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    Fat Kid Rules the World
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    Fat Kid Rules the World
    Unavailable
    Fat Kid Rules the World
    Audiobook5 hours

    Fat Kid Rules the World

    Written by K. L. Going

    Narrated by Matthew Lillard

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Troy Billings, at six-foot-one, 296 pounds, is standing at the edge of a subway platform, seriously contemplating suicide, when he meets Curt MacCrae – and emaciated, semi-homeless punk guitar genius who also happens to be a dropout legend at Troy’s high school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

    “I saved your life, ” Curt tells Troy. “You owe me lunch.”

    But lunch with Curt brings more than he bargained for. Suddenly, Troy finds himself recruited as Curt’s drummer for his new band. “We’ll be called Rage/Tectonic. Sort of a punk rock, Clash sort of thing,” Curt tells him.

    There’s only one problem. Troy can’t play the drums. Oh yes, and Troy’s father thinks Curt’s a drug addict. And Troy’s brother thinks Troy’s a loser.

    But with Curt, anything is possible. “You’ll see,” says Curt. “We’re going to be HUGE.” Fortunately, mercurial Curt has an energy, enthusiam, and wisdom that is as irresistible as it is contagious. Before long, Troy is swept up by his desire to be everything Curt believes him to be.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 24, 2003
    ISBN9780807216965
    Unavailable
    Fat Kid Rules the World
    Author

    K. L. Going

    K. L. GOING is the author of FAT KID RULES THE WORLD, a Michael L. Printz honor book, and THE LIBERATION OF GABRIEL KING, a southern middle grade novel. She's had many jobs, including assistant at a Manhattan literary agency and manager of an independent bookstore, but now she writes full-time. She lives in Glen Spey, New York.

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    Reviews for Fat Kid Rules the World

    4/5

    309 ratings37 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book a lot because of the interaction between Troy and his family including Curt. Some of the rock band stuff didn't interest me but other than that it was a pretty good book.
    • 3/5
      Banned Book Week! Time to read a second banned book. This one was challenged for its language, sexual content and depiction of drug use.While it is a pretty decent young adult novel, Fat Kid smacks a bit of simplistic After School Special storytelling. Troy is an overweight teen with all sorts of anxieties. A homeless but legendary dropout named Curt from Troy's high school pulls Troy back from suicidal thoughts by befriending him and inviting him to form a punk rock band. But in the end will Troy need to help save Curt from his drug abuse? Hmmm.The strength of the book lies in its characters. It was very easy for me to identify with the 296-pounds, 6'1" protagonist as I have shared those exact numbers many times in my life, starting in junior high or slightly earlier up to the present day. As an adult who has a child with anxieties, I also found it easy to identify with Troy's father. And Curt, well he is charming as hell as long as you overlook his hygiene and drug problems.As for being banned, I think there is much more here to benefit a young reader than there is to harm them.
    • 4/5
      Troy is a 17 year old overweight kid that is contemplating suicide. Kurt is a homeless kid that used to go to to Troy's high school. He stops Troy's jump that day and the two become friends and eventually decide to start a band. Kurt helps Troy get a more realistic picture of how people see themselves, each other and himself and eventually Troy begins to help Kurt clean up his life.

