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Summer #1
One Fat Summer
No summer vacation could be less promising than Bobby Marks's.
Bobby Marks hates hot weather. It's the time when most people are happy to take off their heavy jackets and long pants. But for Bobby, who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes, spending the summer at Rumson Lake is pure torture.
This particular summer promises to be worse than usual. His mom and dad can't stop fighting. His best friend, Joanie, goes home to New York City unexpectedly and won't tell him why. Dr. Kahn, the rich, stingy estate owner who hires him to manage the lawn, is trying to work Bobby to death before he can earn a single dime. And the local guy who worked for Dr. Kahn last summer is lurking around every corner, itching for a chance to catch Bobby alone, to pay him back for stealing the job.
But there's more to Bobby Marks than his 200 pounds. He's about to find out just how terrifying and exhilarating, how dangerous and wonderful, one fat summer can be.
Bobby Marks hates hot weather. It's the time when most people are happy to take off their heavy jackets and long pants. But for Bobby, who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes, spending the summer at Rumson Lake is pure torture.
This particular summer promises to be worse than usual. His mom and dad can't stop fighting. His best friend, Joanie, goes home to New York City unexpectedly and won't tell him why. Dr. Kahn, the rich, stingy estate owner who hires him to manage the lawn, is trying to work Bobby to death before he can earn a single dime. And the local guy who worked for Dr. Kahn last summer is lurking around every corner, itching for a chance to catch Bobby alone, to pay him back for stealing the job.
But there's more to Bobby Marks than his 200 pounds. He's about to find out just how terrifying and exhilarating, how dangerous and wonderful, one fat summer can be.
232 pages
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
April 10, 2020
Well so it was it since the book was written in 1976 few details are dated and the less talked about the homophobic language the better though it seems par for the time.
The story is about a 14 years old overweight teen named Bobby Marks who is in a lake town for the summers and to get out of going to the camp gets a job mowing the lawn of a strict Dr. Kahn and he is also hounded by the town bully who has taken a hatred for Bobby. However, Bobby continues the work and soon due to the hard work quickly loses many pounds and the fat. It was great reading the realistic portrayal of bullying and how Bobby takes a turn for better.
This was a very nice and a quick read so do try it and then Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
The story is about a 14 years old overweight teen named Bobby Marks who is in a lake town for the summers and to get out of going to the camp gets a job mowing the lawn of a strict Dr. Kahn and he is also hounded by the town bully who has taken a hatred for Bobby. However, Bobby continues the work and soon due to the hard work quickly loses many pounds and the fat. It was great reading the realistic portrayal of bullying and how Bobby takes a turn for better.
This was a very nice and a quick read so do try it and then Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
July 11, 2010
I think about this book often, especially when summer rolls around, and came here to give it a well-deserved 5 star rating.
This is a wonderful teen book about how a teenager handles bullies, disappointed parents, a grumpy old man, and a perfect sister, all who give him grief about being overweight. They all try to break him or change him through humiliation, pestering, or shame, but it's not until he decides it's time to change his body and lot in life that he's able to overcome a weight problem.
One Fat Summer deals with obesity with humor and dignity. Highly recommended for fat and skinny readers.
This is a wonderful teen book about how a teenager handles bullies, disappointed parents, a grumpy old man, and a perfect sister, all who give him grief about being overweight. They all try to break him or change him through humiliation, pestering, or shame, but it's not until he decides it's time to change his body and lot in life that he's able to overcome a weight problem.
One Fat Summer deals with obesity with humor and dignity. Highly recommended for fat and skinny readers.
July 29, 2009
On the surface, One Fat Summer is the story of a pubescent boy learning to stand up for himself and, in the process, shedding the fat that has plagued him for most of his childhood. This is what young readers will see and admire.
If this were as far as the novel took its readers, it would be merely quite good. However, what Robert Lipsyte really gives us is an almost textbook example of the coming-of-age story. Bobby's learning to speak up, to do the jobs that need doing, and to say no to the overeating that serves as an escape from his own weaknesses are not the story; rather, they are the outward displays of Bobby's growing awareness that the friends you think are beyond reproach are never as good as you imagined, while the enemies you're sure are the devil's children are never as bad as you thought.
