isn't given any insights as to how they or any person can openly and sensitively discuss physical injuries or deformities in a way that's not demeaning to self or others. There's no shame in having a biological weakness or difference, yet far too often we treat differences as though they are moral blights (victim-blaming to the max). If I were the protagonist, I would like to believe I would have responded to any questions about my scoliosis brace by asking the simple question "why do you ask"? If the motivations seemed genuine, I might educate the asker by explaining a bit about scoliosis. Otherwise, I would tell them to visit their local library or the internet for answers. The peer support group was a good idea but one I believe most RNs and MDs would have referred the protagonist to from the moment she was first diagnosed, instead of waiting weeks or months down the road to do it. Knowledge is power and the more empowered a patient is from the start, usually, the more effective the treatment regimen(s) is/are. After more than a quarter century of being an RN, I know just how true this fact is.
This book hits many of my trigger points, for the following reasons:1. I was once a teenage girl2. I am a physical therapist3. I work in special educationI picked it up last week because it was Banned Books week and because I heart some dated Judy Blume. I very much enjoyed the datedness of this book, including phrases that now carry a slight whiff of mothball, such as "stand on line" and "called for" (meaning stopped by to get someone, not called her on the phone). I did not enjoy Deenie herself, or her story. What a whiny little monkey. She has a few grains of concern for others, but she's mostly wrapped up in herself. To be fair, that is true of many 13 year old girls, but I still don't want to read a book narrated by any of them. I wonder what I would have thought of this book had I read it in the 80s or early 90s, before I started working with kids in special ed and while I was still enmeshed in the social world of my childhood or early teens. We had a neighbor who was also in my year of school, though chronologically I think she was older--she was a student in special ed. I knew and liked her matter-of-fact German parents very much (her mother once flew past us at the dog park in pursuit of one of their boxer dogs, shouting "Come back here, you crazy beetch!"; this remains one of my favorite memories of her), and her older brother was quite brilliant and socially average. She, however, was undeniably other, and I am absolutely sure I participated in some low-level torturing that I hope she forgot immediately. All this to say, in spite of my current profession and (hopefully) evolved view of humans, I certainly wasn't always in this place and so struggle with my feelings of indignation over Deenie's views and actions.Some things that happen don't quite jibe--a kid with a back brace would never be eligible for any sort of special education nowadays, other than, MAYBE, some modifications in gym or seating; I found the proposal of Deenie riding the short bus preposterous even for that day and age. At one point, Deenie says something about realizing that she only has to wear a brace for four years, while the special ed kids would always be different. They remain placed firmly and separately outside the narrative of this story, while the character who supposedly shows Deenie's growth in regarding other people is a girl with eczema. ECZEMA. THE HORROR. I don't find this much of a revelation for her character.Now, I am fully ready to concede that having Deenie come to regard her neighbor Gena or other kids in special ed with any kind of humanity is outside the realistic story arc for a lot of middle schoolers. Unless you're one of those truly selfless, effortlessly popular kids, buddying up with kids in special ed tends to lead to social death. I'm not condoning that at all--our culture has serious issues with anything out of the norm--but I do recognize this reality. It did make me uncomfortable to have that accepted out of hand in a book. Not that I have any idea how to fix that. SIGH. The medical stuff is decades out of date, obviously, but not as much has changed as you would think. I appreciated the recognition of physical therapy!Deenie's mother is a character you want to hate, and who clearly needs some help, but who also truly wants the best for her daughters. Still: blergh.Would've been nice to have the "I'm not JUST a brain"/"I'm not JUST a pretty face" point made more a centerpiece, but Deenie is such a wishy-washy character she doesn't even seem to be able to work up much outrage about this issue.
What do You think about Deenie (1993)?
I was struck by the completely real, unedited voice of a twelve-year old teen that Blume gives us in Deenie, the protagonist of this compelling story. When Deenie discovers her scoliosis and endures the ensuing doctor's visits and eventual casting and wearing of her back brace, Blume perfectly captures Deenie's emotions. On a personal note, I was diagnosed with scoliosis at the same age as Deenie, and cast with a brace, and I could completely relate to every one of Deenie's reactions, from denial to anger to resistence and so on. I'm glad, though, that I didn't read this book when I was twelve and dealing with scoliosis. As strong as Deenie's voice is, I was frustrated by how much I could hear Blume's voice in the background, and felt the authorial intent was too obvious in some of the lessons Deenie learned through her ordeal. For example: at the beginning of the book Deenie is repulsed by Old Lady Murray, a hunchbacked woman who sells newspapers on the corner near Deenie's home, and Barbara Curtis, a girl in Deenie's gym class whom she calls Creeping Crud because of her excema. Deenie, on the other hand, is a pretty girl accustomed to getting the attention of boys, and confident in a future career as a model. When the scoliosis appears, it seems to come as a punishment for her attitudes toward the less-than-perfect, and ends up compelling her to befriend those with physical disabilities. I didn't appreciate there being such an obvious, practically self-imposed reason for Deenie to experience her scoliosis. Another area of dispointment for me was the treatment of Deenie's mother, Mrs. Fenner. The way Mrs. Fenner tries to control Deenie, and her immature reaction to the scoliosis are both terrible. In the end she tries to justify her behavior by telling her daughter: "I wanted better for you . . . Better than what I had myself." This statement is not surprising, but it hasn't been established earlier in the book. If we were to see more of this dimension of Mrs. Fenner's life she would be a richer, perhaps even more tragic character, rather than the monster she plays throughout.
—Janessa
Middle school is an awkward time for most teenage girls. But Deenie isn't a typical teenage girl. She is gorgeous. In fact, her mom wants her to be a model and fully believes Deenie has the face to make it happen. These things make Deenie very sure of superiority when it comes to physical attributes, and Deenie isn't particularly kind to her peers who are different. She steers clear of a classmate with what she calls the "creeping crud" and avoids her neighbor who is handicapped. She knows she'd just die if she was like them....Until she discovers that she has scoliosis. And that the only way to help her spine is to wear a brace. Mortified, Deenie tries to find a way to escape the hideousness of it all. But there is no other way. And so Deenie must look inside herself to find strength, and look into the hearts of others to find their true beauty. And she may just end up not being a model after all...***This was on my to-read list because it's one of those well-known pre-teen/teen novels, but I'd never read it. I can totally see the appeal to a 5th to 8th grade girl. Some of the things written are things I can imagine having written in my journal at that age. It was a tolerable read for me as an adult, too, although there were some aspects of the novel with which I don't agree.
—Hila
Deenie’s mother always had a dream of her daughter becoming a beautiful model. Sadly, they find out that she never could become one because Deenie has been diagnosed with scoliosis. This is heartbreaking news for Deenie’s mother and shatters her mother’s dreams. The scoliosis requires her to wear a body brace for four years. Once Deenie starts to accept that she can never be a model she decides she wants to be orthopedist. She makes this though choice because she wants to be able to good for other people and help the people that are in the same situation that she is in. Though it was disappointing for her, she found a way to deal with the news and she turned it and made the situation positive. This is a good book that can teach students that even if you run into a roadblock you can always alter your path and find a positive out of the issue you’re facing.
—Danielle Leider
