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Hurt Go Happy
Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails.
Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow--until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.
Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow--until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 8, 2006
76 people are currently reading
2151 people want to read
About the author
Ginny Rorby
16 books137 followersGinny Rorby was raised in Winter Park, Florida, and lived in Miami during her career as a Pan American flight attendant. Midway through that career, she enrolled in the University of Miami to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology, graduated and changed direction again. She went on to receive an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. Her goal, after wrapping up her flying career and her graduate studies, was to move someplace where she would never be hot again. She now lives on the chilly coast of northern California. Ginny is the author 6 novels for Middle Grade and Young Adults readers: Freeing Finch, How to Speak Dolphin, Lost in the River of Grass, winner of the 2012 / 2013 Sunshine State Young Readers Award; Hurt Go Happy, winner of the 2008 American Library Association’s Schneider Family Book Award. The Outside of a Horse and Dolphin Sky. Ginny is a past director of the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.
Her most recent novel, Like Dust, I Rise, is a Coming of Age novel set in Texas during the Dust Bowl.
Her most recent novel, Like Dust, I Rise, is a Coming of Age novel set in Texas during the Dust Bowl.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 385 reviews
December 16, 2015
In one of the Goodreads groups I’m in, we do a bookmark swap with other members. For one of the rounds, we each chose three favorite books for the bookmark maker to choose from. The person that was chosen as my recipient, Kellee, chose “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and “Hurt Go Happy” by Ginny Rorby. I’d read the other two books, and as much as I love them both, decided against using them as they are both so popular and well-known. “Hurt Go Happy” on the other hand, I’d never even heard of, and the premise interested me, so I decided to use it, sight-unseen. I read a preview chapter on B&N.com and when that was AMAZING, I ordered a copy.
Thirteen year old Joey is almost completely deaf and struggles to read lips in a world of hearing people because her mother refuses to allow her to learn sign language. Her mother is full of excuses, everything from “It’ll make you lazy so that you won’t be able to read lips to understand people who can’t sign,” to “It’ll show everyone that you’re disabled and they’ll pity you.” So, needless to say, Joey is isolated and largely ignored by people who aren’t able to communicate with her, until she meets Charlie, an elderly man who lives nearby and his chimpanzee, Sukari. This chance meeting changes all of their lives.
All I can say is “Wow”. If you know me at all, you know that I love a gut-wrenching story, one that breaks your heart and hollows you out. This book did all that and more. This book made me something of an emotional train-wreck. I feel like I need a thesaurus to even correctly assign my emotional states. I couldn’t breathe through the last half of this book, and I could barely even see. I can’t remember ever having cried so much during a book as I did with this one, but I didn’t feel manipulated or that Ginny Rorby was playing with my emotions. Rather I felt that she took this story, and all that it represents, incredibly seriously and portrayed it as honestly as possible. The fact that it crushed my soul is inevitable, because both subjects in the book are ones that nudge my overactive empathy gland into the mass-production red-zone. I’m an animal lover, and protector of small and defenseless things of all kinds, and so the events that occurred in this book were painful. I’m not deaf, but in her love for Sukari, I identified with Joey to the point where what happened to her felt like it was happening to me. And it felt incredibly real.
Whew. OK. Picking this back up later. I wrote all of that on June 24th, but I couldn’t stop being a weeping mess, so I set it aside. I couldn’t post it until Kellee’d received her bookmark anyway, which was definitely a good thing because it gave me a chance to put a little distance between this story and my heart, even though all I wanted was to rush in to talk to her about it, because it had affected me so strongly.
I don’t want to talk about the story itself in this review, although I will say that it is one that made me both proud and ashamed of being human. Proud because we have the capacity for learning and growth and empathy and understanding one another, but ashamed because we don’t use it, and worse, we exploit anything and anyone to reach an end. And regardless of how supposedly noble that end is, exploitation to reach that end is wrong. Horribly. I want everyone to read this book. It’s incredibly important. I know that many of you will read this review and say to yourselves, “Why on earth would I want to read that? She said it CRUSHED HER SOUL! O_O” but sometimes we need to have our souls crushed so that we can rebuild them better and containing more caring, compassion, and understanding than they had before.
That’s all I’m saying. Read this book.
Thirteen year old Joey is almost completely deaf and struggles to read lips in a world of hearing people because her mother refuses to allow her to learn sign language. Her mother is full of excuses, everything from “It’ll make you lazy so that you won’t be able to read lips to understand people who can’t sign,” to “It’ll show everyone that you’re disabled and they’ll pity you.” So, needless to say, Joey is isolated and largely ignored by people who aren’t able to communicate with her, until she meets Charlie, an elderly man who lives nearby and his chimpanzee, Sukari. This chance meeting changes all of their lives.
All I can say is “Wow”. If you know me at all, you know that I love a gut-wrenching story, one that breaks your heart and hollows you out. This book did all that and more. This book made me something of an emotional train-wreck. I feel like I need a thesaurus to even correctly assign my emotional states. I couldn’t breathe through the last half of this book, and I could barely even see. I can’t remember ever having cried so much during a book as I did with this one, but I didn’t feel manipulated or that Ginny Rorby was playing with my emotions. Rather I felt that she took this story, and all that it represents, incredibly seriously and portrayed it as honestly as possible. The fact that it crushed my soul is inevitable, because both subjects in the book are ones that nudge my overactive empathy gland into the mass-production red-zone. I’m an animal lover, and protector of small and defenseless things of all kinds, and so the events that occurred in this book were painful. I’m not deaf, but in her love for Sukari, I identified with Joey to the point where what happened to her felt like it was happening to me. And it felt incredibly real.