The world is neither as good nor as bad as in Bobby's wild fantasies, and that's okay with him. This is what makes One Fat Summer the richly rewarding experience that my students from seventh through twelfth grades have raved about since I first began reading it with them. I give it my highest recommendation; however, parents and teachers should read it ahead of time before sharing it with younger teens or older children. It is warm, funny, clever, and utterly believable, and I've yet to encounter the middle-schooler or high-schooler who didn't enjoy it.
Teachers of literature and reading often have a Magic Book, a go-to title they KNOW will get unanimous, positive responses. This is mine.
If this were as far as the novel took its readers, it would be merely quite good. However, what Robert Lipsyte really gives us is an almost textbook example of the coming-of-age story. Bobby's learning to speak up, to do the jobs that need doing, and to say no to the overeating that serves as an escape from his own weaknesses are not the story; rather, they are the outward displays of Bobby's growing awareness that the friends you think are beyond reproach are never as good as you imagined, while the enemies you're sure are the devil's children are never as bad as you thought.
The world is neither as good nor as bad as in Bobby's wild fantasies, and that's okay with him. This is what makes One Fat Summer the richly rewarding experience that my students from seventh through twelfth grades have raved about since I first began reading it with them. I give it my highest recommendation; however, parents and teachers should read it ahead of time before sharing it with younger teens or older children. It is warm, funny, clever, and utterly believable, and I've yet to encounter the middle-schooler or high-schooler who didn't enjoy it.
Teachers of literature and reading often have a Magic Book, a go-to title they KNOW will get unanimous, positive responses. This is mine.
August 14, 2020
One Fat Summer is an interesting coming of age story. It was written in 1977, so it takes a little getting used to the lack of computers, cell phones, and different values of money. Bobby Marks goes to a lake for the summer with his family. He deals with his overweight body, his best friend suddenly moving back to the city, disagreements between his Mom and Dad, the bossy, rich estate owner he landscapes for, and the local bully who his mad that Bobby took the job he had last year. The many changes Bobby goes through over the summer are very interesting. He discovers that a lot of the people around him weren't the people he thought they were and his attitudes change quite a lot. Be advised there are some adult ideas in this novel, so it's better for older high school students and up. For instance, the local bully who tries to make Bobby's summer miserable uses a lot of nasty racist and homophobic language in his taunts. There are many good lessons to learn from reading this novel about growing up and how to treat the people around you.
January 30, 2015
I rate this Realistic Fiction story One Fat Summer by Robert Lipstye 4 out of 5 stars. This book took place at a fictional lake called Rumson Lake during the Civil Rights era. The main characters are Robert, Mom, Dad, Pete, Joanie, Willie, and Dr.Kahn. Robert goes to Dr.Kahn's house to mow the lawn and to get paid very little. Willie is a bully that always beats up Robert. Willie is drunk a lot. I really did like this book it was very exciting and sometimes funny. I can relate to the character Robert because I am a pretty big kid, and I mow the lawn. My favorite part of the book was at the end when Willie tried to bully Pete and Robert again. So Robert dunks Willie's head under water and almost kills him. I really don't have a least favorite part of the book because it was all entertaining and funny. The only thing I wish the book had more of would have to be more action. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to read it.
October 17, 2017
It's boring.
January 30, 2013
This is one of a couple of books in a very odd genre that I read over and over as a child. The genre is something like "books that on the surface are teen wish-fulfillment fantasies about losing weight, but which are actually about them struggling with having one hypercritical and one totally codependent parent."
(Or really, two totally codependent parents, one of whom is on the hypercritical hypercontrolling end of the spectrum, and the other of whom is on the super-enabling, no-boundaries end.)
The other one that springs to mind was called something like "Dinah and the Green Fat Kingdom." God, that was a great book. Teen girl hides in tree all the time, secretly starts running, ends up confronting and yelling at crazy but loving parents. I don't know how to describe these things, it really is such a weird genre.
Anyway; I always remember this book as going something like "Teen boy starts mowing old battleaxe's lawn, loses like fifty pounds, faces up to old battleaxe and gains self-esteem." I never remember all the intense bullying, the details about growing up in a deeply racist, classist, and sexist society where half of the bullying he experiences is rooted in needing to "be a man", the unresolved but subtly drawn subplots about his parents' struggles and all the secrets around him.
