Stitches by Glen Huser

Bibliographic Information

Huser, G. (2005). Stitches. Berkeley, CA: Publishers Group West. ISBN: 0888995784.

Plot Summary

Travis is the son of a country singer. He lives in a double decker trailer with her, when she's not doing gigs, his aunt, his gaggle of cousins, and his aunt's verbally abusive husband. Travis's only friends are Chantelle, a girl with severe deformities, and Amber, a shy girl who blossoms as the book progresses. When the trio are assigned a book project together, Travis realizes he has a passion for puppet making, particularly designing their costumes. Amber's boyfriend Shon and Travis's uncle Mike make life miserable for him. One beats him up and harasses him at school. The other makes his home life unbearable. Still, Travis is determined to be himself, and that means seeking out people who can help him succeed in his dreams.

Review

There's a lot of bullying in this story, not only in the form of traditional school bullies, but also in abusive domestic relationships. Mike and Shon provide perfect examples of physical and verbal harassment and intimidation in their treatment of their female companions. The message is clear: those who bully one person tend to bully anyone weaker they can find. On a side note, I was a little disappointed with the decision to give Travis a slight crush on another boy. It would've been so much better to not have the character conform to stereotypes and left him as a straight boy who likes to sew rather than reinforcing the message that boys who don't fall into typical gender roles must be gay. By setting up the characterization this way, the author is tacitly agreeing with Shon and Mike, which is unfortunate and undermines the power of the work.