Author chris crutcher comes up with some weird and wonderful comparisons or similes in staying fat for sarah byrnes. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by crotche lp, hardcover. Angela klausner reads staying fat for sarah byrnes duration. Turn each page to follow the protagonist eric calhoun nicknamed moby, like the whale as he moves with wit, compassion, and purpose through his senior year of high school. I liked his loyalty to sarah byrnes and his determination to help her no matter what problems might arise from his endeavours. Knopp staying fat for sarah byrnes study guide chapter 3 pages 3053 1. Staying fat for sarah byrnes, by chris crutcher blogging. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher characters eric eric calhoune is a seventeenyearold high school senior who is known as moby because he was overweight before he joined the swim team in high school.
I found moby to be a very likeable, if sometimes too perfect, character. Narrator eric calhoun moby seems to think of himself as sarahs only real. The characters of this book are strong characters that contribute to the greatness of this book. Publishers weekly sarah byrnes and eric calhoune have been friends for years. My impression i thought that this was a very good book. When they were children, his weight and her scars made them both outcasts. This study guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of staying fat for sarah byrnes. Then, eric escapes by crashing the car and running. One of the major themes chris crutcher portrayed in staying fat for sarah brynes is friendship. Cool idea, but of course as life changes so do people. Eric calhoun, moby, is our protagonist, and its impossible not to like him right away. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is a terrific teen read.
The novel is written in the first person point of view. Staying fat for sarah byrnes samuel shields libr 265 ya. Eric and sarah byrnes have been social misfits since they were young children. Eric is a usedtobe fat butstilllivesheavy star swimmer who is sarah byrnes s best friend. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher, paperback. The story starts at with eric calhoun visiting sarah byrnes at the hospital and him at school and at his house. He jumps from the back seat pulling a knife and tells eric to tell him where sarah is. Staying fat for sarah byrnes romaine48 honors literature independent reading assignment staying far for sarah grynes the book staying far for sarah brynes revolves around a young swimmer by the name of eric. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Poems for the character of eric calhoune in the book staying. Eric calhoun and sarah byrnes are longtime friends. Chris crutchers staying fat for sarah byrnes is about a girl whose face is scarred and a boy that is overweight. At the end sarah byrnes is adopted by the lemrys and everyone is moving on.
Overweight high school student eric calhoun, nicknamed moby, is sarah byrnes only friend. May 31, 2009 this feature is not available right now. Eric refuses and virgil presses the knife deeper into eric s face. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher teen ink. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher scholastic. Staying fat for sarah byrnes essay sample sample essays. Sarah is a special person eric knows this immediately. Jan 07, 2008 her scars become a shield to hide her true feelings. Originally it was because they were both terminal uglies with moby being incredibly overweight and sarah call her sarah byrnes being disfigured by burns she got at a. This story will have many readers who relate to the narrator, eric. The book staying fat for sarah byrnes is a tragic story of a young teen named sarah byrnes who was abused by her father.
Now a member of the swim team, he has slimmed considerably but pledges to stay fat for sarah byrnes in order to maintain their friendship. Staying fat for sarah byrnes was selected by school library journal as a best book and by the ala as a best book for young adults. It is also one of fifty books on young adult library services associations the ultimate teen bookshelf. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is a book by chris crutcher that aims to tackle a lot of the heavy topics that young adults face. Lermys house for three days so far, sarah and eric went to school, go to cat class. Bud not buddy book trailer, by tina chapman duration. It has been recognized by the american library association as one of the best of the best books for young adults. Eric calhoune, a senior, faces the task of helping close friend, sarah byrnes, who was burned in an accident.
A supershort, supercheesy trailer of staying fat for sarah byrnes, a novel by chris crutcher. Eric is overweight, and referred to as moby by his peers, and sarah is disfigured after a. Start with staying fat for sarah byrnes because it is a modern novel and the. Im starting to believe that chris crutcher cant write a bad book. Staying fat for sarah byrnes symbolism abbie heflins.
Feb 17, 2011 is the world good or is the world bad. This 29page guide for staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 19 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. In staying fat for sarah byrnes, the main character, eric, is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to report the father of his best friends, sarah byrnes, to the child protection agency, for. Eric went to get sarah, get out of hospital and eric and sarah went to parking lot to fine ellbrey.
