Weetzie Bat

Weetzie Bat, by Francesca Lia Block

ISBN:  0060205342
New York:  Harper & Row, 1989

Plot - No one understands Weetzie Bat, her lyrical style, her statement clothes, or her deep, passionate appreciation for Los Angeles and all the angels that grew there.  In high school she covered herself in one costume or another, not dressing as anyone necessarily, but dressing to express her joie de vivre--taffeta dresses with poetry written in glitter all over, bright red lover's lipstick, fringe-trimmed pants to honor the "Indians."  No one gets Dirk.  Literally.  He's gorgeous, stylish, and every girl wants him, but he only has eyes for Weetzie Bat.  They become fast friends, painting the town red in his '55 Pontiac, and Dirk reveals to Weetzie that he's gay.  Their friendship takes a deeper turn, and they hit the town with renewed vigor, ready to go "Duck hunting" for guys.  Dirk finds his Duck, and when Weetzie still is without My Secret Agent Lover Man, she gets the chance to call him to her from the ether.  He comes, falls deeply in love with her, and from there he and Weetzie and a melodic cast of characters dance through days and weeks, through possible betrayals, new life, and even grief, finding love around every corner and dreams coming true like newly discovered candy.

Critical Evaluation - Block writes Weetzie Bat in a style that never looks back to re-examine itself.  This is not to say that an editor was missing, but simply that her style of prose is to storytelling as stream of consciousness is to traditional narrative.  Weetzie Bat herself moves as a butterfly, stopping to appreciate and be nourished by everything she encounters, yet ultimately fragile and real.  Love is the not-so-underlying theme throughout the story, and it wins out every time.  To appreciate the book, one must suspend disbelief enough to absorb the characters, their impossible reality, and the irrepressible hope that all of it brings to the page.  The story is a whole piece--style, character, plot, tone--and, taken as such, succeeds brilliantly in showing the reader a life oriented toward love.

Reader's annotation -A girl needs a friend who "gets" her; a boy needs a friend who lets him be, and together they find that their heart's true desires really are what's best for everyone.
Genre - YA urban fantasy / romance
Curriculum Ties - None
Booktalk ideas - 

1. Read the passage where My Secret Agent Lover Man sees Cherokee for the first time.  Begin on pg. 64 with "Weetzie put out her arms," and end a the end of the chapter on pg. 65.  This gives a great look into the love-above-all-else theme and into Block's writing.

Reading level -15+ I think at least into the older teen bracket is advisable because of the subtle understanding and suspension of cultural mores that's required to really "get" this book.

Challenge issues -sex out of wedlock; babies born out of wedlock; homosexuality

Challenge defense ideas:

• Librarian must read the book carefully and include it as a resource intended for older teens.
• Librarian greets students and regularly discusses their reading choices; she provides individualized, age-appropriate guidance in book choice.
• Explain the ways in which the librarian accompanies and guides younger students looking for books, and knows students well as individuals. 

Why I included this book - It's a tour de force in stylistic writing and audacious suspension of what's ok in everyday middle class white society.   This book affords teens a chance to live a life through the characters, that is as free from constraints as their imaginations are.  It also suggests that appreciating the very sidewalk under our feet is the true road to happiness.  And of course, in 2009 it won the Phoenix Award for works at least 20 years old not honored in their own time.