Outside Looking in

by James Lincoln Collier

Ashamed of his parents' way of life--traveling around the country peddling honey for medicinal purposes and stealing--Fergy takes his young sister and runs away to find his mother's wealthy parents and a better way to live

Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

James Lincoln Collier (born June 27, 1928) is a journalist, author, and professional musician.

Collier's notable literary works include My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote a children's book titled The Empty Mirror (2004), The Teddy Bear Habit (1967), about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook, and Rich and Famous (1975), sequel to The Teddy Bear Habit. His list of children's books also includes Chipper (2001), about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays the trombone professionally.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd book. James Lincoln Collier is particularly gifted at first-person narratives of teenagers that feel very real. But this book feels a bit flat. Fergy has been traveling the country with his parents and sister; his father is a thoroughly unlikeable grifter and egomaniac. His mother inexplicably goes along with this, and his little sister is an out-of-control kleptomaniac. Fergy wants a "normal" life, and when a chance comes to try to escape life on the road, he makes the obvious choice.

The thing is...unlike other Collier books, this one seems oddly flat. It's not a bad book, but everything is a bit more two-dimensional than in most other Collier books; it doesn't seem as real, and the choices mostly seem obvious. I might even say that the plot is a bit simplistic and unbelievable. It's worth a read if you like Collier, but if you're not familiar with his work, try Lost Treasures: The Teddy Bear Habit - Book #3 first - and try to get one of the older editions, one with the illustrations by Lorenz! After that, I'd recommend his historical books over this oddly dated and somehow lifeless novel. He's a very good writer, but this simply isn't his best work.

Update: Looking back, I think I see what the problem is with Outside Looking In. A good story needs to have some point on which the reader can connect. I suspect that may be particularly true for first-person narratives. It's not necessary for the reader to have have the exact same experiences, of course, but in some way there has to be an element with which the reader can identify.

In Lost Treasures: The Teddy Bear Habit - Book #3, for example, George Stable's desire for success drives him to make some reckless decisions. He gets in way over his head. We've all had that same sort of general experience.

But in Outside Looking In, there's really not much to connect to! Fergy starts out living on the road with an abusive father - a man who is SO vile and one-sided that there's no conflict at all. You'd no more consider staying with him than you'd consider staying with a rabid tiger.

That flatness of character, incidentally, also has an impact on Fergy's mother. Why does she stay with such an obviously abusive man? One who is clearly destroying their children's lives, as well as hers? It makes no sense, so she immediately becomes an unsympathetic character.

Fergy's life has nothing in common with that of most readers, I think - unless you grew up constantly on the run in a van with a gang of con men, without schooling or friends. If so, this is the book for you. But for everyone else, I think that the book will leave you cold.

[Emma Soderstrom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recently I read the realistic fiction book, Outside Looking In, by James Lincoln Collier. This book is about a 14 year old boy who lives with his family in a van, and travels all across the country selling honey in strip malls. After JP, Fergy's dad finally pushes him over the edge, Fergy decides to do something major.

I knew Outside Looking In was going to be an interesting book just by reading the inside cover. While reading the book, I was somewhat disappointed. I found the first half of the book to be bland. Nothing exciting happened that made me want to keep reading. At least not till the second half of the book. If I were James Lincoln Collier, I would most likely put a small taste of drama in the first several chapters.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a gap book. If you are between books, or maybe like to read two books at once, Outside Looking In is the perfect book for you!

[Chance Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I wanted to sat at first glance the cover deceived me. I seriously thought that was a school in the background not a shopping mall. After I knew that the cover made more sense to me. I know there's a shopping cart by the doors but I didn't think much about it. Anyway,
This book is fascinating. It's looking into a anti-government, anti-materialistic, hippy life of a boy and her shoplifting younger sister, angry Hypocritical father, and mother that is just going through the motions. This book is fast passed as the kids take off after they reclaim/stole a trailer. The characters are believable. It has strong emotion and desperation making the reader stress the drama happening within. I know I did. Even the imperfections in the characters really bring this book more depth and strengthening it.

[Lydia Gunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. There was a little bit of language and an extremely dysfunctional family but these were treated correctly in the end.