      Matthew Lillard was the perfect guy for this audio book. He did a great job with it.
    • 3/5
      How does it feel to be so disgusted with yourself that you are suicidal? Intense YA story. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll from that point of view. I'm glad I read it.
    • 3/5
      Decent book -- entertaining -- issues of body image, drug use, homelessness, acceptance -- and loss of a mother. There's some thinking about sex -- and some drugs -- but nothing too crazy. A mature sixth grader or seventh grader could handle it. Definitely okay for eighth grade on up.
    • 3/5
      This is a pretty classic "punk rock saved my life"/band of misfits kind of thing. The story wrapped up a little too neatly and the characters were drawn a little too positively - like the only thing anyone needs is love and acceptance and everything else will fix itself. The book ended just about where the really meaningful story begun. The book was a nice set-up, but it's easier to describe a problem than it is to solve it, so it feels like the author brushed off the really hard work, which would've also been the interesting/valuable/new stuff. As it stands, there's potential here, but the book itself is basically just ok.
    • 4/5
      I actually listened to the audio version of this title. Troy, the titular fat kid, is funny, believable and touching. This book made me want to be a drummer in a punk rock band.
    • 4/5
      Troy doesn't lose weight! His growth arc is about becoming a musician and learning to take care of his friend and rebuilding his relationship with his dad and brother, and none of that is connected to weight loss! That makes this near-unique in the world of books with fat protagonists, and it's incredibly refreshing.

