Going Bovine

Bibliographic Information: Bray, L. (2009). Going bovine. New York: Delacorte. ISBN: 978-0-385-73398-4

Plot Summary: Sixteen-year-old Cameron Smith is the average slacker, loitering around school bathrooms with a video game-obsessed hypochondriac dwarf, Gonzo, avoiding his dysfunctional family (especially his “smart and universally adored” sister, Jenna) and having the occasional vision of an inferno engulfing his surroundings. After visiting drug counselor after drug counselor, Cameron is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, more commonly known as mad cow disease, likely contracted from working his job at Buddha Burger. The hallucinations persist, and feathers appear in random places, eventually leading Cameron to the punk rock, pink-haired angel Dulcie, who offers him a chance to save the world by defeating the evil Wizard of Reckoning. With Gonzo in tow, Cameron escapes the hospital to follow a trail of clues across the country, and together with a talking garden gnome, adventure through what little life Cameron has left, by bus, car, and Infinity Collider, to learn the distinction between merely existing and truly living.

Critical Evaluation: Cameron is more than just a common disaffected youth with a foul mouth and a moderate drug habit: he makes insights about people, situations and social norms with a comical and discerning eye, which to some, may come off as witty sarcasm, but is used in a way that undercuts reality and touches upon deeper meanings: mainly life and death, love and family, journey and destination. Whether Cameron is musing on the drudgery of public education:

“Scoring well on tests is the sort of happy thing that gets the school district the greenbacks they crave. Understanding and appreciating the material are secondary,”

Or criticizing the institution of psychology:

“So, now I've been to see a drug counselor who told me I need to lay off the drugs and talk about my feelings, and a shrink who heard what I had to say and immediately put me on drugs,”

he uses such reflections to help understand his place in the world—a quest every teenager faces. Cameron’s point-of-view and attitude afford him room to mature, but also make him relatable and loveable almost instantly.

The hero’s journey is the prevailing theme of Going Bovine, starting with “the call” induced by fiery hallucinations, then crossing of the threshold or discovery of his fatal diagnosis and relying on the supernatural aid of an angel and talking garden gnome to help him through challenges and temptations of resignation. Allusions to Don Quixote are made through the inclusion of sidekicks, windmills, and the fact that Cameron is reading the classic work. The book begins with his near death experience at Disney World, and after his transformation, returns here, bringing the quest to its cyclical end. But the true ending is left to interpretation and readers are forced to wonder whether Cameron has lived, died, hallucinated, dreamt, experienced, loved, or lost. One answer is certain: by being faced with death, he has learned to ask the right questions, embrace chaos, and live life to it’s fullest.

Reader’s Annotation: Go on a hysterical road trip with Cameron Smith, 16-year-old pot-smoker recently diagnosed with Mad-Cow disease. A hypochondriac dwarf and a talking garden gnome join him on a mission to save the world.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online describes how “small-town Texas-born writer Libba Bray has always loved a good story. A fan of reading as a child, she also fell in love with the stage while growing up and went on to major in theater at the University of Texas. After graduation, with aspirations of becoming a playwright and with only six hundred dollars to her name, the spunky Bray took a chance and moved to New York City to room with a college friend. After taking jobs in publishing and advertising to hone her writing skills, Bray became a freelance writer. She published three novels between 2000 and 2005: Kari, A Great and Terrible Beauty, and Rebel Angels, all of which are aimed at teen readers” (2012).  Other books include The Sweet Far Thing, Going Bovine, and Beauty Queens (Gale, 2012). Bray has written several short-story anthologies and maintains a blog as well (2012).

Genre: Realistic fiction

Subjects: Magical Realism, road trips, death, friendship

Curriculum Ties: Don Quixote, Disease, Dying/Death

Booktalking Ideas: Dress in a cow costume, toting a garden gnome with sunglasses on, and read from the first chapter that takes place on the “Small World” ride at Disney World.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 16+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to language and depictions of mild drug use and death, this material may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: This is the winner of the 2010 Printz Award and a hilarious take on what it means to live and die.