I re-read it tonight, expecting that pure wish-fulfillment fantasy story I remembered from junior high school. Instead, I found this satisfyingly complex picture of 1957 small-town middle America. It's a rare author who can end a story without tying most of the subplots up, and get away with it. Most people would end with a pat little scene where this pair of young lovebirds get together and that pair gets accepted by their parents and the bad guy comes to a bad end, and so on and so forth. Lipsyte masterfully creates a world where these things are just part of life, just like in real life, and we don't have to have the illusion that everything is ending neatly.
(I was also fascinated to see what I had missed before, It's just a regular slice of life. Brilliant and amazing.)
(Or really, two totally codependent parents, one of whom is on the hypercritical hypercontrolling end of the spectrum, and the other of whom is on the super-enabling, no-boundaries end.)
The other one that springs to mind was called something like "Dinah and the Green Fat Kingdom." God, that was a great book. Teen girl hides in tree all the time, secretly starts running, ends up confronting and yelling at crazy but loving parents. I don't know how to describe these things, it really is such a weird genre.
Anyway; I always remember this book as going something like "Teen boy starts mowing old battleaxe's lawn, loses like fifty pounds, faces up to old battleaxe and gains self-esteem." I never remember all the intense bullying, the details about growing up in a deeply racist, classist, and sexist society where half of the bullying he experiences is rooted in needing to "be a man", the unresolved but subtly drawn subplots about his parents' struggles and all the secrets around him.
I re-read it tonight, expecting that pure wish-fulfillment fantasy story I remembered from junior high school. Instead, I found this satisfyingly complex picture of 1957 small-town middle America. It's a rare author who can end a story without tying most of the subplots up, and get away with it. Most people would end with a pat little scene where this pair of young lovebirds get together and that pair gets accepted by their parents and the bad guy comes to a bad end, and so on and so forth. Lipsyte masterfully creates a world where these things are just part of life, just like in real life, and we don't have to have the illusion that everything is ending neatly.
(I was also fascinated to see what I had missed before, It's just a regular slice of life. Brilliant and amazing.)
April 21, 2016
Bobby Marks hates summer. He loves to stay inside or were lots of close. He is always being made fun of. His best friend is alway there for him, her name is Joanie. Bob hated to go his house at the lake. He was alway being made fun of about his weight or how he is a summer camper. Joanie is alway there for him. That makes it a lot easier. His has a older sister. His sister and dad where so skinny and that was what set him and his sister apart. His dad was fusing about his weight or how he is lazy. His mom babies him a lot and his dad hates that.One day his dad got threw to him and he went t find a job. When he looked at the bulletin board and there was a job for mowing and taking care of a law it said one dollar. He sign up for and call the man. He was talking to the man one the phone and he asked about his age. He lied and said he was 18 years old but he was only 12. The guy was very serous. They started to talk and the guy told the time and the day. Bob didn't want to tells his parents because he didn't want them to get involved so he kept quit and only told his sister. But then his mom finds out he has a job but she didn't know what it was. So with the help of his sister and a friend they tricked his mom. Then his sister started to date the boy that helped. But his dad didn't like that so he tried to break them up. It worked but it ruined his plan. His sister went into a depression and told her mom about the plan. His mom questioned him and kept going tell he told the truth. Bob found out about his sister telling. So he told about the time she didn't come home that one night.Then he told his sister about it and she told him that she told for his safety so he wouldn't get hurt. Then one day he was walking back from work and this one guy that hates him pulled a gun. He chased them to the dock. He said he was going to shot his knees. But the Bob told him no then grabbed him then about grounded him. The guy never messed with him again. Bob learned to stand up for himself and told his boss how he wasn't giving him enough money. The guy payed him and that was over. When he got home he realized that he had lost a lot of weight and he kept going. To the point he wasn't scared to swim.
I liked this book because it had a boy work for something and over came the problem. Also led this book because it is one of my favorite writers. I didn't like this book because it started out boring and slow. I would recommend this book to kids the like existing fun books.
I liked this book because it had a boy work for something and over came the problem. Also led this book because it is one of my favorite writers. I didn't like this book because it started out boring and slow. I would recommend this book to kids the like existing fun books.
January 30, 2015
In the realistic fiction novel known as One Fat Summer which was written by Robert Lipsyte, in this novel a boy named Robert is very unhappy with his body. Robert is always being harrassed or bullied about his apearrance in size. One day at a festival with his bestfriend Joanie, Joanie finds a flyer stappled to a board advertising a yard work job. As Joanie tries and persuades Robert to take the job he finally calls the owner of the flyer and sets up an interview. But Robert has a problem, he's only 14 this job requires a minimum of
17 years of age in order to work, but Robert instead lies about his age saying he's 17 so he can get out of going to day camp. As the story progressess Robert becomes a better and better person. But like every other journey problems occur later down the road.