      The world of punk music has a very specific appeal that won't work for everyone. The drugs and language also keep this from being an easy recommendation for a lot of kids. On the other hand, it would make a good book for older reluctant readers. It's well-written in a Perks of Being a Wallflower or Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian sort of way: short, declarative 1st-person without challenging language that nevertheless adds up to self-deprecatingly funny heartbreak and triumph.
    • 5/5
      At the beginning of the book we meet suicidal Troy who is overweight and upset about a myriad of things. As he stands in front of the NYC subway rails watching each train come and go, thinking about his life, he is befriended by Curt. Curt is a semi-homeless, guitar genius, punk rock legend that is suddenly having lunch with Troy. Curt asks Troy to be his drummer in a new band he wants to form, but Curt only has minimal experience from middle school with the drums. Suddenly Troy has a friend and he has goals and there is a gig in five weeks.I read this book because I heard Matthew Lillard is making his directorial debut making this movie because he is so passionate about the book. This is a coming of age story about two very different friends, living very different lives, but each faces challenge after challenge while not necessarily wanting to talk about it. I was utterly engrossed by Troy’s story and quickly turned the pages. The family dynamic between Troy, his dad, and his litter brother is very well done. Music lovers will enjoy the comparisons to life and how music can inspire us. I like how Curt is a bit of an enigma as we read the story. In a world where we are constantly striving for perfection in image and life, this book makes us think about how hard people try to fulfill specific roles.I can’t wait to see the movie now! I hope it is as totally punk rock as the book because the book suggests you think against the norm and it does it in a very realistic, no frills way.
    • 4/5
      Listened to the audiobook; narrated by Matthew Lillard who did an awesome job. He kept my attention the whole story. Troy is an overweight, depressed teen who is befriended by a homeless kid, Curt, whom he goes to school with. Curt insists they start a band and that Troy will play the drums, but Troy hasn't played the drums since 7th grade. Trying to get gigs, Troy is a trainwreck when he's afraid he'll bomb. In the end he realizes he isn't just a fat kid, he's a fat kid who can be cool. Witty, some foul language, drug use.
    • 3/5
      Troy runs into Curt while trying to convince himself to jump in front of a train. Curt decided he and Troy are going to start a a band together. Turns out Curt has a bit of a over the counter drug problem.
    • 3/5
      I first heard about Fat Kid Rules the World in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (which I love.) His protagonist Junior lists the book as one of his favorites. So when I saw it this weekend I had to buy it. This book didn’t really advocate losing weight, in fact the protagonist gains some more by the end of this book, but it did advocated being worthy of being happy no matter the circumstance and taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. It’s not a preachy book, but it still gets its message across. Sort of like an episode of Oprah.Knowing you are worthy of happiness. . .I'm a sweating Fat Kid standing just over the yellow line...Troy Billings is contemplating suicide at the beginning of this novel. At seventeen he is 296 pounds and six-foot-one. He lives his life without any friends and even his younger brother can’t stand him. In fact his brother said he wouldn’t miss him if he died. While he waits for the train to arrive he contemplates whether people would laugh at his death since they laugh at everything he does. He considers the fact that he’d probably mess up his own suicide which morbidly makes him laugh. It’s this laugh that starts a conversation that will change the course of his life. An incredibly skinny homeless guy who is caked with dirt happens to stop his suicide. It turns out this vagrant is Curt MacCrae, a legend at W.T. Watson High School. Everyone respects him despite losing every fight he’s ever been in. He is a genius guitar player and he has just decided that he wants Troy to be his drummer. Yeah, except Troy doesn’t play drums.Details, PleaseThis book is raw. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Troy is obese in a way that makes others uncomfortable and Curt lies and steals, not to mention he’s hooked on prescription drugs.These characters are not perfect and both have issues, but despite that I found them likeable. Troy just wants to fit in and Curt just wants a stable home. They can be destructive to themselves, but not to others. Curt ends up teaching Troy lessons like owning up to what he likes, and learning about punk rock. It’s Curt's confidence in Troy that helps transform him, and Troy's genuineness that convinces Curt to get help.You don't have to be overweight or a guy to get Troy's voice. Most people battle with self-consciousness and self-worth. Everyone wants to find a niche for themselves. I love that the beginning starts with saving a life and so does the end. This book just has heart. Troy shows growth, and along the way he not only learns to play drums, but converse through them. He's a fat kid who rules the world.
    • 4/5