Whew. OK. Picking this back up later. I wrote all of that on June 24th, but I couldn’t stop being a weeping mess, so I set it aside. I couldn’t post it until Kellee’d received her bookmark anyway, which was definitely a good thing because it gave me a chance to put a little distance between this story and my heart, even though all I wanted was to rush in to talk to her about it, because it had affected me so strongly.
I don’t want to talk about the story itself in this review, although I will say that it is one that made me both proud and ashamed of being human. Proud because we have the capacity for learning and growth and empathy and understanding one another, but ashamed because we don’t use it, and worse, we exploit anything and anyone to reach an end. And regardless of how supposedly noble that end is, exploitation to reach that end is wrong. Horribly. I want everyone to read this book. It’s incredibly important. I know that many of you will read this review and say to yourselves, “Why on earth would I want to read that? She said it CRUSHED HER SOUL! O_O” but sometimes we need to have our souls crushed so that we can rebuild them better and containing more caring, compassion, and understanding than they had before.
That’s all I’m saying. Read this book.
December 29, 2025
Oh geez, I was a weepy mess by the time I finished this book. Thankfully I had put off going to Starbucks where I could sit and finish it while having a mocha, because as many people who read my reviews know, I am notorious for sitting in public places and reading while wiping away the tears and snot running down my face. So I was able to avoid the curious stares from other patrons or the worried baristas coming up to me asking, "are you okay?"
I'm not going to go into what the whole story was about. You can read that on other reviews. I mostly just want to express how I felt while I was reading it. I went through a huge range of emotions; happy, sad, angry, frustrated, grief stricken. My heart hurt a lot.
If you love animals, rescue animals, support animal rights, donate money to animal rights organizations, and most important, can't stand for any animal to be hurt, mistreated or abused in any way, then the last pages of this book will gut punch you for sure. I was an emotional wreck by the end. Would I recommend this book? Definitely. Although the story is fictional, it is in large part taken from the life of a chimpanzee named Lucy. As the author states in the afterward, "Lucy is the real-life Sukari. What happens to Sukari, happened to Lucy. So, although this is a work of fiction, little of it is untrue.....the kindest thing we can do for chimpanzees is to protect them in the wild, stop using them in senseless commercials and stupid movies, and stop locking them in small cages to use as hairy test tubes. Our DNA is 98.4% identical to that of chimpanzees. You can help by supporting the people who are working to protect our closest relatives." I wholeheartedly agree.
I'm not going to go into what the whole story was about. You can read that on other reviews. I mostly just want to express how I felt while I was reading it. I went through a huge range of emotions; happy, sad, angry, frustrated, grief stricken. My heart hurt a lot.
If you love animals, rescue animals, support animal rights, donate money to animal rights organizations, and most important, can't stand for any animal to be hurt, mistreated or abused in any way, then the last pages of this book will gut punch you for sure. I was an emotional wreck by the end. Would I recommend this book? Definitely. Although the story is fictional, it is in large part taken from the life of a chimpanzee named Lucy. As the author states in the afterward, "Lucy is the real-life Sukari. What happens to Sukari, happened to Lucy. So, although this is a work of fiction, little of it is untrue.....the kindest thing we can do for chimpanzees is to protect them in the wild, stop using them in senseless commercials and stupid movies, and stop locking them in small cages to use as hairy test tubes. Our DNA is 98.4% identical to that of chimpanzees. You can help by supporting the people who are working to protect our closest relatives." I wholeheartedly agree.
February 13, 2008
I began and finished this book in one day. It is one of the only books to ever move me to tears, right up there with Black Beauty and the Sixth Harry Potter Book. I strongly recomend this book for anyone with a big heart. Im not going to spoil the book by trying to explain the plot; its not that easy. All i can say is that this is one of the most beeautiful books i've ever read. The plot is bitter-sweet, made even sweeter by the originality of it.
August 8, 2015
Hurt Go Happy is one of the best (and yet largely unheard of) books I have read recently. It covers many issues that we face in this society: how to treat disabled children, animal cruelty, and domestic violence. As a hard of hearing person myself, I could relate extremely well with Joey's experiences in the "hearing world." Her disability was portrayed very accurately considering the author knew nothing about being deaf before she began the book. All the characters are complicated and lovable, including many people I never thought I'd like. It made me laugh, cry, and most importantly it made me think. People who read Kenneth Oppel's "Half Brother" will enjoy this book for the similar close emotional ties to animals that are portrayed, and the complicated issues that are explored behind animal cruelty.
This may seem like a book for middle grade readers (Joey begins the book as a twelve-year-old) but it is most certainly for an older audience. There are some very gruesome descriptions of the conditions at a research lab that may be hard for any reader to handle. There is also talk about domestic violence and alcohol.
Hurt Go Happy touched my heart and it is a shame that it is not more widely acknowledged. I recommend it for people who are deaf/hard of hearing, animal rights activists, and pretty much everyone else in the world.
This may seem like a book for middle grade readers (Joey begins the book as a twelve-year-old) but it is most certainly for an older audience. There are some very gruesome descriptions of the conditions at a research lab that may be hard for any reader to handle. There is also talk about domestic violence and alcohol.
Hurt Go Happy touched my heart and it is a shame that it is not more widely acknowledged. I recommend it for people who are deaf/hard of hearing, animal rights activists, and pretty much everyone else in the world.
December 29, 2012
Why I picked it up: I saw it listed as a read-alike on The Hub but had never heard of it, and I am generally drawn to stories with deaf characters.