In my opinion this story was great, it has great characters, great scenarios, and a great back story too and some important lessons can be learned like the value of hard work and to stand up for yourself. This book is a must read for anyone struggling with bullying or weight problems because it shows that you're not alone and what you can do to deal with it. It can also boost your self esteem to make you feel better about yourself and your surroundings.
17 years of age in order to work, but Robert instead lies about his age saying he's 17 so he can get out of going to day camp. As the story progressess Robert becomes a better and better person. But like every other journey problems occur later down the road.
In my opinion this story was great, it has great characters, great scenarios, and a great back story too and some important lessons can be learned like the value of hard work and to stand up for yourself. This book is a must read for anyone struggling with bullying or weight problems because it shows that you're not alone and what you can do to deal with it. It can also boost your self esteem to make you feel better about yourself and your surroundings.
January 30, 2015
The book, One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte is a realistic fiction. The novel is taken place at Rumson Lake. Rumson Lake is where 14 year old Robert lives. Robert is very overweight. He finds a lawn mowing job so he doesn't have to go to summer camp. The lawn is very big so the job is very hard. To add to that, Robert is competing against a big bully for the job. I thought the book was just okay. I thought it was just okay because it had some very interesting parts but then it had some very boring parts. My favorite part of the book was when Robert was close to getting shot. Not because I wanted him to get shot, just because that part was so entertaining. I would recommend this book to teens who like to read about bullying. That's what I thought about the book One Fat Summer .
January 30, 2015
I rated this realistic fiction novel, One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte, 5 stars. This book took place on a fictional lake called Rumson Lake during the civil war era.This story is about a 200+ pound, 14 year old kid and his experiences over summer break.In this book there are plenty of characters such as his best friend Joanie who he's known since he was 3, his teen sister Michelle, a mean bully who bullies Robert everyday named Willie Rumson, and many more. Overall I thought this was a fantastic book. One of my many favorite parts about this book is the message it sends, which is that no matter what obstacle comes at you in life, you can overcome it. Although there is many great things about this book, I wished that it was a little longer. Overall though,I thought this was a great book and i would recommend it to anyone!
May 4, 2015
I read an excerpt of this book for some school assignment many, many years ago. The writing was so vivid and the plot so interesting that I've always wondered what happened in the rest of the book. I never knew the title or the author, but when I came across One Fat Summer on my library shelves, I knew instantly it was the book that excerpt came from. So of course I had to read it. It was almost as interesting and as vividly written as I remembered, although some of the details did feel a little dated. It was worth reading, though! Now I never again have to wonder what happens in that story of the overweight boy who mows the lawn. 3.5 stars.
September 12, 2011
Set in the 1950's, it's the account of Robert Marks an overweight teen who is not comfortable in his own skin but spends his summer at his family's summer lake resort and gradually learns some things about himself, including that he's capable of a lot more than he thought.
May 1, 2014
One fat summer is such an amazing book I've read. Poor boy try's he's hardest to keep life going with being bullied. He suffers there so much by people always having something to say. .
I recommend this book to people who like to bully people and does who do get bully, it's such a good book.
I recommend this book to people who like to bully people and does who do get bully, it's such a good book.
January 15, 2022
Even though this book about a fourteen year-old boy was in my elementary school media center and I read it in 3rd or 4th grade, I do remember thinking it was a more of a book for older kids or teens.
March 7, 2011
great book, you should read this.
February 27, 2014
Pretty good, it was a great plot.
May 12, 2020
3-1/2 stars
I read this many years ago when it was first out in the late 70s. It's a typical formula of a kid who is mistreated and overcomes it. There was much to commend it, but I felt the ending a little less than satisfying when the mean guy doesn't have to face the consequences of the law which he should have for what he did. I felt like the author wanted us to know that Bobby grew up that summer and changed for the good, and the dirtbag guy that tormented him was revealed to be what he truly was -- a troubled person who preferred to blame others for his lot in life. But that didn't feel like enough. Dirtbag's actions should have taken him face to face with the law, and they did not.
I liked this a whole lot when I first read it years ago, but not as much now. It could be because I've since read so many more young adult novels that are a little more rounded out than this one.
