Oh, Rick

by Eve Bunting, Lucyna Green (Illustrator)

Beth expects her ten days at a "fat farm" to change her appearance and her life.

55 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is, I hope, as far as Eve Bunting can go into the cesspit of misbegotten teenage psychology. Meet Beth, who is apparently super overweight by teenage standards. She's been saving all her money for a week-long "Fat Camp" (her words) to catch the eye of a popular dude she's known all her life. He is Rick, and she wants him to ask her to an upcoming dance.

So she goes, she meets all the housewives and eats all the vegetables, and when she doesn't lose 100 pounds in 7 days, she's despondent that she is trapped in this body forever. In reality, she lost 20 pounds which is SUPER GREAT (but also not too healthy) and even though her best friend and grandmother think she looks amazing and got a great start to a healthier lifestyle, Beth thinks she is still too fat for Rick.

But she starts to change her mind when boys at school start commenting on her weight loss. She's delighted by compliments such as "You're not as big as a battleship anymore. A destroyer maybe, but..." and "You've scraped off some lard, kid. Lose a bit more and I might even ask you out."

I realize Eve was writing 50 years ago "when things were different", but even by her standards, this is some seriously fucked up shit. That some idiot publisher decided to reprint this in the 90s is amazing.

In the end, Rick doesn't ask her to the dance, but like all Eve books, Beth clings to this hope instead of finding herself a boy with a goddamn soul.

Also, I think Beth's best friend is supposed to be black, and we are to understand that this is why she lives in a dirty home. I joke about these books a lot, but this is seriously fucking gross.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fat Beth gets not as fat. Others compliment her ("You've scraped off some lard, kid. Lose a bit more and I might even ask you out.") but she still has serious dysmorphia despite being noticeably more limber.

My favorite lines were: "Darcell's peanut breath wafted deliciously into Beth's face and she wished she'd brought a sandwich for herself instead of just some snacks" and "Nights she dreamed of chocolate fudge cake and fat hamburgers with French fries on the side."

I read this book while eating an entire package of double-stuffed Oreos - as should you.

Excellent book, but not nearly fat enough for me.

[Leah Iannone]

I bought this as a joke b.c the cover I have is irresistibly cheesy and I had to buy it. It's 35 pages of the most ridiculously awful teenage writing around and I loved every second of it.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beth, honey, I hate to break this to you, but Rick is most definitely *not* worth $150. Not in 2026 money and most certainly not in 1978 money.