When the story starts, Joey is thirteen. She meets an older neighbor, Charlie, who knows sign language because his parents were both deaf. Charlie has a chimpanzee at his home who he is teaching sign language to. Joey, whose mother refuses to let her learn sign language, finds real understanding with Charlie and the chimp Sukari.
I wasn’t wowed by it. I liked the story of Joey being finally understood by her older neighbor and Charlie standing up for Joey in a way no one else would. But that is just one thread of the story and it was over too quickly for me. Quite frankly, I didn’t care about the animal treatment part of the story. I know, that may make me a terrible person, but it’s just not one of my issues. The story was trying to do and be too many things for me. And it jumped big sections of time, which I am not crazy about. I did like that the chapter numbers were also displayed in hands making the signs for the correct number.
Contains: discussion of a physically abusive parent; animals in research facilities
When the story starts, Joey is thirteen. She meets an older neighbor, Charlie, who knows sign language because his parents were both deaf. Charlie has a chimpanzee at his home who he is teaching sign language to. Joey, whose mother refuses to let her learn sign language, finds real understanding with Charlie and the chimp Sukari.
I wasn’t wowed by it. I liked the story of Joey being finally understood by her older neighbor and Charlie standing up for Joey in a way no one else would. But that is just one thread of the story and it was over too quickly for me. Quite frankly, I didn’t care about the animal treatment part of the story. I know, that may make me a terrible person, but it’s just not one of my issues. The story was trying to do and be too many things for me. And it jumped big sections of time, which I am not crazy about. I did like that the chapter numbers were also displayed in hands making the signs for the correct number.
Contains: discussion of a physically abusive parent; animals in research facilities
August 29, 2011
There were two major issues portrayed in this book: deafness and animal rights. I was highly impressed by the way the author, Ginny Rorby, wrote about both issues, but I was particularly moved by her insight into deafness and how it affected Joey and her mother. The debate over modes of communication for deaf and hard of hearing children is huge and Ms. Rorby presented both viewpoints realistically.
My one complaint is that I didn't care for the way time sped up at the end of the book. Large chunks of time were skipped over in order to advance the plot line of rescuing Sukari. I understand that finding a place for Sukari to live would be a time-intensive undertaking, but the flow/pacing of this part of the book didn't gel with the beginning of the book.
My one complaint is that I didn't care for the way time sped up at the end of the book. Large chunks of time were skipped over in order to advance the plot line of rescuing Sukari. I understand that finding a place for Sukari to live would be a time-intensive undertaking, but the flow/pacing of this part of the book didn't gel with the beginning of the book.
February 23, 2022
3.5 stars-- The true-life stories of multiple chimpanzees and other great apes trained to communicate via sign language in the late 20th century have inspired multiple works of fiction. HURT GO HAPPY is one such story geared to a YA audience.
Joey has been deaf since early childhood, but for reasons that are increasingly nonsensical to her, her troubled mother has forbidden her from learning ASL. Things begin to change when Joey meets Charlie, an elderly doctor who is the caretaker of Sukari, an orphaned chimpanzee who has learned to sign in order to communicate with humans. When Sukari's future is suddenly in grave peril, Joey must summon all of her resolve to navigate a world she has been sheltered from in order to save the little chimp.
HURT GO HAPPY explores multiple themes including Deaf culture, finding one's place in the world, family drama, and the systemic mistreatment of animals, especially nonhuman primates. Those who already know a bit about chimps will recognize some of Sukari's statements and behaviors as being inspired by her real-life signing counterparts. I was also surprised to see that the names of real-life primate sanctuaries and primate rescue advocates appeared in this fictional book. (Some of the bad guys in the world of primates appear too--with thinly-disguised new names.) I was glad to see the author seems to have genuine compassion for chimps and wants to make readers aware of the issues facing them, and didn't just create an airy "cute animal" story.
I preferred the second half of the book, when the story picks up and becomes more complex. I didn't really care for the narrator's tone in the audiobook, as she frequently defaulted to a cutesy sing-song that seemed much too young for a story that delves into some fairly intense territory.
Joey has been deaf since early childhood, but for reasons that are increasingly nonsensical to her, her troubled mother has forbidden her from learning ASL. Things begin to change when Joey meets Charlie, an elderly doctor who is the caretaker of Sukari, an orphaned chimpanzee who has learned to sign in order to communicate with humans. When Sukari's future is suddenly in grave peril, Joey must summon all of her resolve to navigate a world she has been sheltered from in order to save the little chimp.
HURT GO HAPPY explores multiple themes including Deaf culture, finding one's place in the world, family drama, and the systemic mistreatment of animals, especially nonhuman primates. Those who already know a bit about chimps will recognize some of Sukari's statements and behaviors as being inspired by her real-life signing counterparts. I was also surprised to see that the names of real-life primate sanctuaries and primate rescue advocates appeared in this fictional book. (Some of the bad guys in the world of primates appear too--with thinly-disguised new names.) I was glad to see the author seems to have genuine compassion for chimps and wants to make readers aware of the issues facing them, and didn't just create an airy "cute animal" story.
I preferred the second half of the book, when the story picks up and becomes more complex. I didn't really care for the narrator's tone in the audiobook, as she frequently defaulted to a cutesy sing-song that seemed much too young for a story that delves into some fairly intense territory.