The setting was great. . . a lake during the summer, and it was good to see Bobby mature and take some responsibility for himself.
I read this many years ago when it was first out in the late 70s. It's a typical formula of a kid who is mistreated and overcomes it. There was much to commend it, but I felt the ending a little less than satisfying when the mean guy doesn't have to face the consequences of the law which he should have for what he did. I felt like the author wanted us to know that Bobby grew up that summer and changed for the good, and the dirtbag guy that tormented him was revealed to be what he truly was -- a troubled person who preferred to blame others for his lot in life. But that didn't feel like enough. Dirtbag's actions should have taken him face to face with the law, and they did not.
I liked this a whole lot when I first read it years ago, but not as much now. It could be because I've since read so many more young adult novels that are a little more rounded out than this one.
The setting was great. . . a lake during the summer, and it was good to see Bobby mature and take some responsibility for himself.
October 1, 2017
Believe it or not, this book took me 40 years to read. I'll explain why in a moment, but first my review.
ONE FAT SUMMER is a young adult novel by Robert Lipsyte, a longtime sports reporter for the New York Times who has also published several fiction books for kids. It's the story of Bobby Marks, an overweight high school kid (today would be classified as morbidly obese) who faces several big challenges during one summer vacation. A sadistic local bully and his gang of friends tease Bobby mercilessly about his weight, and by the end of the book present a serious physical danger to him. At the same time, a wealthy estate owner hires Bobby to cut his enormous lawn and tend his property for $.50 an hour. It's sadism of a different ilk, but in many ways equally as cruel.
Bobby manages to take these and other challenges head on, and by the end of the summer he stands up to the bullies, tames the lawn and predatory hiring practices of the estate owner, and also loses weight, lots of weight, about 30 pounds. I really liked how the changes take place in Bobby's body and psychology, not with a miracle diet or other quick fix, but with a series of small wins that over time become the big gains he experiences at the end of the summer.
The book is a quick read and Bobby is an inspiring character, but there are parts that feel anachronistic, such as references to old baseball players, and the unfortunate use of the word "fag" as a common put down. This is the way kids spoke back in the 1970s, but I think it could lead to uncomfortable moments in a classroom or group setting. Besides these drawbacks, I still recommend this book, and bought it for my own sons.
Well, to be honest, I bought the book for me, and this is why it took me 40 years to read the book. I
started it in 1977, when I was 10 years old. I was visiting a friend at their grandparent's summer cottage on a lake in upstate New York. I remember little about this trip, besides this book. I found it in the house just a day before we were leaving and started reading it, knowing that I'd never be able to finish it. I was instantly hooked. But no matter how fast I tried to read, I couldn't finish it. We left and the book stayed behind.
But like so many great stories, this book stayed with me over the years. In particular I remembered this passage:
One day when I was alone in the house I opened a box of Hydrox cookies and jammed them into my mouth, fast as I could, not caring about the brown crumbs spilling out of the corners of my mouth; just jammed in those cookies faster than I could chew them, swallowing lumps of cookies bigger than Ping-Pong balls that got stuck in my throat and chest until I choked and had to wash them down with cold milk. They still hurt going down. I felt every Hydrox Ping-Pong push through my throat and chest until it fell with a thump into my stomach. And still I couldn't stop until I'd finished every cookie in the box, and then I had to lie down. I couldn't move for hours until it was digested.
Powerful description, no? As I found out later this description depicts the thing that Bobby figures out by the end of the summer, the key to his obesity: he binge eats when he's upset.
Over the years I've thought about ONE FAT SUMMER and wondered how it all turned out for Bobby Marks. The only problem is that I couldn't remember the title, author, character names, location, or anything much identifying about the book. More than once I went on Google and typed in keywords or phrases with bits of the story ("overweight kid cuts lawns and eats Oreos"). I never was able to find the book. Then one day I stumbled across a website called BiblioSleuth that is specifically for help in finding the names of forgotten books and stories. I typed in all the information I knew and, lo and behold, a retired librarian pinpointed the book within a day or two. When I received it, I got a little worried it was the wrong book because I couldn't find the Hydrox passage, but once I settled down to read it, it emerged like an old friend from the text.
This sounds a bit silly, but I feel like one of the desires of my childhood has been fulfilled by finding and finally finishing this book.
