Novels
The Fat Boy Chronicles
The Fat Boy Chronicles delves into the issues of teenage obesity and its psychological impact on youth. Told through the voice of Jimmy Winterpock, an overweight teenager, the story paints an offbeat and often sardonic view of growing up in today’s world.
"A massive blob of runaway fat, the only photogenic parts of my body are my man-boobs, but they'd only be good if superimposed on an aging movie star who has been lipo-suctioned to the point of hanging flesh," our hero writes about himself in his journal for English class.
At age thirteen, 4’ 8” Jimmy weighs 197 pounds. Outside the comfort of his family and church, life for Jimmy is a constant struggle. The taunts of his classmates make going to school or playing sports a humiliating experience. He seeks comfort in his favorite foods and becomes increasingly reclusive and fatter by the day. Adding to his anxiety is his friend Paul’s insistence that he and Jimmy try their hand at solving a local murder. All they manage to do is make Jimmy’s sister exceedingly angry which results in their spending an entire day hiding in the bathroom at Starbuck’s.
During a routine visit to his pediatrician, Jimmy receives grim news. If he doesn’t lose weight now, his suffering might never end. The thought of more ridicule combined with the doctor’s implication of an early death gives Jimmy the needed incentives to change his life. And, his blossoming affection for a gothic girl in literature class surely doesn’t hurt his transformation.
The Fat Boy Chronicles reveals Jimmy’s thoughts and feelings about his family, classmates, teachers, and about high school life as an obese teenager. Filmgoers will learn about his love-hate relationship with food and the steps he takes to lose weight and regain his self-esteem. Jimmy’s poignant and, at times, entertaining interactions with his friends, family, and tormentors acquaint families with many of the issues facing young people today.
Based on a true story, The Fat Boy Chronicles shows us the emotionally painful world of obese teens that’s hidden beneath our thin-obsessed society.