May 30, 2018
This story is very touching and interesting.Sukari is a chimpanzee who can sign,and adapted to being a human when raised by a human man.Joey is a girl with hearing loss caused by circumstances that would break anyones heart and her mother never allowed her to learn sign language just because her mother insisted she should learn to live in the hearing world despite having hearing loss.charlie helped her so much and brought joy into her life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2010
This was an amazing discussion book! Ruth was such a complicated character that it was really fun analyzing her psyche.
September 28, 2020
It was a wonderful book. At times it felt boring, and I had to drag myself through some pages. The characters weren't well described, and also the story flew from one part to another; previous plot not linking with the next one. The writing style was okay. I think it might be a children's book, and that's why I wasn't so invested in the characters and the writing style. But the story was really beautiful. At some parts were quotes when I just had to close the book and put it down- letting the words sink in. The storyline was really unique- not many books are written about the undying relationship between a human and an animal- and this one is probably the best one among them. I can see that my younger self would've rated this book 5 stars, so I encourage every 10 year old out there to read this book, it teaches us to love animals and reminds us that they are living breathing creatures with feelings and emotions just like us.
January 14, 2020
I remember reading this book when it first came out and loving it. Happy to find that I liked it just as much when I re-read it :)
Although this book says it is for ages 10 and up, I would say it would have to be mature 10 year old. There are themes of domestic violence and child abuse, animal testing and cruelty, first love, and death.
Although this book says it is for ages 10 and up, I would say it would have to be mature 10 year old. There are themes of domestic violence and child abuse, animal testing and cruelty, first love, and death.
May 6, 2008
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I had actually never heard of this title until I stumbled across it on the New York Public Library's "Books for the Teen Age" list for 2007. How I had missed it is a mystery, one that I can only chalk up to a lack of promotional advertising. Which is a horrible shame, because this book is one of the best I've read in years. If you haven't read it, you should. If you've never heard of it, don't worry, because you'll never forget it once you've read it.
I didn't have a lot of preconceived ideas going into the story. From the book jacket, I knew that HURT GO HAPPY was about a girl named Joey who was deaf, and who lived with a mother who forbid her to learn ASL, or American Sign Language. I knew that she met a chimpanzee named Sukari, who had been raised almost like a child by a man named Charlie, who had taught her ASL. What I didn't know was that this is the most emotional story I've ever read. It may have been a mistake to read this book at work (Don't worry, I'm allowed!), because I broke down in tears more times than I can count while reading it.
It's true that Joey is deaf. She wasn't born that way, but suffered from a childhood incident that isn't revealed until close to the end of the book. The reader knows that it must have been something bad, and it probably has something to do with why her mother, Ruth, doesn't want her learning to sign. That abhorrent, inane hatred of sign language is an attribute of Ruth's that had me disliking her from the first, and even though, over time, her stance ultimately changes, I never came to fully enjoy her as a character. That being said, though, she is one of the strongest characters of the story, and even though I fault her for many mistakes she made throughout HURT GO HAPPY, you can always understand, on some level, how she came to make them.
When Joey meets Charlie, an older doctor who lives close to their home in California, she is immediately taken with him. Not only does he know sign language, but he truly knows her -- and for a girl like Joey, cut off from so many people at home and at school by her inability to communicate easily, this is a treasure. When she meets Sukari, the chimp who is more like a child, she's smitten.
Over the course of months, Joey, Charlie, and Sukari bond as if they were their own tightly knit family, and in a way they are. There are obstacles to overcome, as always, that involve Joey's family, Charlie's health, and Sukari's relationship with them all. HURT GO HAPPY spans the course of years, and during that time we see a myriad of changes, from Joey learning to sign and attending a school for the deaf, from Charlie suffering from his bad heart, and from Sukari being taken from the only home she's ever known to ultimately end up in a research lab.
This isn't an easy story to read, but it's so heartfelt and true that you won't want to stop reading it. Although it's hard to say whether or not HURT GO HAPPY has a happy ending, it has one that is so true to life that you'll understand it's the only way it could have ended. The author makes it clear that this is a story based on true events, and that fact alone will have you thinking of the world in new ways. This book isn't just about being deaf, nor is it strictly about using animals for testing. It's about the choices we make, the burdens we carry, and the love that gets us through it all.
There is so much more I could tell you about this book. I could tell you that I ordered a copy of the AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CONCISE DICTIONARY so that my daughter and I could learn more signs. I could tell you that I ordered books about other chimps who have lived their lives using ASL. I could mention that, although I had previously never thought much about testing on animals, I now can't stop thinking about it. I could also tell you that, genetically, chimpanzees share over 98% of the same DNA as humans. In the end, though, I'll just say that HURT GO HAPPY is, simply stated, amazing. Read it. You'll be glad you did. I promise.
I had actually never heard of this title until I stumbled across it on the New York Public Library's "Books for the Teen Age" list for 2007. How I had missed it is a mystery, one that I can only chalk up to a lack of promotional advertising. Which is a horrible shame, because this book is one of the best I've read in years. If you haven't read it, you should. If you've never heard of it, don't worry, because you'll never forget it once you've read it.
I didn't have a lot of preconceived ideas going into the story. From the book jacket, I knew that HURT GO HAPPY was about a girl named Joey who was deaf, and who lived with a mother who forbid her to learn ASL, or American Sign Language. I knew that she met a chimpanzee named Sukari, who had been raised almost like a child by a man named Charlie, who had taught her ASL. What I didn't know was that this is the most emotional story I've ever read. It may have been a mistake to read this book at work (Don't worry, I'm allowed!), because I broke down in tears more times than I can count while reading it.