ONE FAT SUMMER is a young adult novel by Robert Lipsyte, a longtime sports reporter for the New York Times who has also published several fiction books for kids. It's the story of Bobby Marks, an overweight high school kid (today would be classified as morbidly obese) who faces several big challenges during one summer vacation. A sadistic local bully and his gang of friends tease Bobby mercilessly about his weight, and by the end of the book present a serious physical danger to him. At the same time, a wealthy estate owner hires Bobby to cut his enormous lawn and tend his property for $.50 an hour. It's sadism of a different ilk, but in many ways equally as cruel.
Bobby manages to take these and other challenges head on, and by the end of the summer he stands up to the bullies, tames the lawn and predatory hiring practices of the estate owner, and also loses weight, lots of weight, about 30 pounds. I really liked how the changes take place in Bobby's body and psychology, not with a miracle diet or other quick fix, but with a series of small wins that over time become the big gains he experiences at the end of the summer.
The book is a quick read and Bobby is an inspiring character, but there are parts that feel anachronistic, such as references to old baseball players, and the unfortunate use of the word "fag" as a common put down. This is the way kids spoke back in the 1970s, but I think it could lead to uncomfortable moments in a classroom or group setting. Besides these drawbacks, I still recommend this book, and bought it for my own sons.
Well, to be honest, I bought the book for me, and this is why it took me 40 years to read the book. I
started it in 1977, when I was 10 years old. I was visiting a friend at their grandparent's summer cottage on a lake in upstate New York. I remember little about this trip, besides this book. I found it in the house just a day before we were leaving and started reading it, knowing that I'd never be able to finish it. I was instantly hooked. But no matter how fast I tried to read, I couldn't finish it. We left and the book stayed behind.
But like so many great stories, this book stayed with me over the years. In particular I remembered this passage:
One day when I was alone in the house I opened a box of Hydrox cookies and jammed them into my mouth, fast as I could, not caring about the brown crumbs spilling out of the corners of my mouth; just jammed in those cookies faster than I could chew them, swallowing lumps of cookies bigger than Ping-Pong balls that got stuck in my throat and chest until I choked and had to wash them down with cold milk. They still hurt going down. I felt every Hydrox Ping-Pong push through my throat and chest until it fell with a thump into my stomach. And still I couldn't stop until I'd finished every cookie in the box, and then I had to lie down. I couldn't move for hours until it was digested.
Powerful description, no? As I found out later this description depicts the thing that Bobby figures out by the end of the summer, the key to his obesity: he binge eats when he's upset.
Over the years I've thought about ONE FAT SUMMER and wondered how it all turned out for Bobby Marks. The only problem is that I couldn't remember the title, author, character names, location, or anything much identifying about the book. More than once I went on Google and typed in keywords or phrases with bits of the story ("overweight kid cuts lawns and eats Oreos"). I never was able to find the book. Then one day I stumbled across a website called BiblioSleuth that is specifically for help in finding the names of forgotten books and stories. I typed in all the information I knew and, lo and behold, a retired librarian pinpointed the book within a day or two. When I received it, I got a little worried it was the wrong book because I couldn't find the Hydrox passage, but once I settled down to read it, it emerged like an old friend from the text.
This sounds a bit silly, but I feel like one of the desires of my childhood has been fulfilled by finding and finally finishing this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2018
Bobby Marks weighs 200 pounds and it's summer time. While everyone is jumping in the lake with their shirts off and having a blast, Bobby can’t fully button up his pants. One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte is about Bobby and his hatred for summer. His parents want to send him for a camp but no one wants to go to camp and meet new people. He takes a job to mow Dr.Kahn’s massive lawn. He can’t even make it up the lawn and each time a rock goes in the blades of the lawn mower, the money for the blade comes out of his paycheck. While it’s tough to go through out summer for Bobby it’s even worse when his best friend leaves for New York without even telling him. The summer at Rumson Lake is going to be tough for Bobby. He gets bullied for being overweight and he can’t do much about it. His mom and dad keep on fighting. The 200 pounds pulls him back and weighs him down. Bobby is persistent and determined to get through this summer and wont let his weight get in his way. Is Bobby about to have the best summer or the worst summer of his life?
December 31, 2017
I read this book for the first time during 7th grade and I really enjoyed it. I recently purchased it and wanted to read it again to see how I felt about it now that I am older. I still really like it, however I think I enjoyed it more in middle school. I could really relate to the main character, I use to have a really hard time during hot months wearing summery clothes (shorts, tank tops, etc).
