Have you ever felt invisible? Like no one cares? When this happens, people usually do something to get some kind of attention. But what if the kind of response you intended on getting from others is not what you get? How about if the response you get may involve an act that puts your life on the line?
Say hello to Butter, who is the name of the main character in the book and the title of Erin Jade Lange’s novel. Butter can definitely relate to those aforementioned questions. He is a typical student at Scottsdale High School with the same desires as any other peer his age. However, the one thing that separates Butter from the typical high school teen is that he is 423 pounds and i know what you may be thinking, this is a big guy! And I agree, he is a big dude! But the excitement doesn't stop here. After feeling invisible, Butter does something that will definitely allow him to be seen. Butter plans to eat himself to death live on the internet, through a website he made, butterslastmeal .com. His meal will consist of a lot of items such as a carton of eggs, a stack of pancakes, etc. But his last item will be one stick of butter!!!
Immediately after posting the site Butter receives admiration and popular with students from his school getting ready to see his outrageous meal. As well as, adding items to his meal. After receiving cheerleaders Butter reveals that, “All i ever wanted to do was take charge of what people were saying online and, sure, maybe make them feel a little bad about. I never meant for my threat to truly be a swan song just a loud note to catch some attention” (Lange 209). Butter’s aim for pity gets him into a dangerous situation. See if Butter goes through with his last meal, or better yet will he survive his last meal if he goes through with it.
This book would be great for high school students because the themes are relatable which are obesity, bullying, popularity, and suicide. Lange does a good job at positioning the reader through the perspective of an overweight teen with the challenges they face mentally. Also, it shows how people should be wary of what they put online. On the other hand, this novel is not all negative. It has small themes such as teenage crush, family, and friendship which are positive. While reading the book I pity Butter and definitely don't want him to go through with his last meal.
3 comments:
Hi, Frank,
This novel sounds really interesting. Adolescents are obsessed with communicating through social media these days. Unfortunately, it's not always in a positive manner. Cyber bullying is a huge problem, especially through Facebook, where people can speak frivolously while hiding their faces.
I have heard in the news over the past few years about teenagers streaming their suicides over YouTube as they receive sickening support from viewers "cheering" them on. Butter sounds kind of like one of those victims.
I'm going to put this novel on my summer reading list. Thanks for the review!
Sarah
Hey Frank! I have to say your summary/plot has me hooked! I plan on reading this over the summer. It seems like a very sad story but interesting as well. I want to see what is going on in Butter's head. I am also interested to see how it heads. The trailer was a good hook as well.
And I agree this book seems like a great book to be taught in high school with a lot of good themes to talk about. Also this book is good for the classroom to promote anti-bullying.
Thanks!
Your description and the video got me intrigued to read it and know what happens to him. From the description of the book it sounds like the themes of the book are important to teach young adults about social media and bullying. I agree that these themes are fit for high schoolers to learn. This book I feel like might be a little risky teaching in class with these themes of suicide, but it would be good for students to read outside of class.
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