Going Bovine by Libba Bray is a strange book. Even though I had to take several breaks while I was reading it so I could get back in touch with reality, I really enjoyed it. Libba Bray does an excellent job creating a story that twists reality just enough to make you question whether the things that Cam and his friends experience are possible or not. At times I found myself wondering whether the fire giants that Cam sees are real, whether Cam is actually friends with a punk angel named Dulcie, and whether there really is a commune somewhere in Georgia where the residents are happy all the time.
About the Book:
Sixteen-year-old Cameron has been acting weird lately. Weird in a way that obviously can only be explained by heavy drug use. Or is there some other reason? After some serious episodes involving hallucinations and lack of body control, Cam and his parents visit the doctor. The diagnosis is not one they are expecting. Cam has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, better known as Mad Cow disease. Unfortunately for Cam, there is no cure for CJD. He is sick and he is going to die. At least, that's what the doctors say. But when a punk-rock girl with wings shows up and tells Cam that there is a cure, but he has to go find it. So Cam sets out on the road trip of a lifetime, accompanied by his hospital roommate, a neurotic dwarf, and a yard gnome who thinks he is the Viking god, Balder. On their journey, they encounter fire giants, some crazy scientists, a typical Spring Break party in Florida, and meet a band who disappeared in the middle of a show years before.
On Teaching:
Even though I really enjoyed this book, I have no idea how I would use it in a classroom. I think that it's the kind of book that is either a hit or miss with students, so I don't think I would want to use it as a whole class novel. However, I think it could be useful as a model text for certain writing qualities, especially symbolism and imagery. I can see it used in a lit circle, especially if the focus were on writing.
Book Extras:
“An unforgettable, nearly indefinable fantasy adventure.”
-Starred Review, Booklist, August 1, 2009
…manages to turn a hopeless situation into a hilarious and hallucinatory quest, featuring an asthmatic teenage dwarf, Gonzo; a pink-haired angel in combat boots, Dulcie; and Balder, a Norse god who is cursed with the form of a garden gnome…Libba Bray not only breaks the mold of the ubiquitous dying-teenager genre—she smashes it and grinds the tiny pieces into the sidewalk. For the record, I’d go anywhere she wanted to take me.
—The New York Times (Lisa Von Drasek)
Other Books by the Author:
The Diviners
Beauty Queens
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Rebel Angels
The Sweet Far Thing
Author's Website:
http://libbabray.com/
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