It's true that Joey is deaf. She wasn't born that way, but suffered from a childhood incident that isn't revealed until close to the end of the book. The reader knows that it must have been something bad, and it probably has something to do with why her mother, Ruth, doesn't want her learning to sign. That abhorrent, inane hatred of sign language is an attribute of Ruth's that had me disliking her from the first, and even though, over time, her stance ultimately changes, I never came to fully enjoy her as a character. That being said, though, she is one of the strongest characters of the story, and even though I fault her for many mistakes she made throughout HURT GO HAPPY, you can always understand, on some level, how she came to make them.
When Joey meets Charlie, an older doctor who lives close to their home in California, she is immediately taken with him. Not only does he know sign language, but he truly knows her -- and for a girl like Joey, cut off from so many people at home and at school by her inability to communicate easily, this is a treasure. When she meets Sukari, the chimp who is more like a child, she's smitten.
Over the course of months, Joey, Charlie, and Sukari bond as if they were their own tightly knit family, and in a way they are. There are obstacles to overcome, as always, that involve Joey's family, Charlie's health, and Sukari's relationship with them all. HURT GO HAPPY spans the course of years, and during that time we see a myriad of changes, from Joey learning to sign and attending a school for the deaf, from Charlie suffering from his bad heart, and from Sukari being taken from the only home she's ever known to ultimately end up in a research lab.
This isn't an easy story to read, but it's so heartfelt and true that you won't want to stop reading it. Although it's hard to say whether or not HURT GO HAPPY has a happy ending, it has one that is so true to life that you'll understand it's the only way it could have ended. The author makes it clear that this is a story based on true events, and that fact alone will have you thinking of the world in new ways. This book isn't just about being deaf, nor is it strictly about using animals for testing. It's about the choices we make, the burdens we carry, and the love that gets us through it all.
There is so much more I could tell you about this book. I could tell you that I ordered a copy of the AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CONCISE DICTIONARY so that my daughter and I could learn more signs. I could tell you that I ordered books about other chimps who have lived their lives using ASL. I could mention that, although I had previously never thought much about testing on animals, I now can't stop thinking about it. I could also tell you that, genetically, chimpanzees share over 98% of the same DNA as humans. In the end, though, I'll just say that HURT GO HAPPY is, simply stated, amazing. Read it. You'll be glad you did. I promise.
July 18, 2010
recommended by my 10 DD as a "must read", I picked this one up expecting to love it. In the end, I didn't love it; however, I have a feeling the story will stay with me. Joey is 13, deaf, and not allowed to learned ASL (her Mother wants her to lip read in order to not stand out). The story takes a turn when Joey meets a neighbor who is raising a chimp, using sign language and is passionate about chimp and animal well-care. There are a lot of issues in this small book which don't all mesh. However, the author does an excellent job introducing the truth about animal testing and the conditions the apes live in while being tested.
This was a difficult read due to the subject matter. However, it gave me an opportunity to talk to my daughter about a very difficult subject, animal cruelty. Clearly, she was moved by this story as well. I would recommend this book to tweens, animal lovers and readers interested in changing the world, one action at a time.
This was a difficult read due to the subject matter. However, it gave me an opportunity to talk to my daughter about a very difficult subject, animal cruelty. Clearly, she was moved by this story as well. I would recommend this book to tweens, animal lovers and readers interested in changing the world, one action at a time.
August 6, 2008
Hurt Go Happy is a very touching story about a girl, Joey, who has been deaf since the age of six. As she struggles to live in the “hearing” world not knowing sign language because her mother wants her to read peoples lips. The world changes when Joey discovers a neighbor who has a chimpanzee, Sukari, that knows how to use ASL. Sukari and Joey quickly become friends and she begins to learn how to sign.
The story takes a turn when Sukari’s owner Charlie becomes ill. It is up to Joey to save Sukari for the dangers out there and to find her a new home. Ginny Rorby not only has not only shows us how important it is to communicate and understand others but she also teaches us that we are stronger then we may realize.
The story takes a turn when Sukari’s owner Charlie becomes ill. It is up to Joey to save Sukari for the dangers out there and to find her a new home. Ginny Rorby not only has not only shows us how important it is to communicate and understand others but she also teaches us that we are stronger then we may realize.
April 26, 2013
So, in sixth grade, this was the required reading book for English. As everyone knows and has experienced, NO ONE WANTS TO READ REQUIRED READING. Even I didn't. However, after reading the first two chapters I was immediately hooked. This story brought tears to my eyes and I applaud the author. I can not think of one bad thing about this book, granted that it was 3 years ago when I read it. So, actually, I can't REMEMBER anything bad. I loved this book, even though a couple years ago I was really into mystery, scary, horror books. Yes, horror books. Please leave comments about your thoughts, opinions, questions, critiques, and anything else. Also, if any of you have a copy that you would be willing to give away and/or sell for a REALLY low price, please send me a message!
August 13, 2009
While based loosely on a real event, this story is fictionalized in a way that is very powerful and interesting. The author's impassioned plea at the end for compassion for chimps is heartfelt.
The story itself is very interesting, about a young teen girl who has to deal with deafness. As the story progresses the reader realizes there is a second, hidden story having to do with the cause of her hearing loss. As the truth is revealed to the reader, the story takes several twists.
The mother's desire for her daughter to be "normal" overwhelms the needs of her daughter through much of the story, and this is very believable, albeit painful.
The story itself is very interesting, about a young teen girl who has to deal with deafness. As the story progresses the reader realizes there is a second, hidden story having to do with the cause of her hearing loss. As the truth is revealed to the reader, the story takes several twists.
The mother's desire for her daughter to be "normal" overwhelms the needs of her daughter through much of the story, and this is very believable, albeit painful.
