Tiger Eyes

Tiger Eyes

Hardcover - USA - 1st edition.

Author Judy Blume Published 1981-??-?? Type Fiction Genre Drama Themes Coming of age, Death, School, Teen Age Group Teen

Tiger Eyes is a novel by Judy Blume published in 1981 and written for a teenage audience. Because the story deals with death and destructive behavior, it is frequently challenged in public libraries.

The story revolves around a 15-year-old girl named Davey whose father was recently murdered. The family has a very difficult time coping with their loss, so they decide to stay with Davey's aunt on the other side of the country. The novel contains several themes which are common among teenagers including the death of a parent, alcoholism, coping with a parent dating someone new, racism, relatives trying to encroach into your family, and falling in love. The book has been adapted into a movie with the same name.

Personal

Own?	No.
Read?	Audiobook read by Emma Galvin.
Finished	2019-05-27.

After becoming a father, I started to re-read some of Judy Blume's work to find which of her works would be best to encourage my daughters to read, and I discovered that she wrote several adult and teenage novels as well. I read some of them and really liked them, so I decided to read more of her books.

Review

Overall:

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The story, despite it depressing content, is really interesting and, at times, uplifting.
• Blume does a good job at covering a lot of teen issues without ever making them seem like caricatures.
• There is an important message of not letting terrifying things scare you into never taking a chance ever again.
• I like how Blume doesn't hide the overt racism of white Americans against Hispanics, even when they're living in a region that, by all rights, belongs to them. Blume herself lived in Los Alamos, New Mexico in the 1970s, so she surely experienced the racism firsthand.
• I really like how the book ends.

Bad

• I feel like a couple threads in the book, specifically the whereabouts of Wolf and Jane's alcoholism, were left unresolved.
• I feel like Blume missed a chance at some tension with Davey and alcohol. Davey never even considered using alcohol as a coping mechanism, the story mostly uses Jane as a cautionary tale.
• In Places I Never Meant to Be, Blume explained that, in order to appeal to a larger audience, she voluntarily censored a scene from Tiger Eyes in which Davey masturbates while thinking of Wolf. This is a shame, not just because I don't like when authors feel pressured to censor their work, but also because I really think it fits with the story. Davey, with nobody to turn to for comfort or friendship, would most certainly resort to an active fantasy life.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Covers

Tiger Eyes has been reprinted over a dozen times throughout the years. Most of the book covers depict a dismayed teenage girl with a canyon backdrop, which is generally fitting, though it doesn't really convey any specific message.

• 

  Hardcover, USA - Bradbury (1981)
  
  Davey's face is a bit malformed and discolored.

• 

  Hardcover, USA - Heinemann (1984)
  
  Poorly painted possible rapist.

• 

  Mass Market, Unknown
  
  Davey looks like she's impatiently waiting for something.

• 

  Mass Market, USA - Piper Books (1988)
  
  Rather than look sad, Davey looks just a bit completely crazy.

• 

  Mass Market, USA - Dell
  
  Nice painting of the standard scene. My favorite cover.

• 

  Unknown
  
  Teenage girl pissed that her parents dragged her to the Grand Canyon. Why does the light source between the canyon and her face magically changes direction?

• 

  Hardcover, Israel - Keter (1991)
  
  Davey doesn't look that upset about her father being murdered.

• 

  Mass Market, USA - Laurel Leaf
  
  Slightly cross-eyed 90s teen is being stalked by Slater from Saved By the Bell. I like the collage, with the lizard and Native pattern, but the faces look terrible.

• 

  Hardcover, USA - Atheneum
  
  A poorly contrasted photo of a teen model with wet hair. Lame.

• 

  Paperback, USA - MacMilla (2005)
  
  This refers to the Spanish lizard quote. Too plain looking, and a bit of obscure reference for a cover.

• 

  Paperback, USA - Dell Laurel-Leaf (2005)
  
  Bored teen model with digitally altered eye color. Also used on the audio book.

• 

  Paperback, USA - Pan MacMillan (2006)
  
  Cheery teen model blowing dandelions even though they are never once mentioned in the book, but teen girls like how they symbolize freedom, so...

• 

  Paperback, Canada - Delacorte (2010)
  
  Adult model with doctored eyes seems happy because she has lilies... which are also never featured in the book. Terrible.

• 

  Paperback, USA - Atheneum (2014)
  
  Uses the film poster. Davey looks too old, and more pensive than upset.

• 

  Paperback, USA - Pan MacMillan (2014)
  
  Pan MacMillan's inappropriate dandelion fetish ruins another cover.

• 

  Paperback, USA - Simon & Schuster
  
  Blanket-wearing hippie in a field?

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass
Bechdel test?	Pass
Strong person of color character?	Pass
Queer character?	Fail

Quotes

— This section contains spoilers! —

• Some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.
• I can't let safety and security become the focus of my life.

Links