To everyone else, though, shes the girl with the scars on her face allegedly from pulling a pot of boiling water on herself at a young age. Literature study guide staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher plot summary staying fat for sarah byrnes is a young adult novel by writer chris crutcher. Moby is a high school senior whose best friend, sarah byrnes, has been put in a hospital because she refuses to speak. Eric calhoun sarahs friend who helps sarah through her difficulties, their. Her father, virgil, refused to let her have any reconstructive surgery, and sarah has lived her life behind a mask of scars and fury. Mautz that he was not going to tell byrnes where sarah was staying because byrnes has threatening him and byrnes said i do, because if someone happens to me, everyone will know. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is by a washington state resident, chris crutcher. At the age of three, sarah s face and hands were severely burned in a domestic accident. Ive learned to trust the only one who was really ever there for me sometimes standing tall and proud will make your intentions loud and clear but there are some of us who cant hide who we are thus stick together instead because happy ending arent that far away strength and. Start studying staying fat for sarah byrnes comprehension and characters. This bestselling novel is about love, loyalty, and friendship in the face of adversity. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher characters. Who is sarah byrnes and where is she when eric sees her.
Eric and his friend ellerby had always picked on him but they didnt think it bothered him so much. Plot summary, setting, and character description and development. Reviewer x called staying fat for sarah byrnes a story of hope, fear, identity, salvation, and life then it would probably be appropriate for the article. Start studying staying fat for sarah byrnes comprehension. Chapter 1 in chapter one the charcters introduce themselves and tell who they are there is eric who is the narrator of the book and sarah is his best friend and they look out for each other. Character description eric moby calhoune is the narrator and protagonist. Jul 31, 2009 staying fat for sarah byrnes is a quick read. In staying fat for sarah byrnes, eric moby calhoune is extremely overweight, and sarah byrnes is grotesquely scarred from severe burns she received as a child. Often considered one of chris crutchers strongest novels, staying fat for sarah byrnes was published in 1993 and won several awards, including the joan fassler memorial award, the alan award for contributions to young adult literature, and the california young reader medal. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 304 pages and is available in paperback format. In this book staying fat for sarah byrnes eric is portrayed as a. The main characters of this young adult, fiction story are eric calhoune, sarah byrnes. He was always preaching the word of god and telling how abortion was so bad.
Two misfits, eric and sarah byrnes, banned together against the world that could be so cruel. What do we learn about eric calhounes family in the first few pages. Sarah byrnes, a young woman disfigured by burns she received when she was three, has always been a. Eric calhoune became sarah s friend partially because they were both outcasts, eric was very overweight and sarah byrnes had burns all over her face so she was very ugly. Staying fat for sarah byrnes quotes showing 129 of 29 from a distance, he says, my car looks just like every other car on the freeway, and sarah byrnes looks just like the rest of us. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher goodreads.
Staying fat for sarah byrnes was a book that i avoided for a fair amount of time because the title confused and annoyed me. It revolves around the story of eric and sarah, two kids who have been friends from a young age because they are both. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. As a younger student, sarah byrnes is portrayed as a spunky, tenacious, getinyourface kind of girl, but her true sensitive side begins to show as the book progresses. If you have read other chris crutcher books, compare whale talk to his other work. This crutcher story focuses on eric calhoun, a high school student who was formerly the fat kid, and his friend sarah byrnes. Superb plotting, extraordinary characters, and cracking narrative make this novel unforgettable. Sarah and eric moby have been friends since childhood. But upon opening it up, i found the writing to be mature and thoughtful, with characters from the main protagonists to even the side. For people like sara byrnes and eric calhoun its not always such a great place. Free essays, homework help, flashcards, research papers, book reports, term papers.
It covers many difficult and controversial areas of life and eric discovers people are not always what they seem to be. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is a book that shows how far friendship can go. Staying fat for sarah byrnes questions and answers. In the chris crutcher novel staying fat for sarah byrnes one of the supporting characters, mark brittan tries to take his own life. For eric being on the high school swim team has helped him lose weight and become more accepted, but there is nothing sarah can do about her scarred. Together they are friends because they are both terminally ugly. Staying fat for sarah byrnes summary and study guide. In the spirit of banned books week, on monday i went by the library and picked up a challenged ya classic. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher young. Chris crutcher writes a tale that many teens will enjoy, even if it is through the thankgoditsnotme reaction. Chris crutcher deals with harsh concepts and even harsher realities that people. Choose from 148 different sets of stay fat sarah book flashcards on quizlet.
