(#32) / Izzy, Willy-Nilly / by Cynthia Voigt / (Book)

 Opening

Bibliographic Information:

Izzy, Willy-Nilly / by Cynthia Voigt

ISBN-13: 9781416903390 / Simon Pulse

p. 336 / $6.98 (Amazon)

1986

Body of Content

Summary: Izzy is a cheerleader just beginning her high school experience.  A popular senior at her school asks her out on a date.  So both attend a party shortly after, where Marcus drinks too much.  Unrelenting, he insists on driving her home – but the effects of alcohol result in a car accident – an accident where he escapes with minor injuries.  Izzy, however, suffers injuries so severe that the doctors decide upon the amputation of one leg – below the knee.  The cheerleader – once a part of the in-crowd – now faces social isolation – as her former friends largely desert her.  The emergence on a fellow outsider (Rosamunde), helps the healing process – as Izzy faces a challenge as a crippled girl trying to cope with the changes and challenges that now arise in her life.    

Critique: Voigt’s work fits under the standard definition of a problem novel.  While the opening chapters deal with a car accident caused by a drunk driver, the real issues within the book rely more on the affects that follow the title character through the rest of the novel.

Once a popular girl, Izzy loses her leg in the aforementioned accident.  Such a tragedy would prove difficult at any stage in life, but the author presents the story within the setting of high school – a trying time on its own right – even without something as severe as amputation as a premise.  The novel becomes a parable.  Izzy loses her friends because of the accident.  The catalyst for that conclusion stems from the accident.  But on a larger level, Voigt is presenting a more universal message – will your friends still be your friends – throughout the unequivocal changes that life and added years bring?

What starts out as a cautionary tale about teenage use of alcohol turns into a problem novel about personal relationships.  Izzy’s physical damage is severe – but the story does not stop there – for it covers the emotional and social distress felt by the title character.  In the end, Izzy, Willy Nilly is a problem novel with a few metaphorical layers to it.  

Teaser: One decision leads to consequences unforeseen – in a cautionary tale of one teenage girl.

Information about the Author: Voigt desired from a young age to become a writer.  Her journey first led her to graduate from Smith College in Massachusetts.  Soon after, she worked for an advertising agency in New York City.  Her travels brought her to New Mexico, where she became a teacher.  She had previously expressed doubts, though, saying, “In college, I had vowed I would never teach, but the minute I walked into a classroom, I loved it” (Scholastic, 2011).

It was not until her divorce from her husband – and subsequent move to Maryland – that Voigt began writing on the side – while teaching second, fifth, and seventh graders.  Voigt would marry a language teacher at her workplace, Walter, who taught Latin and Greek (Scholastic, 2011).

Her works include Dicey’s Song – which won a Newberry Medal in 1983 – along with The Callender Papers – which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award.  Other regarded works include The Runner, On Fortune’s Wheel, and A Solitary Blue (Wikipedia, 2011).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Drama

Curriculum Ties: Health Education – social issues, drunk driving, physical disabilities

Booktalking Ideas: 1) Would your friends still love you – if you lost your legs in an accident? 2) How would a physical disability change your approach to daily living?

Reading Level: This title could easily find its way into the hands of middle school teens – ages 13-14 – but it is also readable by early high-school freshmen and sophomore students.

Challenge Issues and Defense: The subject matter is rough at times – given the framework of the book – dealing with drug use, social outcasts, and the legless heroine.  But the book is a problem novel that attempts to find teachable moments within this framework – and the author is well-received and acclaimed for some of her earlier works.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: The book represents a problem novel – and I wanted to include a title written in the 1980s to balance the collection – since some of the other problem novels (cf. Hope in Patience) represent recent titles.

Last Thoughts

References:

Scholastic. (2011). Cynthia Voigt: Biography [Webpage]. Retrieved from

            http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/cynthia-voigt

Wikipedia. (2011). Cynthia Voigt [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Voigt

Listening to (Music):

Artist – FM Static / Album – “Critically Ashamed”