Okay for Now

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (audio book)

All right. This is it. This is the one. This is the book, if I must – children’s book, that you should read. Maybe you are one of those people who read all of the Newberys – make sure you add this one to your list, because it should have been included. As a matter of fact, in the opinion of at least one more person and myself, this book is far superior. So much so, that we’re talking about giving the author a special award in recognition of how simply perfect this novel really is.

Yes, I said it – perfect. I cannot come up with a better word to describe it. Perfect. Savor it.

In 2008, Gary D. Schmidt won a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars. It lost to Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz. (You’ve got to be kidding me! [nonfiction] Only thing that makes it somewhat better is that Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis also honored that year [another must read book].) I book talked Wednesday Wars to everyone within hearing distance. I sent it home with every librarian and teacher that entered the building. It is that good. Okay for Now is better. Remember– it’s perfect.

For those of you who took my advice and read Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now is a companion novel. In the first book, we met Holling Hoodhood. (I really need to reread WW. It’s worth it – a rare distinction in my opinion.) Another character in that book was Doug Swieteck, the kid who knows how to make teachers hate him. Okay for Nowis Doug’s book, but Holling gets to make a cameo appearance.

Doug is the youngest son of a poor, blue collar worker with an abusive temper. Doug’s mother has a smile more beautiful than a Hollywood movie star, but it is rarely seen. She is just trying to get by, like her sons, with infrequent incidents. Oldest son, Lucas, got away by joining the army and is currently serving in Vietnam where he does what he does best – survive. The middle boy does his best to model his father’s behavior and takes it out on you can guess who. Doug is well aware of how easily he can slip into the same patterns of behavior. And he realizes that it is expected by his peers and adults. The apple won’t fall far from the tree.

Doug has a rare opportunity to start over when his father loses his job and the family must move to a new town. Doug does his best to rein in his smart mouth and behave in such a manner as to bring a smile to his mother’s face. Unfortunately, he cannot win over everyone despite his best behavior because his older brother seems content to be a thug. If it weren’t for a few peer and adult supporters, Doug might have been lost and turned into an abusive bully himself. There is Lil Spicer, an eighth grade girl, who helps Doug to get a job at her father’s deli despite his thug-like appearance. There is Mr. Powell, a town librarian, who provides one on one art classes on Saturday afternoons. There is Mr. Ferris, the Physical Sciences teacher, who refuses to let Doug’s brother’s behavior cloud his opinion of Doug. These are only a few of the good guys.

There are also the bad guys. Coach Reed bullies Doug. Principal Peattie allows Doug’s lapses in behavior to form a concrete opinion of the boy. There are teachers who refuse to give him a chance from the onset. There are adults who try to accept Doug for Doug, but falter when family problems become public. Doug survives and sometimes thrives.

This book has everything. It has baseball. It has art. It has theater. It has academics. It has love. This novel is full of joy and laughs, but also tears and heartache. It is real life from Doug Swieteck’s real voice. You must be alert for all of the beautiful subtleties. Some that Doug will make sure you don’t miss as well as the one’s I hope you don’t miss.

You must read this book! As Mr. Powell says, “I’m a librarian. I always know what I’m talking about.”