October 18, 2011
Hurt go Happy is about a 13 year old girl Joey that lost her hearing when she was 6.Joey's mom wouldn't let her learn sign language because she thought it would make her look handy caped.Suruki is a 2 year old chimp that was rescued from Africa after poachers killed her mom.Charlie thought Suruki sign language so she can tell him what she needs and wants.I thought this book was was very good,it thought me that if someone is deaf you don't have to stare just write out what you need to say.I would recommend this book to students that like a story that shows no matter how different some one is the can still make a difference.
December 8, 2012
Hurt go happy is one of my favorite books, it is so sweet. It is amazing how Sukari can have a relationship with the goose and Hidey her cat. Hurt go happy really made me think. When they were walking through the lab tears welled up in my eyes threatening to spill, and I cried even more when Sukari kept asking for 'turtle'. It is astonishing in a good way that Sukari can form a relationship with Charlie, Luke and especially Joey. Sukari can speak human language, and acts like a human child. She probably thinks that she is a human child. Hurt go happy is definitely one of my favorite books. I love crime novels and mysteries, but books like Hurt go happy just over power crime novels.
August 11, 2011
I LOVED this book. It is a great story about growing up and discovering who you are. I'll warn you, it is sad. But so, so good.
June 19, 2015
It was such a sweet book. It made you want to laugh and cry. so many touching moments one of the best books i've read. I'm giving itt five stars because there is nothing i would change
January 12, 2016
This was a very touching book about a deaf girl and a chimpanzee. I don't want to spoil anything so lets just say-- go check it out yourself.
September 13, 2025
Well. Read that in a day. I couldn’t stop reading. And sobbing my way through it.
Reminded me of how important it is for us to find a way to communicate and be understood.
Content: horrific animal abuse, abuse
Reminded me of how important it is for us to find a way to communicate and be understood.
Content: horrific animal abuse, abuse
April 14, 2008
*Warning a big spoiler*
Ginny Rorby tells us the amazing story of interaction between human and animal species. On this book the author writes the story of deaf girl which finds happiness in something so simple like a chimpanzee. Because of the love she has to this animal she goes through an adventure that will change her life. On this book, the author focuses on using descriptive and powerful words to narrate the life of Joey and her new friend, Sukari. The story begins with a sudden change in Joey’s life, which Ginny explains with extravagant words. “How could she imaged her day would take this turn? That she would be sitting here with a chimpanzee rifling her pockets, splaying her lip to look at her teeth, and rooting into her boots.” After meeting the animal, Joey has a problem with her mother and her best friend, their relationship was broken the first time they saw each other. “-Practice your lip reading- Ruth said, emphasizing each word. –And stay away from that awful little girl- she snapped…” As time passed in the book, Joey receives her first card from Charlie who was Sukari’s owner. She fights with her mother, and later on reads the letter. “She shook the daddy longlegs out of the tarp and pried the banana slugs off with a twig… She dug the letter from her pocket and peeled it open… ” The adventure for Joey continues. Some days later a secret is reveled, a secret about Joey’s deafness. “…- Was it your ex husband? - Her mother’s reaction filled the part Joey missed. She grabbed blindly for the sofa to keep from falling.”
Other things happen in the book, like meeting a new friend, a goose. All of a sudden an unfortunate event happens. Charlie dies. “… Joey slumped against the side of the bed and pulled Sukari into her arms… she sobbed against the coarse hair of the thin shoulder.” Joey has even more adventures like going to a new school, finding Sukari who she hadn’t seen for a long time in a laboratory. Death is about to carry Sukari on, but Joey takes her to an animal care center. The book is ended by the death of the chimpanzee and the author ends the story with words that can make you cry. “ … When she least prepared, some small scene from the past played out in her mind, like a special-delivery smile wrapped around a stone of longing.
Genetically chimpanzees are 98% human
Ginny Rorby tells us the amazing story of interaction between human and animal species. On this book the author writes the story of deaf girl which finds happiness in something so simple like a chimpanzee. Because of the love she has to this animal she goes through an adventure that will change her life. On this book, the author focuses on using descriptive and powerful words to narrate the life of Joey and her new friend, Sukari. The story begins with a sudden change in Joey’s life, which Ginny explains with extravagant words. “How could she imaged her day would take this turn? That she would be sitting here with a chimpanzee rifling her pockets, splaying her lip to look at her teeth, and rooting into her boots.” After meeting the animal, Joey has a problem with her mother and her best friend, their relationship was broken the first time they saw each other. “-Practice your lip reading- Ruth said, emphasizing each word. –And stay away from that awful little girl- she snapped…” As time passed in the book, Joey receives her first card from Charlie who was Sukari’s owner. She fights with her mother, and later on reads the letter. “She shook the daddy longlegs out of the tarp and pried the banana slugs off with a twig… She dug the letter from her pocket and peeled it open… ” The adventure for Joey continues. Some days later a secret is reveled, a secret about Joey’s deafness. “…- Was it your ex husband? - Her mother’s reaction filled the part Joey missed. She grabbed blindly for the sofa to keep from falling.”
Other things happen in the book, like meeting a new friend, a goose. All of a sudden an unfortunate event happens. Charlie dies. “… Joey slumped against the side of the bed and pulled Sukari into her arms… she sobbed against the coarse hair of the thin shoulder.” Joey has even more adventures like going to a new school, finding Sukari who she hadn’t seen for a long time in a laboratory. Death is about to carry Sukari on, but Joey takes her to an animal care center. The book is ended by the death of the chimpanzee and the author ends the story with words that can make you cry. “ … When she least prepared, some small scene from the past played out in her mind, like a special-delivery smile wrapped around a stone of longing.
