I Am Not Joey Pigza

by Jack Gantos

ISBN: 9780374399412

Bibliography:

Gantos, Jack. 2007. I Am Not Joey Pigza. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Plot:

Joey Pigza must decide if he will forgive his dead-beat father and give him another chance as his parents decide to give their dysfunctional relationship another try.

Analysis:

As Joey's father re-enters his life, he must deal with issues of forgiveness and identity. Joey has been disappointed countless times by his father and struggles to give him another chance. In the following touching quote, Joey visited his grandmother's grave seeking advice about whether or not to forgive his father and heard his grandmother's voice: "If you forgive him, then it will put you in control. Think about it. Who is the bigger person? The one who can forgive or the one who can't?"

Another theme in this story is identity. Joey's father encourages the family to give up their old identities and names in order to embrace a new life. This is also a struggle for Joey, because he tries to become someone else in order to make his family happy. In the end he recognizes his father's mistakes and wisely makes the following observation about his father: "He'll just be going in circles until he figures out how to be comfortable in his own skin-not some borrowed skin but the skin he was born in."

Joey has ADHD and uses a medicated patch to help him focus. He describes this issue in the following quote: "I always have to have something on my mind or something in my hands, otherwise my mind chases off in one direction and my hands go in another. This is how trouble starts for me, because if my mouth controls my mind and my hands control my body then I'm totally split in half." Though dealing with ADHD, Joey often made better decisions than his parents. Sadly, this situation is all too common when children must pay for the poor choices that their parents make. An example of this is when his parents decided to keep Joey from school to help with the restaurant.

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Review: "With this fourth installment in the series, Gantos offers it all: outrageous schemes, funny scenes, strong voice, dramatic characters and profound reflections on identity, family and love. It stands well on its own, though anyone new to Joey's saga will want to read more. This is Gantos at his best, and that's saying a lot."

Booklist: "Gantos’ hilarious storytelling, including accounts of an over-the-top “rewedding,” an all-out paintball war between father and son, and a thwarted attempt at sneaking into an amusement park help soften the more serious issues at play in the story. Although the ending is heartbreaking, Joey, assuming his old identity, learns to let go of the past and dedicates himself to being a good role model for his new baby brother."

Connections:

*Other Works by Jack Gantos:

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key ISBN: 9780374336646

Joey Pigza Loses Control ISBN: 9780374399894

What Would Joey Do? ISBN: 9780374399863

Back to School for Rotten Ralph ISBN: 9780064437059

Heads or Tails: Stories From the Sixth Grade ISBN: 9780374429232