Originally, when I heard people talk about the book Dairy Queen, I thought: Why is this so interesting? Yes, ice cream cones dipped in fudge are delicious, but I wouldn’t want to read an entire book about them. Well, I finally found out that this story is not about a food chain. It’s about a girl who lives in Red Bend Wisconsin.
Fifteen-year-old D.J. Schwenk thinks she is a cow. Not that she has four stomachs and an issue with methane, but that she acts, and is treated, like a cow. For years, she was okay with doing most of the work on her dairy farm without being thanked, but then Brian (quarter back for the competing high school football team) came along and told her that she was just like the cows she milked, doing everything she was told with no thought of how hard it was or of what she could be doing. To make herself out to be less of a stock animal and more of a human, D.J. tries out for the male football team at school, even though her family isn’t so supportive. Her home is overshadowed with secrets and always seems to be one day away from falling apart. While dealing with her family trait of not saying things that should be said, D.J. must also face her growing crush on a guy who may never reciprocate.
Now, when I found out that the author, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, is not from Wisconsin, I thought: Oh great, another book about how Wisconsinites love cheese and we all have cows grazing in our back yards. But once I started reading, I found the book to be surprisingly realistic in its depiction of a small, rural community. There are farms and pickup trucks, but there are also suburbs. Even if I had not experienced some form of farm life, I would still love D.J.’s character. When she realizes something new about herself, that she’s like a cow, she dwells on it like any normal person would, but she also does something about it. By trying out for the football team, she chooses to face her problem and do things her own way!
What makes this book special is D.J.’s hilarious, self-deprecating humor. She’s blunt about how she sees herself, to the point of awkwardness. And, she brings with her all of the ridiculous drama that plays out in the mind of a teenager. Don’t attempt to read this book in public if you can’t handle the stares of strangers. Generally, People stare when they see someone laughing alone.
As D.J.’s life continues in a sequel called The Off Season, she must take up even more responsibility and finally open the door on some of those family secrets. And then, in the newly-released closing book of the series, Front and Center, D.J. will have to realize that she is so much more than a cow, and there are people that see her as confident, beautiful, and ultimately, a person they want to know.
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