Genetically chimpanzees are 98% human
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2012
I love this book! :))) It's cute, touching, a growing up novel all at the same time! The parts where I get the most emotional over is when Joey saw Sukari at the lab centre. I could visualize Sukari's condition, and it's her hand signs that got me crying. And when they went to the airport and Sukari signed for Ms Miller to hug her, I cried again.
I can't believe that this book is fiction, it sounds pretty real to me. It is a nice change to read something pretty realistic, after reading all those fantasy books - Cinder, Everneath, Under the Never Sky etc.
Can chimpanzee really communicate to us using words if they know words? I was impressed with Sukari that she has such a big vocabulary in American Sign Language, and she is so cute! But the other primates in the testing lab? Poor things. I didn't know this is what laboratory animals went through and I feel really sad for them.
I also pity Sukari too. She is repeatedly separated from people she loves and left to cope on her own. Yet when her loved ones return to find her, she does not bear grudges but readily forgives them and loves them back. I know it's not their fault - Charlie really cannot help dying, and Joey really do not have the knowledge and facilities to house Sukari. But the biggest thing I have learnt from Sukari, is to have a big heart, and to forgive others no matter what they had done to you.
I could follow Joey's maturation throughout the book. She becomes really resilient, and learns a lot of new stuff on the way, although the more she learns, the more estranged her relationship with her mother becomes. She tries not to receive help from other people and to be independent, which is something that I would not have done. She is also not ashamed of her handicap.
And I think Charlie is a very nice old man, and he played a big part in shaping Joey's character.
This book taught me many things, and I enjoyed it too.
Recommend to everyone :)
I can't believe that this book is fiction, it sounds pretty real to me. It is a nice change to read something pretty realistic, after reading all those fantasy books - Cinder, Everneath, Under the Never Sky etc.
Can chimpanzee really communicate to us using words if they know words? I was impressed with Sukari that she has such a big vocabulary in American Sign Language, and she is so cute! But the other primates in the testing lab? Poor things. I didn't know this is what laboratory animals went through and I feel really sad for them.
I also pity Sukari too. She is repeatedly separated from people she loves and left to cope on her own. Yet when her loved ones return to find her, she does not bear grudges but readily forgives them and loves them back. I know it's not their fault - Charlie really cannot help dying, and Joey really do not have the knowledge and facilities to house Sukari. But the biggest thing I have learnt from Sukari, is to have a big heart, and to forgive others no matter what they had done to you.
I could follow Joey's maturation throughout the book. She becomes really resilient, and learns a lot of new stuff on the way, although the more she learns, the more estranged her relationship with her mother becomes. She tries not to receive help from other people and to be independent, which is something that I would not have done. She is also not ashamed of her handicap.
And I think Charlie is a very nice old man, and he played a big part in shaping Joey's character.
This book taught me many things, and I enjoyed it too.
Recommend to everyone :)
May 1, 2017
This is a very moving book. Written with young adults in mind, the story seems simple - but a look into the restricted daily life a hearing impaired teen, and an adolescent chimp who's care giver dies and the choices that are available for her continuing care are extremely limited. This story makes you look at your hidden prejudices and lack of understanding of the difficulties endured by anyone trapped in the silence of deafness, and see from a realistic distance the harm that can be done to any creature raised outside their own species.
I have a sister-in-law in her mid 70's who has lived with us these last ten years. Until I read this book I did not understand why I couldn't get her to wear her hearing aids. It seemed to me that it was simply absentminded at best, and punishment of us all at worst. Never could I see that the silence was preferable to the confusion of noise, or that the silence was in and of itself a joy to her. Her refusal to learn sign or to read lips, and the 'loss' of her hearing aids on a trip to town so that we have to write everything or yell in her ear, that might be punishment....
Chimps played a vital roll in the space program in the United States. I often tell visitors of the roll played by the six chimps trained at Holloman Aero Medical in the 1950's and early 1960's when they visit our museum. Ham was sent up 31 Jan 1961, performing all the tasks assigned, prior to the 5 May 1961 flight of Alan Shepherd. On 29 November 1961 Enos went up and circumnavigated the earth before John Glenn's 20 February 1962 flight. Chimps proved that we could withstand the excessive G's of space travel, and still perform tasks necessary to control the ship and return. The thought of these wonderful creatures being treated as Sukari was is an abomination.
I have a sister-in-law in her mid 70's who has lived with us these last ten years. Until I read this book I did not understand why I couldn't get her to wear her hearing aids. It seemed to me that it was simply absentminded at best, and punishment of us all at worst. Never could I see that the silence was preferable to the confusion of noise, or that the silence was in and of itself a joy to her. Her refusal to learn sign or to read lips, and the 'loss' of her hearing aids on a trip to town so that we have to write everything or yell in her ear, that might be punishment....
Chimps played a vital roll in the space program in the United States. I often tell visitors of the roll played by the six chimps trained at Holloman Aero Medical in the 1950's and early 1960's when they visit our museum. Ham was sent up 31 Jan 1961, performing all the tasks assigned, prior to the 5 May 1961 flight of Alan Shepherd. On 29 November 1961 Enos went up and circumnavigated the earth before John Glenn's 20 February 1962 flight. Chimps proved that we could withstand the excessive G's of space travel, and still perform tasks necessary to control the ship and return. The thought of these wonderful creatures being treated as Sukari was is an abomination.
