Going Bovine

Bibliography

Bray, Libba. 2009. Going Bovine. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN: 9780385733977

Summary

Cameron is a 16 year old, apathetic, pot smoking high schooler that is doing his best to get by on just the bare minimum. Life is passing him by until he gets diagnosed with a human form of mad cow disease and is given on a couple weeks to live. While dealing with the stress and fear of the end of his life, Cameron is visited by a punk rock angel named Dulcie and given a mission. Find Doctor X to stop him from destroying the word and saving his life. Cameron sets off on a cross country adventure with a video game loving, life fearing dwarf and a yard gnome while he experiences the unbelievable and the mundane and finally lives!

Plot Analysis

Libba Bray introduces the reader Cameron, a character who is, quite frankly, unlikable at the beginning of the story. His apathetic outlook on life makes the reader want to scream, DO SOMETHING, but Cameron is content going through the motions and stopping to get a new "Great Tremolo" record every now and then. As the plot continues Cameron experiences seizures and hallucinations landing himself in the hospital due to a rare case of human mad cow disease. I personally found this story slow to get started. It wasn't until chapter fifteen that the reader learns of the main problem in the story and Cameron hears from his pink haired, punk rock angel that sends him on a mission to find Doctor X to cure himself and save the world. Cameron, along with a lovable hypochondriac, video game loving, mama's boy dwarf set off on a cross country trip where they essentially learn to drop their apathetic ways and live life. While the trip progresses through situations that are as mundane as bowling to the unrealisticness of encountering Norse gods, Cameron becomes a likable character that has learned life can't really begin until you set out to live it! And experiencing that first love, or first magical kiss with someone can make your life worth living.

Libba Brays style of writing is one that bounces from one idea to a next. Some might even describe it as schizophrenic. This writing style, along with a character that so many reluctant readers can relate to make this book a perfect tale for a cool, middle to high school dude. With her quirky sense of humor and exceptional writing, readers want to read through the slow beginning to see how it all goes down, and where the yard gnome from the cover comes into play. However, due to the themes and language in this book, it is a Young Adult novel that is best read by those that that have passed the prepubescent years.

Reviews

Awards:

2009 Children's Book Sense Pick
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice in 2009
2010 Michael L. Printz Award winner

Reviews Excerpts:

"It's a trip worth taking, though meandering and message-driven at times. Some teens may check out before Cameron makes it to his final destination, but many will enjoy asking themselves the questions both deep and shallow that pop up along the way." -School Library Journal

"Libba Bray not only breaks the mold of the ubiquitous dying-teenages genre--she smashes it and grinds the tiny pieces into the sidewalk. For the record, I'd go anywhere she wanted to take me." -New York Times

Connections:

Going Bovine Website
Libba Bray Website
Writing Exercises from Libba Bray

Other Books By Libba Bray:

-The Restless Dead
-21 Proms
-A Great and Terrible Beauty
-Rebel Angels