Overall, I liked the writing style, the characters and the plot. I would recommend it for younger readers (middle school-high school age), even though there is some moderately strong language used at parts.
Overall, I liked the writing style, the characters and the plot. I would recommend it for younger readers (middle school-high school age), even though there is some moderately strong language used at parts.
July 30, 2017
Typical juvenile/YA (or at least what I think about and what I read when I was a kid). I liked the redemptive qualities of Robert as he grew into the person he was meant to be, not the person everyone assumed he was. Lots of bullying, some racial/ethnic/weight slurs but it was published in 1979 so that's something to consider when reading it. Also, his "humor" is a bit lacking. Lots of "don't have a cow" type phrases but whatever they said in the late 70s. Still, I like books about weight loss so there's that.
July 14, 2008
"Classic" YA book that holds up well. About a teen boy who gets a job mowing lawns for the summer.
October 11, 2019
I loved this book when I was nine. As an adult--I am so glad I grew up and had a wide variety of life experiences to steer me away from liking it again. This book has notable anti-Semitism, anti-Italian sentiment, racism and homophobia, and I do not care that it takes place in the fifties. It's a boring book about a high schooler working a summer job and whining. All the horrible statements and portrayals didn't need to be there. Joanie is portrayed as a horrible person for getting a nose job, and my eyebrows raised--she obviously had parental consent for it but like--it--uhm. Willie is truly a horrible person who beats up on Bob all the time and could have easily killed him if Bob had died from exposure from being on the island, if Bob had fallen from the roof after Willie pulled the ladder away, or possibly from one of the many beatings he and his brothers gave, if a kick had broken a rib and punctured something. And Willie whines about "his" job going to a fat boy, and really goes out of his way to--shut up and find another job, dude. You're a vet, as you keep wailing. You'll find one. Bob does not agree with me in the final paragraph of the book, where he pardons and celebrates Willie's behavior. Willie and his pals kidnapped and blindfolded you, you moron, and he tried to get his girlfriends to strip you. Don't pardon him, you hopeless case. His brothers do that enough, and it's gross. I do not care how freaked out Willie was when he couldn't find Bob the next day. He was obviously thinking Bob would laugh it off or not tell anyone or something and slink away. I haaated Willie, had no respect for Joanie, actually really liked Michelle, and disliked everyone else.
The most unrealistic part of the book was in fact the plot: I seriously doubt a small-town, summer island tourist-trap resident would give a job to someone who's not a local. Realistically, Dr Kahn would have fired Bob on the spot after scolding him the first day and the book would have ended, but I did buy him standing up for Bob and not liking Willie. I read this as an e-book from my library. I've noticed so far the e-books I read, I tend not to like, but I haven't DNFed a single one.
The most unrealistic part of the book was in fact the plot: I seriously doubt a small-town, summer island tourist-trap resident would give a job to someone who's not a local. Realistically, Dr Kahn would have fired Bob on the spot after scolding him the first day and the book would have ended, but I did buy him standing up for Bob and not liking Willie. I read this as an e-book from my library. I've noticed so far the e-books I read, I tend not to like, but I haven't DNFed a single one.
February 4, 2017
Young adult book about an overweight kid, Bobby Marks, who spends summers and vacations outside the NYC at Rumson Lake. When his dad pressures him into getting a job, Bobby secretly lies about his age to Dr. Kahn and becomes a lawn boy. Bobby is overweight; this is a fact that his family and society will not let him forget. Despite being put down and swindled by his boss and being bullied by the locals, Bobby works hard, he does his best, and he grows as a character.
*spoiler alert*
His best friend has elective surgery, and Bobby is discomforted by this - he feels he's lost a friend b/c she is no longer who she was. It isn't clear whether this is because she looks different or because she actually is different - but it reinforces the overall theme of physical appearance and its impact on behavior and confidence. Both characters change the way they look, Bobby through hard physical labor and Joanie through expensive plastic surgery. They both transfer from ugly ducklings to stronger swans. Bobby's discomfort w/ Joanie indicates that part of their friendship was based on their outcast status - it did matter to him how she looked if she changes only that and their friendship changes. He is soothed by the fact that it was her mother's idea, but there is this lingering judgment that she changed herself for superficial reasons and that his metamorphosis was better b/c not planned.