      Aside from the general synopsis that may be found in many other reviews (fat kid meets local rock star who changes his life and visa versa) I don't know how to describe this book. It's partly psychological, as there are no fights or chase scenes or major action of that sort, but it's an easy sort of life lesson that you get at the end. The main character, Troy, actually changes and grows by the end of the book, which I appreciate, but he doesn't just up and come to some grand realization, he struggles towards it. I think this could be read by middle school kids, as well as high school kids and all would enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      This book is about a boy in high school whose name is Troy. Troy weighs 300 pounds and is contemplating death when he meets Curt, a homeless guy that Troy doesn't realize at the time but will change his life. Curt wants Troy to play the drums in his new band although Troy doesn't exactly know how to play the drums. THe drums is the first interest that Troy has had since his mother dies and his father although skeptical about it is glad that he finally has an interest in something. Curt is a high school drop out and was a legend in high school who plays the guitar.Curt's attitude is wild and free spirited and Troy def needs this type of attitude to rub off on him.The band and Curt rescue Troy from a father and a brother who do not get him or the world that he lives in.I think that this book is great for the classroom. The language in this book can be a bit rough so do not recommend it for any grades younger than 9th grade. The reading level is low but the language is controversial. This book will be great for the classroom library and i think children will be able to relate because Troy deals with many things that many other adolescents deal with also. SUch as not fitting in, and the fact that his mother dies and his father and his brother don't understand him does not help matters much. Another great thing that this book can be used for is to get children interested in reading. This book is one of those books that can pull children in and when they finish the book and they think, "wow if all books are that great i am going to have to read more often." this is that kind of book.I loved this book. I loved every part of it and i would once again recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Everyone go out and get this book and read it!!!!!!!!!!
    • 4/5
      Audience: Grade 8 and UpTroy is seventeen years old and 296 pounds. He is the Fat Kid. Everything Troy does, every move he makes, people laugh at him. Everyone laughs at the Fat Kid. Troy decides to kill himself, but even his suicide, he concludes, will be a reason for people to laugh at him. As he stands on the edge of the subway station ready to jump, Troy is saved from his suicide plot by Curt, a skinny homeless high school dropout who happens to be a legend at Troy’s high school. One long meal later, Curt and Troy become the founding members of Rage/Tectonic, a punk rock band created as an excuse that develops into the glue keeping the two young men together. As their friendship develops, Troy learns that sometimes it is in giving that one gains the most. In the end, the lines between savior and saved cannot be distinguished anymore.K. L. Going’s Fat Kid Rules the World is a book with many lessons, none of which sounding preach or corny. It is a book about acceptance, giving, and doing the right thing. Troy lives his life as the Fat Kid, the one everyone laughs at. With Curt, he is transformed—he is now Big T., and as his “huge ass sprawled over the [drum] chair” (182), Troy learns to accept who he is. Troy also learns it is when one gives that one gets the most in return. All his life, Troy has waited for people to give him love and acceptance. When Troy tells his brother the words Troy himself wants to hear, he realizes that giving is far more powerful than receiving. The final lesson comes to Troy when he must decide which is more important: to go along with his friend’s lies and keep the band, or to confront Curt and possibly lose all they have worked for. The book speaks strongly of friendship, family, and standing by the ones we love. The Fat Boy never gets skinny—he gets wiser.
    • 5/5
      "I'm a sweating Fat Kid standing just over the yellow line..." Curt suspects Troy might jump off the tracks and tells him he owes him food. And so begins an unlikely friendship between Troy, the 300 pound fat kid, and Curt, the skinny homeless kid. Troy's mind is filled with self-deprecating thoughts about himself and what others think of this "fat freak". Curt, on the other hand, steals bologna from his step dad, is filthy, and probably doesn't have a place to stay, yet is a genius punk rock guitarist at school. So why does he want Troy to be the drummer (by the way Troy can't play) in his new band, Rage/Tectonic. Both boys are terribly flawed. One eats too much while one uses too much. Both struggle with acceptance and want to be greater than people think they can achieve. I like this audiobook because the reader paces words and phrases just like I imagine Troy or Curt speaks. He sounds real. Boys are the target audience, but better suited for older teens. There are liberal usages of swear words, sexual innuendos, and drug use. However, this is a very well crafted story dealing with all the things boys think and wonder about. Highly recommended for boys ages 15-18.
    • 4/5
      I don't think you need to be obese to appreciate the struggles of Troy Billings. In fact, any kid who has ever felt marginalized by high school society will relate to Troy, as he contemplates throwing himself in front of the subway train on page one. Fortunately, the story has nowhere to go from there but up. "Up" arrives in the person of Curt MacCrae, a scruffy, emaciated, homeless teen who is also a guitar-playing genius revered by the local kids. This story is told from Troy's perspective, with self-deprecating wit; he makes us laugh with him, not at him. There are enough visceral details to appeal to boys and the story is never smarmy. You'll be cheering Troy along, as he attempts to overcome his own negative self-image. The audiobook version worked for me.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book because it reminded me of my own life. I know what it's like to feel like an outsider like the 'fat kid', Troy Billings. I would recommend this book on a reading list because it is well written, engaging, and also about a kid who is finally accepted even though he is very obese.
