''Fat Kid Rules the World'' is a
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novel published by American author
K. L. Going in 2003. The story follows a
suicidal
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...
, 296 pound teen, Troy Billings, who befriends a local guitar legend, Curt MacCrae, who insists that they form a band together with Troy playing drums. KL Going has stated it was inspired by a mix of
punk music,
Kurt Cobain biographies, and a rejection letter she received from an editor.
Plot summary
Troy, a seventeen year old, 6'1", 298 pound student is contemplating suicide when a homeless former student from Troy's school, Curt MacCrae, intervenes. MacCrae tells Troy that he saved his life, now he owes him a favor, so he insists that they start a band together with Troy playing drums. The only problem is that Troy can't play drums.
Together, Curt and Troy create the band Rage/Tectonic. Although unable to play drums, he goes right into practicing for an upcoming gig. In the process, Troy finds self-confidence and acceptance while realizing he is desperately trying to save Curt's life from drug addiction and abuse.
Reception
''Fat Kid Rules the World'' received mostly positive reviews from critics. The Open Critic stated "K.L. Going makes a great example of teen's life in this great book. Every page will leave the reader thinking of just how more anyone can change." Ilene Cooper from ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' said, "The narrative could have been tighter in places, but this is an impressive debut that offers hope for all kids--dross transmuted into gold." The novel was awarded the
Michael L. Printz Award honor for literary excellence in young adult literature.
Despite the above, the book has been a frequent target of censors; the novel appears on the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
list of the 100 Most
Frequently Challenged Books of 2000–2009 at number 58.
Film adaptation
A film adaptation of ''Fat Kid Rules the World'' premiered on March 9, 2012, at
SXSW in
Austin. It was filmed in 2011,
under the direction of
Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His early film work includes Chip Sutphin in ''Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in '' Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in '' Scream'' (1996), Stevo in ''SLC Pu ...
, with
Jacob Wysocki
Jacob Wysocki (born June 20, 1990) is an American actor and comedian.
Life and career
Wysocki became interested in acting while still in high school. During these years, he also performed with ComedySportz and started to act in school plays. Af ...
,
Matt O'Leary
Matthew Joseph O'Leary (born July 6, 1987) is an American actor. He made his debut in the made-for-television Disney Channel Original film ''Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire'' (2000), and would go on to star in the thriller '' Domestic Disturbance ...
, and
Billy Campbell in the cast.
Mike McCready
Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready ...
of
Pearl Jam composed the film's soundtrack. Although the novel is set in New York, the film was shot and set in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
[ with Capitol Hill being used as a backdrop. ''Fat Kid Rules the World'' is to be one of the four final feature films to be filmed in Seattle under a ]Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
financial incentive program. Reviews have been mostly positive.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fat Kid Rules the World
2003 American novels
Novels set in New York City
American novels adapted into films
Films set in Seattle
Novels about music
Whitewater Films films
G. P. Putnam's Sons books