They discovered ways to understand each other and soothe each others pain. Eric calhoun and sarah byrnes, social outcasts due to erics junkfoodfed. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is a young adult novel by writer chris crutcher. The first edition of the novel was published in march 1st 1993, and was written by chris crutcher. The setting of staying fat for sarah byrnes is a small town. Now sarah has gone silent and eric has to figure out why before both of them find themselves in even deeper. Sarah is eric moby calhounes best friend, and while she is in a mental hospital, apparently unable to speak or.
Learn stay fat sarah book with free interactive flashcards. Chris crutcher writing styles in staying fat for sarah byrnes. Eric is a usedtobefatbutstilllivesheavy star swimmer who is sarah byrness best friend. Eric mobe calhounes best friend sarah byrnes is catatonic, sitting in the mental ward of sacred heart hospital. Start with journal entries on friendship, a songpoemquote s, then. How does eric calhoune change in staying fat for sarah byrnes. They took off, they saw sarah s dad passed by, he did not see them. As eric moby calhoun tells us at the conclusion of staying fat for sarah byrnes, aint it a trip where heroes come from. Mautz told eric that he should take the rest of the day off and rest and think about it. Later, although swimming slimmed eric, she stayed his closest friend. To everyone else, though, shes the girl with the scars on her face allegedly from pulling a pot of boiling water on herself at a. He has also written what he calls an illadvised autobiography titled king of the mild frontier, which was designated by publishers weekly as the ya book most adults would have read if they knew it existed.
Staying fat for sarah byrnes by chris crutcher librarything. Staying fat for sarah byrnes, by chris crutcher nbp. Chris crutchers words on restriction intellectual freedom blog. Mar 15, 2010 staying fat for sarah byrnes, from the jacket copy, sounds like a cringeworthy depiction of disability, coping with abuse, and growing up. At the age of three, sarahs face and hands were severely burned in a domestic accident. Staying fat for sarah byrnes is a young adult fiction novel by chris crutcher. Dale thornton is a stereotypical bully who lives in the bad part of town and was repeatedly held back in junior high. Understand his protective feelings for his childhood friend, sarah byrnes. I think one part in particular that has the most symbolism is when sarah byrnes writes the note. Eric was also called moby by his classmates due to excessive weight. Staying fat for sarah byrnes quotes by chris crutcher.
Character description staying fat for sarah byrnes by. Eric calhoune became sarahs friend partially because they were both outcasts, eric was very overweight and sarah byrnes had burns all over her face so she was very ugly. Whale talk, staying fat for sarah byrnes, running loose, ironman, staying fat for sarah byrnes response journal, staying fat for sarah byrnes downloadable response journal, staying fat for sarah byrnes prestwick house offers a variety of lessons and activities. They understand each other and have a strong connection. Staying fat for sarah byrnes chris crutcher paperback. Staying fat for sarah byrnes by crutcher, chris ebook. Eric has been by her side through everything and it just makes sense to trust him with everything she has. Sarah byrnes scars from a childhood accident and eric calhounes hereditary obesity cause them both to become outcasts that end up finding each other early on in life. Staying fat for sarah byrnes comprehension and characters. Character description staying fat for sarah byrnes. Sarah byrnes and eric calhoune have been friends fo. Staying fat for sarah byrnes book by chris crutcher. I guess it depends on who you ask and how far they look.
The book is given its title because eric and sarah have always been friends because he was fat and she was scarred. Now sarah byrnes the smartest, toughest person eric has ever known sits silent in a hospital. I have used all of them for book reports and i have read deadline and staying fat for sarah about six. She trusts in eric so much when she writes this letter. The climax is when we find out why sarah byrnes is really in the hospital and how she was really and how she is really burned and what happened to her mother.
Both books deal with religious implications, and both books deal with father motifs. One of chapter 3s finest occurs when eric describes himself breathing soft as a man passing. May 10, 20 why would eric in the book staying fat for sarah byrnes be a good friend. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. And if shes going to get help, shell get it from herself or shell get it from us. No book has ever captivated me as much as this one. This book is about a markedly overweight boy growing up in a single parent home. In fact, staying fat for sarah byrnes is a mighty fine book.
Both were often rejected by society so they learn to appreciate each other. Thats what eric calhoune, the main character in staying fat for sarah byrnes by christopher crutcher did. He is a high school senior, whose obesity made him a social outcast and earned him the loving marine nickname moby. When he started working out a lot with the swim team, he ate a ton so that he would stay fat, thinking that was a necessary part of staying friends with sarah.
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