The Neland Women's Book Club Takes on "Okay for Now"

Neland represented today with a big group, as was to be expected since we were discussing our own Gary Schmidt’s young adult novel, Okay for Now. While I blogged about my reading of this book back in March, hearing the insights of other people always gives me a new appreciation. I scattered chairs around the living room, and people were kind enough to peer at each other around the Christmas tree without mentioning the obvious obstacle it presented!


Our leader tonight was Lisa, who had never even been to book club before, but somehow she ended up leading. Boy are we glad she did!

We were full of praise for this book, not just because every last one of us a secret fan crush on Gary, but because it’s really good. Really good. He ties together the broken state of our lives and the wholeness that we hope for, throwing in love, mercy and forgiveness, plus a good sense of humor, for good measure. What more could you want?

The abusive father was so terrible. We want the mother to step up and do something, stand up and protect. Why did she stay and allow her children to be subjected to this? Also, how could a principal be so awful? We had questions. In the end, though, those are the same questions that we wonder every day when we watch the news. How could a wife stand by a man who has been abusing children? How could a teacher have an affair with a student? How could children bully each other online to the point of one committing suicide? It goes on. That’s the broken nature of the world.

And Doug Swieteck’s world is broken. His father is abusive, his brother is in Vietnam, his other brother is getting into trouble, and Doug himself is newly stranded in a new town that he hates, a hatred augmented by his attitude and a learning deficiency. Vietnam plays such a crucial part of both the times (late 1960s) and the story. It’s a symbol of the broken nation that we live in, of broken humanity, and broken bodies. Things are not going well.

Okay for Now brings a bit of wholeness back to the world, just as Doug is attempting to make whole both his life and an Audubon book that is being taken apart. Using Jane Eyre and the art of John James Audubon to broaden Doug’s life, Schmidt illustrates the need we all have for a hope and a future. He discusses art and composition knowledgably and brings in a multitude of various characters in the small town who help Doug take steps toward wholeness.

One memorable moment in the book is when Doug’s brother is finally called by name. His name is Christopher, and our friend Karen brought up the fact that St. Christopher is remembered for his strength in carrying people across a raging river. You’ll have to read the book to see how this fits with the Christopher in the novel.

We always spend a portion of our time talking about the things we didn’t like about the book. We couldn’t skip that just because we know the author, right? So we tried to get critical. Yes, a lot of things happen very quickly to this young man. And yes, there are a few coincidences that, if we think too hard about them, seem contrived. But the overall effect is that of redemption and forgiveness, beauty and hope, in the face of great difficulty.

And Lisa read from the review that Richard Peck (yes, that Richard Peck) published in the New York Times. In the midst of a gushing review, he said this: “’Okay for Now’ is crowded with more incident and empowerment than any eighth-grade year or novel can quite contain. Events stretch credulity. At one point, Doug turns up briefly on the Broadway stage, playing a female role, no less. But Schmidt is a master of the unlikely.” If Richard Peck can overlook a few things, who are we to say otherwise?! Not to mention the book was a finalist for the National Book Award, and looks to be a favorite for the Newbery.

How dark should a novel for middle school and early high school students be? This novel has some very dark moments, but we also felt like some of the things that might “stretch credulity” make it more accessible and more appropriate for the target audience. And the end result a novel full of hope and restoration, even though things are not all neatly wrapped up. I just finished reading this book aloud to my 12-year-old, and I felt like the novel went about as far to the dark side as she could handle, and yet it left her happy and hopeful. It also mirrored the emotional ups and downs of this period of her life.

Okay for Now is simply a wonderful book, and we wholeheartedly recommend it.

Gary Schmidt's "Okay For Now"

Doug Swieteck, we hardly knew ye. The class clown in The Wednesday Wars has the starring role in Gary Schmidt's latest book, Okay For Now, due out April 18. This book is wonderful.

Doug still loves baseball and the New York Yankees. Holling Hoodhood even makes a cameo appearance. However, Doug's story is very different from Holling's. At the start of this novel, Doug's less-than-perfect father decides (regardless of the rest of the family's wishes) that it's time to pull up stakes from Long Island and start over in a small mill town in upstate New York.

The town of Marysville does not welcome Doug Swieteck and his family with open arms. And Doug has other problems. His mom is worried about his oldest brother, Lucas, who is in Vietnam. His new gym teacher and principal have it out for him. And the librarian isn't so fond of him either.

This novel will be very accessible to middle school readers. Doug's thought patterns follow his colloquial speech patterns, and you experience each event with him. The story and Schmidt's writing is compelling. Doug's abusive father, jeering high school brother and sad, but beautiful mother come alive to the reader, and they do not become caricatures. Each character has motives and problems of their own.

Doug is struggling to decide just exactly who he is, even as different members of the community try to decide that for him. But Doug isn't the only star here; Schmidt weaves in art composition lessons via Audubon's birds, Vietnam veterans, a budding romance and, of all things, Jane Eyre. And, of course, baseball. 

Okay for Now is both entertaining and soulful, and anyone who is or has been a middle schooler will appreciate Doug's situation. Keep the Kleenex handy. And I suggest that you read it as soon as you can. On that note, Gary will be signing books at a release party on April 8 at 6:30 at our very own Pooh's Corner (sorry, out-of-towners!). Put it on your calendar now!