Hurt Go Happy

by Ginny Rorby

Book Overview

Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails. Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765353040
• ISBN13: 9780765353047
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Starscape Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Enchanting

"I'm not going to let anyone take her from the only home she knows." Joey is a young girl who is legally deaf, but doesn't know sign language because of her mother's objections. Then, she meets Charlie and Sukari, an older man and a sign language speaking chimpanzee who change her life. She begins to learn sign language behind her mother's back. Then, something tragic happens and immediate responsibility of Sukari is put on Joey. Personally I loved the enchanting story of Hurt Go Happy. It brought tears, laughs, and smiles that only an amazing book can bring. I think it contains a strong message about how anything you do, or anyone you meet can come with a life changing experience. I believe that this book best relates to teenage girls, or young adults with disabilities. Also, anyone that loves a "not so classic'' book about human and animal relationships. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is interested in reading. Hurt Go Happy will take you on an adventure of ups, downs, and even some corkscrews. I personally have read many books this past year and Hurt Go Happy has to be one of the best. Read it and weep, smile, and laugh.... -Rachel Sukenik

A good read

This book keeps you captivated. I couldn't put the book down. I would have to force myself to, just so I could do other things in my day. Well, I think it is very educational. There are so many parents of deaf children who still today feel like thier child needs to "fit it" to the hearing world. In order to do that, they really do need to learn ASL. Reading lips is hard to do, they don't always catch on to every word and then they are to figure out what is said. How can they truely communicate? What about when they are no longer children, but adults? Still struggling to communicate. How far do you think they can succeed trying to complete the partial sentences they interpret from lip reading. In the story, Joey's mom feels that learning sign will make her "handicap" more noticeable. Yet, being deaf is not a handicap. So Joey trys to learn ASL through a new friend even though her mom is against her learning it. She struggles to convince her mom of this and how alone and isolated she is more so not knowing sign. It's a good book, it really is.

My Favorite

I am 13 years old and I have read a lot of books. My english teachers always try to find new books for me that I haven't read, but so far they have come up empty handed. In all the books that I have read, I have never had a favorite book before. Until now. Hurt-Go-Happy is my all time favorite book. I read it over and over and I never get tired of it. This book had inspired me to do something about animal testing. It also showed me the hardships of being deaf. When you read this book you find yourself crying along with Joey the main character, and laughing with her. I love this book, and I hope you will experience as much joy as I did when you read this book. Banana

I wanna be just like you

There are children's books that are enjoyable. There are children's books that stay in your mind long after you've read them. And there are children's books that contain excellent writing in terms of story layout, themes, and rock solid emotions. You are lucky if you can get a combination of two of these requirements. You are blessed beyond words if you somehow manage to find a book that fulfills all three. Pick up a copy of "Hurt Go Happy" and you can actually tick off these requirements one by one as you read the first chapter alone. Funny, horrifying, intelligent, and full of more twists and turns than you could hope to expect, "Hurt Go Happy" is without a doubt one of the strongest children's books of the year. Joey wasn't always deaf, but at the age of thirteen she has been for seven years. Things wouldn't be so bad either if not for the fact that her mother is overprotective towards her and refuses to let Joey learn American Sign Language. Depending on reading lips only, Joey feels isolated from the world around her. That is, until she meet Sukari and Charlie. Charlie's an elderly caregiver to Sukari, a chimp with a knowledge of sign language. Instantly Joey bonds with the two, in spite of her mother's disapproval, and her world begins to grow larger as a result. Yet when Charlie dies and Sukari ends up in the hands of a research lab that tests pesticides on animals, it seems the only person who can save her is a nearly deaf girl who isn't sure she has the strength to go it alone. Now, to be blunt with you, this doesn't really sound like a book that I would have enjoyed reading. I was never one of those kids that thought monkeys and apes were fascinating creatures. Yet as an author, Rorby wins you over. Suddenly I found myself re-intrigued by the whole concept. Animals that can communicate with humans through a kind of language? How cool is that! Kids that love animal stories will gravitate to the book all on their own. But the fact that what we have here is something interesting AND really well written just bowled me over. Can I tell you how many "good" books I've read this year that'll make kids' eyes glaze over before they reach page three? In "Hurt Go Happy" Rorby introduced Sukari on page 22 and that's still just the first chapter! A well put together work, this. I loved that the mother in this book was such a complex individual. On the one hand she has really denied her only daughter the chance to communicate freely with the world around her. By preventing her from learning sign language the book makes it clear that Ruth (her mom) is working on a couple different levels. She'll adamantly tell you that it's for Joey's own good that she not learn to sign. Ruth says it's restrictive. It takes Charlie to point out that the real reason may be buried deep in Ruth's psyche. On some level Ruth believes that if she allows her daughter to sign, people will come to question how Joey lost her hearing in the first

Moving, Well-Written, and Intelligent

I happened to hear the author read two selections from this book at our local library last weekend. Intrigued, I bought the book on the spot and had it read by 9:30 the following morning. That's how compelling this story is. I totally enjoyed it. Not only did I like the story, which was inherently interesting, but I enjoyed the wealth of natural detail and the fully-wrought characters. What was particularly compelling for me was the skillful presentation of the complexities faced, not only by the deaf, but by all of us, in all conditions, and all ages, things like anger, ambivalence, change, and courage in the face of adversity. How do you face these problems down, and keep your spirit intact? Without being preachy, the young heroine succeeds in doing just that.