    • 3/5
      Fat Kid Rules the World is a story written in the first person of an overweight teenager who is depressed and even contemplates suicide, but I did not get the feeling he was ever serious about it. He becomes friends with a high school dropout that he had heard is an excellent guitar player, who lives as a homeless person most of the time. Their relationship is unusual but meaningful, and the protagonist learns to look at the world differently and that he can find a place to fit in.I enjoyed this author’s writing style, and I liked how you learn little pieces of the background story as you go. The main character’s mother died when he was in the third grade, and it is clear to see how that still affected him. Constantly referring to himself as “Fat Kid,” he had to learn not to worry about what other people thought. As his friend told him, “Like what you like.” (p. 39) Toward the end of the story, he gains confidence and discovers that he has a purpose, and he also develops a better relationship with his father and his brother.
    • 5/5
      Really good read. I could really relate to the hero. He thinks everyone is looking at him because he is so fat, but really, no one is. Everyone is avoiding looking at him and it takes his new best friend to point that out to him and to help him realize the insecurities that even the "beautiful skinny people" suffer.
    • 5/5
      So it's not a stretch to be standing on the wrong side of the yellow line giving serious thought to whether people would laugh if I threw myself in front of the F train. And that's the one thing that can't happen. People can't laugh. Even I deserve a decent suicide.When Troy Billings meets skinny, semi-homeless, punk rock guitar prodigy Curt MacCrae on the subway platform he's contemplating whether throwing himself in front of a train would constitute a decent suicide. Soon Troy is buying lunch for his quirky, unreliable, dirty would-be savior. With a little lie, or so he thinks, here and there, Troy, the Fat Kid, finds himself being unwittingly propelled way outside his comfort zone and into Curt MacCrae's band. Thus begins Troy's journey to discovering that people aren't always what they seem including himself.In Troy and Curt, Going has created a pair of all-too-human, realistic, and awesome characters. In the first person narration, Troy's voice is totally convincing. The story is full of his self-effacing wit, his considerable doubts and fears, his total befuddlement that this school legend of sorts, has, for some reason, chosen him, the Fat Kid to be his drummer. Troy barely sees himself as person, rather as the Fat Kid, and that someone considers him capable of doing something, anything other than huffing or jiggling or any of the rest of that "Fat Kid" stuff, catches him terribly by surprise.And Curt. Curt is a brilliantly drawn character as well. Here's a kid that projects this self-assured street smart "I don't care what you think of me" sort of vibe, and yet, through Troy's eyes, despite Troy's total ignorance of it, emerges this scared, vulnerable, homeless kid for whom the only certainties in life are that things won't work out and that people can't be counted on. Troy needs someone to teach him his own worth, and Curt needs someone to be rock steady, and little does either of them know that that's what they need much less if they can be that for each other. "That moment when you see through all the bullshit?" he says a moment later. "That's what punk music is all about. That's what anything great is all about. We're all just stuffing out faces, no matter what we look like, and people need to figure that out. When you can play that moment, you've got it."This is a great story. It hooks you from the moment it begins. It's an unabashed look at really real characters. K.L. Going sets such incredible scenes and conveys poweful moments with few words, but not too few, and it all just works, and it definitely sees through all the bullshit. I laughed, I cried, I loved it.
    • 4/5
      Troy, aka The Fat Kid, is on the brink of suicide when he first meets Curt McCray. Curt is a punk rock god. He is a talented musician; unfortunately, the rest of his life is a disaster. He is homeless, using prescription pills, and is full of lies to try to get through the day. He is also full or talent and ideas. Troy is just the opposite. He is so self-conscious and lives in his head all the time. Troy got fat after the death of his mother and thinks his fatness defines his life. At times I got sick of his whining and insecurity, but eventually, he gets it together to move toward self acceptance. Curt and Troy come together as a punk rock band. A journey into friendship, self-discovery, saving someone, and rock and roll.
    • 5/5
      This book is amazing. Going’s ability to get inside the head, mind and heart of a “Fat Kid” reads real and true. This is a peek into anyone who has every felt that they are out of the accepted social circles. This is a story about getting over yourself, your fears, and your paradigms; it is a story about living in the real world; it is a story about hope and fear, and ultimately, it is a story about life. This is not a boys OR girls’ book, it is an “everyone” book. A great read, it will make you cross your fingers in anticipation, cry, rejoice, and always, laugh out loud.
