"Going Bovine" by Libba Bray

Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. New York: Ember, 2009. Print. ISBN 10: 0385733984.

Summary:

16 year-old Cameron Smith is trying his best to skate through high school unnoticed. In fact, Cameron seems to have made an art form out of staying invisible – he works hard to fade into the background in the classrooms and halls of his high school, so much so that he doesn’t have any real friends, just a few students he sometimes meets up with in the men’s restroom to smoke a joint or occasionally occupy the same table in the cafeteria. Going unnoticed is made extremely difficult by two things: 1) His twin sister, Jenna, runs with the pack of popular kids at his school; and 2) He starts hallucinating images so terrifying that he physically reacts to them in public.

Cameron is not on good terms with his parents. His teenaged slacker routine has been so successful that his parents assume his hallucinations are the result of heavy drug use. As Cameron points out in the book, he has never taken hallucinogens because he is afraid of the kinds of things he might see (Bray, 10). However, his parents remain convinced that his hallucinations are the result of heavy drug use or an attempt to draw attention to himself.

It is only after Cameron is diagnosed with the human strain of “Mad Cow” disease (hence the title) that he and his parents realize why he is having hallucinations – and just how serious this is. Basically, there is no cure. His diagnosis is tantamount to a death sentence.

Hope arrives in the form of Dulcie. She’s an angel – but definitely not the kind of angel found in most literature and lore. Dulcie has a bad sugar habit, a penchant for decorating her wings with graffiti, and an affinity for punk-rock attire. Dulcie reveals that Cameron must find a lost scientist known only as “Dr. X” if he wants to be cured. As traveling companions, Cameron takes along Gonzo, a hypochondriac dwarf from his school, and Balder, a Viking god in disguise as a yard gnome. But it isn’t just Cameron’s life on the line – the future of the whole world is at stake!

Review:

I noticed this was not the typical teen novel almost right away because it is a lot more intelligent than much of the fluff published in the YA category. One element that makes it much smarter is the science. Ten pages in, the stoners are huddled in a circle smoking pot while discussing Schrödinger’s Cat – a quantum physics thought experiment. Some of the reviews I read scoffed at “slackers” such as these discussing quantum mechanics while doing drugs. However, I feel their scorn is unwarranted. The particulars of the experiment are grisly enough to fascinate any teen mind, especially those who habitually slaughter and maim on their video game consoles for hours on end. This is not the only case of advanced science creeping into the discourse. From beginning to end, the premise of the book relies heavily on the scientific theory behind parallel universes, time travel, and the endless possibilities posited by the Schrödinger’s Cat experiment.

Secondly, the novel closely parallels the classic novel “Don Quixote.” Cameron and his English class are reading the novel as part of their course work. At several points, Cameron wonders to himself if he is “tilting at windmills” a la Cervantes’ title character. Then there are the elements of the story itself – his fantastic quest across the country side, battling giants, seeing the fantastic instead of the mundane most mortals see. Even the fact that the girl/angel he falls for is named “Dulcie” – which could be short for Dulcinea, Don Quixote’s love interest. Cameron originally goes on his quest not only to seek a cure for himself, but also because he is interested in Dulcie. Over the course of his journey, he falls in love with her.

Lastly, the book incorporates elements of Norse mythology and Latin to go along with the problems and complexities that make up most teens’ maturation process. The big ideas of the novel are nestled comfortably alongside Cameron’s struggle between what his conscience tells him to do and what self-preservation states would be best for him personally. Furthermore, the novel is laugh-out-loud funny in parts, yet moves one to tears in others. This is a complexly layered novel that one does not just read; one mentally has to chew it in some parts. However, the digestion of the more intelligent aspects is just as enjoyable as the coming-of-age story.

I only see a few weaknesses in this novel. This novel is so intelligent, some teens will not be able to see it through to the end – or if they do, they will not have understood the entire scope of the novel. Furthermore, some of the reviews I read stated they felt the language and content was too mature for teens under the age of 16, while the science discussed would be lost on most students under the age of 18. Finally, because of the language, most teachers and librarians would not be able to create a lesson plan around this book. However, if one had an advanced student and knew the parents of that student were lenient in their book restrictions, this book could be recommended to the student for pleasure reading.

Awards:

Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth - 2009

Children’s Book Sense Pick – 2009

Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year – 2009

Booklist Books for Youth Editor’s Choice – 2009

Printz Award Winner - 2010

Nominee: Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book - 2010

Best Books for Young Adults - 2010

Teaching Extensions:

Because of its content, this book will need to be carefully incorporated into the curriculum as one of many options or as part of an archetype study – and only with a signed parental permission slip for the student to read it. According to Nilsen and Donalson, this book would fall under the “Innocent Embarking on a Journey” archetype (325). While Cameron is not innocent in the traditional sense – he does have a naïveté about how the world works and one’s responsibilities in it. “Going Bovine” could be presented as one of many options for students to read after the entire class has read “Don Quixote.” Students would then do an interactive book report on iPad or computer (whichever is more readily available at the school) comparing elements of the two novels.

In high school science classes, this book could be read (again, with signed permission slips!) after students have had a lesson in the Schrödinger’s Cat experiment. Students would then discuss in class how the novel accurately interprets the theory into a literary scenario. This activity is recommended for Junior- and Senior-level classes, or Pre-Advanced Placement/Advanced Placement classes for younger levels. However, if used in Pre-AP/AP classes at younger levels, there are some elements that may not be suitable for less mature readers.

An option for this book in a school or public library is creating an interactive Web 2.0 display that links readers back to “Don Quixote” and books explaining in teen-speak the scientific theories involved with the book, as well as listing books students might like to read along a similar vein (Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” for instance).

References:

Nilsen, Alleen P, and Kenneth L. Donelson. Literature for Today's Young Adults. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Rouse, Margaret. "Schrodinger's Cat Definition." What Is? TechTarget.com, Dec. 2011. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Schrodingers-cat>.

"Schrodinger's Cat." YouTube. Minute Physics, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYyCHGWJq4>.