What do you think?
Rate this book
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!
M. E. Kerr's first novel—hailed by the New York Times as a "timely, compelling" and "brilliantly funny" look at adolescence and friendship
It was bad enough that they had to move to Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights, as Tucker Woolf's dad instructs him to tell everyone after he loses his job. Now his father has suddenly developed an allergy to Tucker's cat, Nader, a nine-month-old calico Tucker found underneath a Chevrolet. Tucker's beloved pet finds a new home with overweight, outrageous Susan "Dinky" Hocker, the only person to answer Tucker's ad. As Tucker starts paying regular visits to Dinky's house to check up on Nader, his life begins to change. Dinky introduces Tucker to her strange cousin, Natalia Line, a compulsive rhymer whom Tucker finds fascinating. And enter P. John Knight, who's fat like Dinky…and now, like Nader. With this odd cast of characters, a little world is created for big kids who need to go on diets. And who also, all of them, need to find out who they are. A story of friendship, self-image, and surviving adolescence, Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! is also about the terror—and exhilaration—of daring to be yourself.
It was bad enough that they had to move to Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights, as Tucker Woolf's dad instructs him to tell everyone after he loses his job. Now his father has suddenly developed an allergy to Tucker's cat, Nader, a nine-month-old calico Tucker found underneath a Chevrolet. Tucker's beloved pet finds a new home with overweight, outrageous Susan "Dinky" Hocker, the only person to answer Tucker's ad. As Tucker starts paying regular visits to Dinky's house to check up on Nader, his life begins to change. Dinky introduces Tucker to her strange cousin, Natalia Line, a compulsive rhymer whom Tucker finds fascinating. And enter P. John Knight, who's fat like Dinky…and now, like Nader. With this odd cast of characters, a little world is created for big kids who need to go on diets. And who also, all of them, need to find out who they are. A story of friendship, self-image, and surviving adolescence, Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! is also about the terror—and exhilaration—of daring to be yourself.
215 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1972
18 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
M.E. Kerr
46 books58 followersM. E. Kerr was born Marijane Meaker in Auburn, New York. Her interest in writing began with her father, who loved to read, and her mother, who loved to tell stories of neighborhood gossip. Unable to find an agent to represent her work, Meaker became her own agent, and wrote articles and books under a series of pseudonyms: Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston, M.E. Kerr, and Mary James. As M.E. Kerr, Meaker has produced over twenty novels for young adults and won multiple awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contribution to young adult literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
February 10, 2017
I loved this book because...
I like books set in New York and surrounding environs in the 1970's
I like books with anxious teen narrators
I like books with obnoxious teen characters who tell their superiors to suck it
I like books with well described fashion and hair
I like books which feature libraries and cats and interesting food
I like books with political undertones
I like books with stilted dialogue
I like this books cover
I like this books insides too
I like books set in New York and surrounding environs in the 1970's
I like books with anxious teen narrators
I like books with obnoxious teen characters who tell their superiors to suck it
I like books with well described fashion and hair
I like books which feature libraries and cats and interesting food
I like books with political undertones
I like books with stilted dialogue
I like this books cover
I like this books insides too
July 3, 2018
For those who don't know, I belong to a social network called Letterboxd.com that works essentially just like Goodreads but for film nerds; and one of the fun things I participate in over there are monthly "scavenger hunts," in which a host will pick a highly specific task for each day of the month and then you have to watch and review a movie that somehow fulfills that task. One of the tasks this month was to watch a movie based on a book you had been forced to read as a child; but instead of picking one of the usual high-school American Lit standbys you would expect, I thought I'd reach all the way back to my dim memories of junior high and choose a 1972 Young Adult novel called Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!, after researching it and learning that it was once adapted into one of the notoriously dark "ABC Afterschool Specials" of the late 1970s. And since it had been so long since I had read the original book, I thought I'd check it out of the Chicago Public Library and read it again in advance of watching the TV movie.
And I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be way more fascinating than I was expecting; the author, who published under the penname M.E. Kerr, is in actuality Marijane Meaker (still alive and a ripe 91 as of this writing), who among other things dated Patricia Highsmith in the 1950s, invented under the penname Vin Packer what are considered the very first "lesbian pulp fiction" novels in existence, wrote a series of nonfiction guides about lesbianism during the Countercultural Era under yet another penname, Ann Aldrich, and only started writing YA novels in the first place because of being encouraged to do so by her friend Louise Fitzhugh, author of Harriet the Spy, just to have her very first kid's book sell over a million copies and eventually be named by School Library Journal as one of the 100 most significant children's books of the 20th century.