    • 4/5
      Troy Billings is huge. He's six foot one and almost three hundred pounds. His size dominates nearly every thought, and he believes nearly everyone is always either looking at him or laughing at him, or maybe both. He's forever thinking in newspaper headlines about himeself: Fat Kid Can't Fit Through Turnstile or Fat Kid Splatters in Subway. Troy is about to throw himself in front of a New York City subway train when Curt MacCrae, a high school dropout/guitar hero from Troy's school, steps in and distracts him. Curt, who lives in the subway or the park or somewhere other than a home, insists Troy buy him lunch-- and before he knows it, Troy has been recruited to play drums in Curt's new band. The only catch? Troy has played drums only a couple times-- years ago, in junior high school. K.L. Going's debut novel has the best voice of any young adult book I've read in several years. You feel for Troy and get a great look at the world through his eyes and heart, and root for him throughout the story. Plus, the story is absolutely hilarious as Troy tries to stand up to his military-disciplined father and attempts to fit in with Curt's punk-rock crowd. I recommend this for reluctant readers and anyone looking for a fun, touching, and quick read.
    • 4/5
      K.L. Going tells the story of Troy, a 260 pound Manhattan high school student who, while contemplating throwing himself in front of a train, meets Curt MacRae, dropout legend at Troy's high school. They form a band, but first Troy has to learn how to play the drums. The relationship between Troy and Curt has its instabilities, but eventually, the friendship stabilizes as their band finally gets to rock out. While the ending isn't entirely believable--military dad lets Curt come live with Troy's family--everything else was on-target. The Curt's unpredictability, Troy's self-image, and the bond they form (because stranger things have happened) all seem authentic. Going writes engagingly and seems to have enjoyed creating the events in the plot just as much as the reader enjoys the re-creation of them. I think that one of the central themes is that nobody needs to let their body define who they are or what they'd want to do. So what if punk rockers are all skinny and emaciated? As long as you can play, you can be punk rock. Or translate that to the wider world: as long as you're competent, you can be whatever you want when you grow up. This piece provides an empowering message for teens; however, I would have liked Going to explore the suicide angle a little more in-depth, instead of just using it as a plot device to bring Curt and Troy together (which is why I took away one star from the rating). A definite must-buy for teen collections at public libraries; school libraries may want to skim it before adding it to the collection. I actually got my copy from Hatcher; AADL doesn't own this one.
    • 4/5
      Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going is a fabulous book. It's a story of friendship and self discovery all rolled into one. The characters are great and you can really get into the story line. I've read this book three times now and I would read it again three more times.
    • 5/5
      The best thing about this book is that Curt's personality is infectious... in a good way. He's the character you hate to love. He's irresponsible, undependable, foul-mouthed, OTC-med-addicted, and totally oblivious to the obvious. Basically, he's exactly what Troy needs. Curt wins the reader's heart with exchanges such as.... Mr. Billings: Why are you not able to maintain steady employment? Curt: Because I steal stuff and sleep when I'm not supposed to. Mr. Billings: Why do you steal stuff and sleep when you're not supposed to? Curt: I do it because..... I'm hungry and I'm tired.
    • 4/5
      I don't have an ear for music, but this book made me want to find some drums hit them 'til my hands hurt. The story of how Troy, the fat kid, meets Curt the punk dropout, and together they make a band, and it is awesome.Troy's terrible self-conciousness rings true from start to finish, and the sheer physicality of his descriptions made me feel like I could almost get what it would be like to be a teenage boy.Despite the title, the story has nothing to do with being the fat kid, and everything to do with grabbing what's important and running with it.
    • 5/5
      Troy is a six-foot tall New York teen who weighs nearly 300 pounds. His father is distant and disappointed in him, and his brother ridicules him. He's so depressed and disappointed in his life that he contemplates jumping in front of a subway train, only worried that the sight of a fat kid falling to the tracks like a stone will somehow be funny and thus deprive him of a dignified death. It's at this point that he meets Curt, a mostly homeless, nearly starving guitar genius who distracts Troy at the crucial moment and claims a meal as his reward for saving Troy's life. Before long, Curt has recruited Troy into a two-man punk band called Rage/Tectonic as a drummer, despite the fact that Troy can't play the drums. I loved this story mainly because of its portrayal of an unlikely friendship, and how basic human connections can rebuild confidence and reshape your vision of the world.
    • 4/5
      Troy was over 300 pounds and depressed to the point of suicide. At the lowest point of his life, he meets with a homeless boy, Curt. Even though Troy has never picked up a musical instrument, he wants Troy to be a drummer in his band. As the book progresses, Troy's self esteem improves. He doesn't lose weight -- the biggest change comes from within. This is an excellent coming of age novel, and reminded me a lot of my own high school experiences.