Independent Reading: Getting the Girl. Entry 3

Summary (Chapter 26-43[P. 210-341])

            The following day, a picture of cross-dressed Sherman with a pair of Trophy Wives surfaces at school, bringing mixed reactions. Seeking comfort from the unwanted attention, Sherman turns to Vanessa, who gives him a warm handshake that reinvigorates him. However, soon after, he is shocked to discover her very picture marked with a D posted on the bathroom window. Steeled by his friend's defiling, Sherman vows to catch the Defilers responsible.

            Sherman receives inspiration from Fred, and creates a radical plan to flush out the defilers. With aid from Rick and Ashton, he begins preparations and sends dinner invitations to the Trophy Wives, Lester, Dini, and the Defiled people. With further help from Fred, Sherman creates a dinner party that reunites the Defiled back into society under the tiding of good food and good company. Near the end of the party, the real Defiler is revealed.

Who is the Defiler? How does it end? Find out for yourself!

Analytical Paragraph

            In Susan Juby’s Getting the Girl, Sherman’s detective book, Learn To Be a P.I., is presented as a motif that represents social guidance. As a gift from Vanessa, the book is the primary reference for Sherman in his investigation in defiling. From the guide, Sherman created his own name ‘Mack Daddy Investigations’ (Juby 114) and provided him with the confidence to tackle his case. Having no prior investigation experience, Learn To Be a P.I. became a benchmark for Sherman to keep him on track and inspired. Ultimately, this led him to solve the case of the Defilers.

Interactive Response

            As a whole, the story of Getting the Girl is a refreshing step back in time for me. Every little tidbit presents the naïve thoughts of a ninth grader that I probably would have exemplified when I was a ninth grader myself. The story is well divided by the two separate parts; while the obvious reference is that the plot shifts from the ‘frying pan’ into the ‘fire’, I can see another interpretation. ‘Frying pan' represents the preparations of the ingredients for cooking, in this case, the exposition of the setting. ‘Fire’ embodies the rising action and the interaction of the setting elements with the moving plot. Arguably, the ending of the story can be considered the ‘serving’ of the meal, when everything has been processed and served as a resolution. As a supporter of this novel, I wholesomely recommend this read for anyone who enjoys a fresh twist on a good mystery book.

Stay hungry.

Independent Reading: Getting the Girl. Entry 2

Part 2 - Fire

Summary (Chapter 12 – 25 [P. 107 – 209])

            Over the next six months, Dini dates Lester and stops talking to Sherman, who halts his investigation and focuses on his cooking. However, one day in April, Sherman stumbles upon Anna Nicholson’s, a fellow ninth grader’s, picture in the washroom, marked with a D. Feeling that the defilers have gone too far, Sherman jumps back on the case. Fired up to investigate again, Sherman borrows a detective guide book, Learn To Be a P.I., from Vanessa and begins his surveillance. Meeting again with Ed the Head, Sherman is suggested to look into the lacrosse team, which harbours the most rumours concerning defiled girls.

            Soon after, he confronts Lester, who denies knowing Anna and warns him to stay away from Dini. Pressed on with determination, Sherman decides to trail the other members of the lacrosse team. Early in his surveillance, Sherman’s bike gets stolen, and he meets Vargo and Clarissa, two of the three Trophy Wives from his school. They are impressed by Sherman’s bravery in investigating Defiling, and work to help him gather evidence. However, in a cascade of events, Sherman cross-dresses to sneak out and is subsequently ambushed by an unknown person. Afterwards, he is saved by Rick and Ashton and retreats for the day.

Analytical Paragraph

            Throughout Getting the Girl, food appears frequently as a reoccurring motif. The food that Sherman cooks during his foods class represents his condition at school. This is illustrated when he says ‘omelets may be the most stressful meal’ (Juby 43), after discussing some difficult topics with Vanessa while cooking. In addition, as previously mentioned, Sherman sees food as a medium of expression. Following his misadventure with the Trophy Wives, Sherman consults Fred for support. He watches Fred prepare an exquisite, wholesome meal, and compares it to his own failures, becoming emotional in his reflection. Through the motif of food, Susan Juby has introduced a new perspective on life in the story.

Interactive Response

            Being at the center of the story, Sherman dispenses his views of the world around him, and after considering several of those views, I can see many similarities in our characters. Perhaps the main connection is our interpretation about food and how it is like an extended metaphor of life. The multi-faceted high school that Sherman attends is likened the very school that I attend. But beyond that, new concepts that are introduced intrigue me, such the Trophy Wives, who are three exceedingly famous and equally beautiful senior girls that play a mysterious background role in the plot. With each account that Sherman narrates, he reflects his interactions and observation through his amusing personality.

Independent Reading: Getting the Girl. Entry 1

Part 1 - Frying Pan

Summary (Chapter 1-11 [P. 3-103])

            Susan Juby’s novel, Getting the Girl, follows the adventures of 9th grade student, Sherman Mack, in his investigation of ‘defiling’ at Harewood Tech High School. Sherman is described as a nerdy, unsociable person, but is shown to be generally caring toward females, especially of his 10th grade friend, Dini Trioli. When rumors arise that Dini’s boyfriend, Lester Broadside, is responsible for the ‘Defiling’ and subsequent social ruination of former Harewood school girls, Sherman decides to investigate the matter. To aid him, Sherman draws support from his friends, Rick and Vanessa, and from his mentor, Fred, who lend him advice and assistance in his investigation.

            Knowing the dark nature of the matter, Sherman consults the school’s drug dealer, Ed the Head, who refers him to one of the former Defiled girls, Farrah Fawcett. Upon meeting Farrah, Sherman grew suspicious when Farrah revealed she used to date Lester, and feels pity for her, as she was once a vivacious girl before becoming ‘D-listed’. Resolved to take action, Sherman puts forth an operation to improve his standing with Dini, but results in failure and distances him further away from her instead. The next day, a picture of Sherman meeting with Farrah –marked in the corner with a D- mysteriously appears in Sherman’s class, leaving him and his friends shaken, and disheartens them from continuing the case, considering the photo a warning.

Analytical Paragraph

            In Susan Juby’s novel, Getting the Girl, the story is written from Sherman’s perspective, which is characterized by short thoughts and frequent output of his opinions. This style is suitable as a voice of a ninth grader and helps the reader connect a greater understanding of his character and the nature of his actions. Sherman is shown to be very interested in cooking and sometimes uses food as a medium of expression; such as ‘Vanessa made a little lemon-tasting face’ (Juby 40), when he was discussing about defiling with Vanessa. This brings the reader to see more through Sherman’s perspective than if he had simply said ‘Vanessa made a sour face’. Altogether, Susan Juby spices up the plot by adding a characteristic twist that resonates with the readers.

Interactive Response

            In this interactive entry, I will go more in detail on the background information of Sherman’s high school. Harewood Tech hosts the usual school system of social popularity, such as: jocks, Trophy Wives (will explain in a future entry), and scholars; however, it contains another other class of people called the Defiled. Seemingly only happening to females, it is when a female’s picture, with a D written over it, is posted in all student bathrooms. From that point, bad rumors are spread about that girl and everybody except, the teachers, ignore her, almost in an erasing manner. I find this as fitting case that Sherman would have a motive to solve, given his considerateness toward all girls. Even with this portion of the plot explained, there remains a large amount of peripheral information in the story that’s uncovered. To fully grasp what Susan Juby has created, there is no substitute for reading the novel itself.