A Letter from Churchill High

October 14, 2005

Dear Mr. Crutcher,

     My name is Wyatt, and I am a fan of your stories.  I am a "regular" 15-year-old boy, if by regular you think of someone who rides motocross, skydives, drives offroad, and flies planes.  I've never really liked reading much fiction, but when my mom was reading your autobiography, she read me the part about when you were in a bike race as a kid.  When I heard the part about how the announcer tried to call you off the track and you gave him the finger, I knew it was going to be fun reading your books.

     It seemed to me that you wrote WHALE TALK because you wanted to express some of the hardships of being a kid in high school, especially one who is different.  You also showed what happens in abusive families and how that can affect everyone around them.  I like knowing that you really do work with child abuse victims, so you know what you're talking about.  Having a character like T.J. at the center of the story was great, because he showed the reader what racism really feels like from a point of view that I don't know myself, and it really felt like it could have been a true story.  I think reading WHALE TALK has made me think about the way I treat other people and the way others deserve to be treated.

     I just want to say I like the way you write, and I really enjoyed reading WHALE TALK.  I don't think a book has ever made me laugh and cry, but this one sure did.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Wyatt P.
Churchill High School
Eugene, Oregon