Fat Kid Rules the World

By K.L. Going
Narrated by Matthew Lillard

Seventeen-year-old Troy weighs almost three hundred pounds. He is depressed and suicidal, but with the help of a new friend, Troy soon discovers that a fat kid can rule the world.

When we first me Troy he is about to throw himself in front of an oncoming subway. While working up the nerve he is saved by the skinniest kid he has ever seen. Curt is a a semi-homeless guitar legend and dropout from Troy's high school. For saving Troy's life Curt requests lunch and soon an unlikely friendship is formed and Curt decides Troy would make the perfect drummer of his two man band Rage Tectonic.

Before Troy can explain to Curt that he can't actually play the drums he is swept into the crazy world that is Curt. These two opposites make a strange pair, but turn out to be just the thing each of them needed.

Troys voice is hysterical and real. He is so honest about what it is like to be over-weight and anyone who has ever felt like an outsider will relate to him. All of the characters in the story are well developed from Troys ex-marine father to Curt's punk rock band friends. Each makes the story more believable and more sentimental.

Going does a wonderful job of describing Troy as he first experiences something new, like the rush of going to a concert for the first time. There are also lots of real issues dealt with in Fat Kid Rules the World, such as drug abuse, parental neglect and death, but they are underlying to the friendship and growth we see in both the main characters.

This was another audio selection for me and I think the perfect choice. Matthew Lillard was the perfect narrator for this one. His voice animated and did the different characters perfectly.

The verdict is: Read or listen to it, a great story!