The book is set in the 50s; there are undercurrents of homophobia and racism, from the locals but also from Bobby re: his fears of being "homo." Bobby's parents also fight about his mom returning to work as a teacher; Bobby's dad doesn't think she should work.
Lipsyte doesn't write down to the reader; this was enjoyable to read as an adult.
Another book from my childhood
*spoiler alert*
His best friend has elective surgery, and Bobby is discomforted by this - he feels he's lost a friend b/c she is no longer who she was. It isn't clear whether this is because she looks different or because she actually is different - but it reinforces the overall theme of physical appearance and its impact on behavior and confidence. Both characters change the way they look, Bobby through hard physical labor and Joanie through expensive plastic surgery. They both transfer from ugly ducklings to stronger swans. Bobby's discomfort w/ Joanie indicates that part of their friendship was based on their outcast status - it did matter to him how she looked if she changes only that and their friendship changes. He is soothed by the fact that it was her mother's idea, but there is this lingering judgment that she changed herself for superficial reasons and that his metamorphosis was better b/c not planned.
The book is set in the 50s; there are undercurrents of homophobia and racism, from the locals but also from Bobby re: his fears of being "homo." Bobby's parents also fight about his mom returning to work as a teacher; Bobby's dad doesn't think she should work.
Lipsyte doesn't write down to the reader; this was enjoyable to read as an adult.
Another book from my childhood
November 11, 2019
Great read.
p. 62: I was halfway home, walking along the edge of the county road when I began to get the creepy feeling that something was following me ... I was bending over, my hand on a rock, when someone yelled, "Get him." A car door opened and a body jumped out I was still bent over when something hard slammed into my backside and knocked me down. I turned over with the rock in my hand A boot came down hard on my wrist. "Tried to put a rock through your windshield Willie," said one of the Smith boys... Maybe I'll just kick his ribs in. ...
Bobby Marks who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes is spending the summer at Rumson Lake -- pure torture... Dr. Kahnk, the rich stingy estate owner who hires him to manage the lawn is trying to work Bobby to death before he can earn a single dime. ... The local guy who worked for Dr. Kahn last summer is lurking around every corner, wanting to pay him back for stealing the job.
p. 62: I was halfway home, walking along the edge of the county road when I began to get the creepy feeling that something was following me ... I was bending over, my hand on a rock, when someone yelled, "Get him." A car door opened and a body jumped out I was still bent over when something hard slammed into my backside and knocked me down. I turned over with the rock in my hand A boot came down hard on my wrist. "Tried to put a rock through your windshield Willie," said one of the Smith boys... Maybe I'll just kick his ribs in. ...
Bobby Marks who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes is spending the summer at Rumson Lake -- pure torture... Dr. Kahnk, the rich stingy estate owner who hires him to manage the lawn is trying to work Bobby to death before he can earn a single dime. ... The local guy who worked for Dr. Kahn last summer is lurking around every corner, wanting to pay him back for stealing the job.
December 22, 2017
I had read this book in elementary school. I was a chubby kid, and somehow, I had discovered this book in a library. Maybe a librarian recommended it. I don't remember the story very clearly, but I do remember key moments: a fight in a swimming pool (or lake) where his swimming skills gave him the advantage, his cutting grass of an old man's lawn using one of those blade mowers that didn't have an engine, and I remember the surprising triumph of his looking at a bicep and seeing the appearance of a green vein.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2018
I find that this book hit too close to home for comfort, both for the year, and subject. That of course makes me biased, in a good way, I liked this book, and the character Bobby Marks. This is a good read and I think even after all these years and maybe even more so now, peoples prejudices against Fat people still are alive and well in this, enlightened? , PC future. I was a big kid and this book I can really relate with.
February 11, 2019
One Fat Summer is really one of the most mundane and boring books out there. It depicts the story of a young freshman in the summer who's trying to lose weight, which has potential to be a great story, but the way the story is written— all self-deprecating and self-pitying 200% of the time —creates a dullness in the book. However, the book does show the life-changing transformation a young Bobby Marks managed to undergo all in one summer.
March 17, 2020
I came across this book while walking threw the library and being a fat kid this book spoke to me. I also mowed lawns. I didn't lose weight from mowing but still. Its one of those feel good books. If you are looking for some thing deep well I'm not sure you are going to find it here but if you want a feel good book about a fat boy and his Summer then this is the book for you.
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