August 14, 2015
This is the first book that ever made me cry I believe. It's based on a true story, which makes this book even more heart wrenching and awesome. Hurt Go Happy was incredible and really opened my eyes and ears to some of the things around me in this crazy, messed up, beautiful world. This is about the friendship between a deaf girl and a chimpanzee. Joey Willis is a teenage girl who became deaf because of an incident that occurred when she was six. Her father is not in the picture, and the relationship with her mother is strained. Joey doesn't have many friends, and her mom won't allow her to learn sign language. One day Joey alights upon Dr. Charles Mansell and his chimpanzee, Sukari. Joey starts spending time with both of them. She beings to learn how to sign and has a beautiful relationship with both Charlie and Sukari. There is happiness and sadness in this story. As the book progresses, you understand why Joey became deaf, and tragedy strikes which will leave you sobbing and hoping for the happy ending that doesn't exactly come in the way that you might predict. I can't explain too much or I will spoil the main essence of this amazing story. You will love it when Joey starts to really come into herself and cry at the unfairness of life and some of the inhumane things that happen in this book. I would recommend this to teenagers and above, but it is a book that should be read by all.
February 8, 2015
This book was so incredibly good! The main issues in the book were deafness and animal rights. A teenage girl who has been deaf since she was 7 is still trying to come into her own when she knows she didn't really fit. Her hearing loss has created isolation that is only made worse by an extremely controlling and manipulating mother. Thankfully she meets a neighbor who happens to be a CODA (child of deaf adults) and his chimpanzee. Joey quickly finds comfort and love in these two friends and that helps her deal with the tension and drama that come with her relationship with her mom. The author does such an amazing job with showing the impact of hearing loss on relationships and also showing the depth of emotions involved when choosing the best communication for oneself or one's child.
The animal rights part of the book makes you want to get involved and prevent horrendous treatment of animals. It was expertly crafted to pull at the heartstrings and envision a similar situation to a family pet who is no where as smart or intelligent as Sukari. I had no id a there were so many chimpanzees needing homes in America.
This book made me cry to a depth only felt twice before. I think this shows how strong of a story it is. I don't cry when I don't care about the characters. I cared so much about these characters that I was a blubbering fool.
Please read this book! You won't be disappointed.
The animal rights part of the book makes you want to get involved and prevent horrendous treatment of animals. It was expertly crafted to pull at the heartstrings and envision a similar situation to a family pet who is no where as smart or intelligent as Sukari. I had no id a there were so many chimpanzees needing homes in America.
This book made me cry to a depth only felt twice before. I think this shows how strong of a story it is. I don't cry when I don't care about the characters. I cared so much about these characters that I was a blubbering fool.
Please read this book! You won't be disappointed.
October 16, 2017
This book was about a girl named Joey, she became deaf at age 7 because of an incident that happened with her father. She meets Dr Charles Mansell and his chimpanzee Sukari. He passes away and Sukari becomes Joey's.
My favorite character was Joey (haha main character) because she stays so optimistic even when she's left out of conversations and spent half her life, people feeling sorry for her. She has such strong and bold thoughts about learning sign language and keeping Sukari. Her mother says no but she still stays with her thoughts and does what's she believes it's right (even though it's not good to disobey parents).
I don't really think Joey changed much in the book, I think she just revealed who she always REALLY was. She started saying more of her opinions and thoughts. She went way past what she was really capable of. She loved Sukari so much that she went on a train to save her from being tested on the labs.
The authors craft was especially shown when she had a huge flashback. She was walking and a man was walking behind her, following her. She had a flashback about her father abusing her mother and herself. I thought that was really clever because it was a easy way to show the characters past smoothly.
I recommend this book because it shows you a complete different perspective on how deaf people deal with problems in the world and how they can just as easily change the lives of another individual.
My favorite character was Joey (haha main character) because she stays so optimistic even when she's left out of conversations and spent half her life, people feeling sorry for her. She has such strong and bold thoughts about learning sign language and keeping Sukari. Her mother says no but she still stays with her thoughts and does what's she believes it's right (even though it's not good to disobey parents).
I don't really think Joey changed much in the book, I think she just revealed who she always REALLY was. She started saying more of her opinions and thoughts. She went way past what she was really capable of. She loved Sukari so much that she went on a train to save her from being tested on the labs.
The authors craft was especially shown when she had a huge flashback. She was walking and a man was walking behind her, following her. She had a flashback about her father abusing her mother and herself. I thought that was really clever because it was a easy way to show the characters past smoothly.
I recommend this book because it shows you a complete different perspective on how deaf people deal with problems in the world and how they can just as easily change the lives of another individual.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2010
This book was awesome! Very deep and moving for a children's book. The main character Joey has substntial hearing loss caused by her father's abuse. Her mother won't let her learn sign language because it announces to the world that her daughter is deaf. Joey meets a young Chimpnanzee named Sukari who has been taught sign language. A friendship forms between Joey, Sukari, and the scientist who has taught Sukariu sign language for research purposes. As Joey learns sign language her world broadens. Whn the scientist dies, Joey must decide whether to stand up for herself and her secret knowledge of sign language and save the chimps used in research. This book has messages on many levels. The powe of finding your voice, literally and figuratively, as well as the plight of animals used in research all round the world. Chimps, especially, who are out genetic cousins and the closest living hominid realtions on this earth deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and humanity. The author feels this as well and this comes out as one of the strongest messages in this book. I chose this book because of my interest in psychology and in the use of sign language to communicate with non human primates. The book does not disappoint. It was a remmondation from the 2008 Schneider Family Award list.
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