Maniac Magee

Jeffery “Maniac” Magee reminds me of Forrest Gump in some ways. He is delightfully clueless sometimes, but unlike Forrest, Maniac is not developmentally challenged. Like Forrest, Maniac also has some incredible talents. He can hit multiple homeruns off the best pitcher in town, and he’s never met a knot he couldn’t untie. And most of all, just like Forrest, he loves to run.

When Jeffery/Maniac was three his parents died, and he went to live with his aunt and uncle. Eight years later Jeffery, fed up with his aunt and uncle, decided to run away from home. One year later, Jeffery literally runs into the town of Two Mills. Two Mills is a town that is racially divided. People who are white live on the West End and people who are black live on the East End. When Jeffery first arrives in town he has no idea that town is divided, and even when he finds out he doesn’t understand it. He’s the only white boy who freely crosses over the imaginary line that splits the town in two. Because Jeffery doesn’t see the world the way society dictates he should, and because he is a free spirit who doesn’t believe in the limitations others try to put on him, Jeffery earns the nickname “Maniac.” It seems to others he is incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. He travels around Two Mills and the surrounding area and forms some unusual friendships along the way.

First there is Amanda Beale and her family. Amanda is black, and at first she is astonished that this strange white boy has entered her neighborhood so brazenly, but soon they develop a close bond based on a shared love of reading and Maniac’s kind treatment of her younger siblings. Maniac stays in the East End for quite a while, but those that don’t believe a white boy should be friends with a black family start to speak up and act forcing Maniac to leave. He is afraid his presence is putting Amanda and her family at risk. He lives in the buffalo pen at a local zoo for a while until he is discovered by Grayson, the maintenance man. Grayson is an older man, a retired baseball player, who has no family to speak of. He and Maniac become great friends, but fate steps in once again, and Maniac returns to Two Mills. Upon his return he meets up with the McNab family from the West End. The McNabs are a white family made up of three boys and a single dead beat father. Their house is a roach infested pig sty, the two younger brothers have to be bribed by Maniac to go to school, and the father has taught his children to live in fear and hatred of all black people. One might wonder why Maniac chooses to befriend this family. It turns out that one of Maniac’s incredible qualities is selflessness. He feels the McNab boys need his help, so he sticks around. Maniac’s East End and West End worlds intersect as the plot reaches its peak, and Maniac discovers that there are people in the world, like him, who don’t believe that color should have anything to do with how you treat a person. Most importantly, he realizes that those people are the only ones that matter.

I found Maniac Magee a very compelling story, and it has some wonderful lessons to teach about love and tolerance. However, I can see this book being hard for some readers to get into. The author writes some beautiful descriptions, but I found myself wondering at times if the detailed imagery would lose a young reader’s interest. The McNab family is very rough and the descriptions of their lives and the way they act are not something that you would want a young child to emulate. There are even some instances where the language is offensive, but I wouldn’t let that keep a child from reading this book. If anything those things are points of discussion and learning opportunities. Maniac’s innocence and lack of fear lead him into some funny situations, and he has a funny way of dealing with bullies. He puts them in their places without using violence, and I can greatly appreciate the message that sends to young readers. There was one instance in the book where Maniac takes a bath with Amanda’s two younger siblings. It made me very uncomfortable at first, but I realized that it was just another way of showing Maniac’s innocence. He can’t even imagine someone molesting a child, so why would he think it was weird for a slightly older kid to take a bath with two children who are like siblings to him. I would suggest this book for a kid who doesn’t mind books that are a little wordy and not entirely plot driven. This book would make a great read-aloud or class novel though. There are so many wonderful opportunities for wonderful discussions about racism, homelessness, poverty, family, etc. Reading Maniac Magee with your class or your own children would be a great way to brooch some very tough subjects. I’ve always found that good literature is even better than a mirror for giving readers an honest look at themselves. This book made me think about the way I see the world, and how easy it is to let society’s stereotypes sway one’s views without even knowing it. I, for one, want to be more like Maniac Magee. He wasn’t just tolerant of others; he cared for them, and did something to make their lives better.