JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL by Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gantos, Jack, 2000, Joey Pigza Loses Control, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, New York; ISBN 0374399891
PLOT SUMMARY
Main character Joey Pigza, is an eleven year old boy struggling with ADHD.  Joey’s parents are divorced and he lives with his mom but has decided to spend six weeks over the summer with his father, Carter, who he hasn’t seen in years. Now that Carter has cleaned up his act, he wants to make up for lost time and his wrong doings and to teach Joey how to take control of his own life.  While Carter’s intentions are good, his father is only a grown up version of Joey before he started taking his MEDS.   Unfortunately, Joey’s father chooses to self-medicate with cigarettes and alcohol.  Joey’s story depicts his life of uncontrollable impulses and the hurdles he faces in order to build some type of relationship with his father.
As the story unfolds, Joey is asked to become the pitcher on his dad’s baseball team and father and son soon begin to bond. Just as things are looking up, Carter has one too many drinks one evening and destroys the two’s medication patches, determined that they just don’t need them anymore.  It is at this point that Joey, though he would like to be a “normal” kid and not take medication, realizes his actions and life is slipping out of control and lies to his mother in order to protect his Dad. Being pressured to live permanently with his father, who refuses to give Joey his medication, Joey’s life spins out of control. Who will rescue him?                   
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In Joey Pigza Loses Control, the sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key,  Gantos once again cleverly intertwines contemporary complex family issues of divorce, disabilities, alcoholism and manipulation into a compelling first person narrative.  Though the story is heart-wrenching and dark at times, the plot is unfortunately plausible with settings and events aimed at today’s middle schoolers.  Ganto’s main character Joey resonates with of young readers and life’s challenges and leaves the reader cheering for Joey to find his way in the world as he struggles with his disability.  Ganto’s strong voice throughout the book not only captivates young readers but adults as well. (Contemporary Fiction, Ages 10+)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- “Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy's gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him. The ride home isn't smooth, but it is hopeful and loving. Does this mean that he is on the way to a happy, "normal" life?”
Publishers Weekly- “Like its predecessor (Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key), this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine.”
Kirkus, starred review- “As if Joey didn't get into enough trouble in his unforgettable debut, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (1998), Gantos has him wig out again in this sad, scary, blackly funny sequel.... A tragic tale in many ways, but a triumph too.”

AWARDS: 
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Publishers Weekly Best Book
School Library Journal Best Book
NY Times Book Review Notable Book
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
Booklist Editors' Choice
Horn Book Fanfare Book
Booklinks Lasting Choice Selection

CONNECTIONS
Joey Pigza Loses Control is a great book for integrated Language Arts and Humanities curriculum.  Here are a few ideas for utilizing this story in the classroom:
Language Arts/HumanitiesVENN All About ADHD:
Joey Pigza has ADHD.  What does this abbreviation stand for? Have students research ADHD online or by interviewing a doctor and ask students to describe their feelings through a brief journal entry about its effects on people.
Next have students complete a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities of a student who has ADHD and one who does not.
Finally, ask students to write in their journal about their feelings as to whether these students should be treated differently in their class(es).
Write a Personal Narrative
Discuss with students elements of personal narratives.  Read Joey Pigza Loses Control and then have students write their own personal narrative using their journal entries as chapters in their book.
Discussion Questions/Journal Entries
Once the class has read Joey Pigza Loses Control, you might use the following to provoke group discussion of journal topics.
• Have you ever felt different from other children your age? What is it about you that made you feel this way? Would you want to change this uniqueness? Explain your answer.
• Everyone tries to please those they love the most. Think of a special person in your life. What have you done to try and show that person how much you truly love them?
• Ask students if they have ever had to make decisions that were uncomfortable or undesirable due to an adult’s bribery or false promises. What were these decisions and how did they make them feel? If they could turn back the clock, would they do the same things?
• After writing their feelings in their journal, ask students to decide whether or not they want to share them with the other person involved. If they decide not to share, explain why. If they do share, ask them to tell the outcome of their experience.
Other Recommended Books:
Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos, Jack, 1998, ISBN 0064408337
What Would Joey Do? Gantos, Jack, 2002, ISBN 0060544031
I Am Not Joey Pigza, Gantos Jack, 2007, ISBN 0312661002
Related Websites:
http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-joeypigzaloses.html
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0374399891.asp
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=1125&type=book&cn=3
http://www.kidsource.com/books/JPigzalosescontrol.html