It's easy to see why when you read it; published in the same years that Judy Blume and Betsy Byers were also having their first big successes, it's a similarly dark yet humorous social-realist tale that tackles the kinds of edgy issues that had never been attempted before in children's literature but that kids ate up by the spoonful. Ostensibly the story of a teenage "everyboy" in Brooklyn Heights named Tucker, in reality the book is mostly a look at his observations concerning his neighbor and schoolmate of the book's title, a delightfully churlish and overweight busybody who has problems getting along with just about everyone in existence, loves her fish more than humans, and is at constant odds with her do-gooder liberal mother who cares way more about the teenage heroin addicts she works with at the neighborhood community center than her own daughter (leading eventually to the climax from which the book gets its title, when Dinky starts a rumor about herself being a junkie as well, then spray-paints it all around the neighborhood, just in an attempt to get her mother's attention).
It's tempting to say that a book like Dinky Hocker is too dated to be enjoyable to preteens in the 2010s, that in fact this is a lasting problem among all the social-realist Young Adult novels of the 1970s, but after some contemplation I wonder if that's really true. After all, the main conflict in Tucker's household is that his dad has quit his job at an ad agency in order to open a health-food and wellness store; Tucker's main romantic interest is Dinky's visiting cousin, who dresses in goth clothes every day and just finished a recent stay at a mental institution after a suicide attempt; and the main comic relief is the fellow teen who ends up becoming Dinky's unlikely boyfriend, a staunch Libertarian know-it-all Republican within a crunchy hippie liberal Brooklyn neighborhood, and who drives all the good little Democratic parents crazy with his rants about lazy welfare parasites and how we need to make America great again.
If you simply changed some of the pop-culture references and slapped on a contemporary cover, a story like this would actually go over perfectly with today's junior-high students, which is one of the brilliant details of this book that made it such a pleasure to pick up again. It's not exactly easy to track down anymore, despite it once selling in the millions of copies (of the 150 branches of the Chicago Public Library system, for example, only one single solitary copy of the book still remains); but for a wonderful Gen X nostalgia trip that still surprisingly reads as a tight and entertaining story to this day, it's worth going to the trouble to find a copy of Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! if you can. A woman who has earned the right to be as well-remembered from this period as Judy Blume herself is, here's hoping that Meaker gets a well-deserved re-assessment soon.
And I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be way more fascinating than I was expecting; the author, who published under the penname M.E. Kerr, is in actuality Marijane Meaker (still alive and a ripe 91 as of this writing), who among other things dated Patricia Highsmith in the 1950s, invented under the penname Vin Packer what are considered the very first "lesbian pulp fiction" novels in existence, wrote a series of nonfiction guides about lesbianism during the Countercultural Era under yet another penname, Ann Aldrich, and only started writing YA novels in the first place because of being encouraged to do so by her friend Louise Fitzhugh, author of Harriet the Spy, just to have her very first kid's book sell over a million copies and eventually be named by School Library Journal as one of the 100 most significant children's books of the 20th century.
It's easy to see why when you read it; published in the same years that Judy Blume and Betsy Byers were also having their first big successes, it's a similarly dark yet humorous social-realist tale that tackles the kinds of edgy issues that had never been attempted before in children's literature but that kids ate up by the spoonful. Ostensibly the story of a teenage "everyboy" in Brooklyn Heights named Tucker, in reality the book is mostly a look at his observations concerning his neighbor and schoolmate of the book's title, a delightfully churlish and overweight busybody who has problems getting along with just about everyone in existence, loves her fish more than humans, and is at constant odds with her do-gooder liberal mother who cares way more about the teenage heroin addicts she works with at the neighborhood community center than her own daughter (leading eventually to the climax from which the book gets its title, when Dinky starts a rumor about herself being a junkie as well, then spray-paints it all around the neighborhood, just in an attempt to get her mother's attention).
It's tempting to say that a book like Dinky Hocker is too dated to be enjoyable to preteens in the 2010s, that in fact this is a lasting problem among all the social-realist Young Adult novels of the 1970s, but after some contemplation I wonder if that's really true. After all, the main conflict in Tucker's household is that his dad has quit his job at an ad agency in order to open a health-food and wellness store; Tucker's main romantic interest is Dinky's visiting cousin, who dresses in goth clothes every day and just finished a recent stay at a mental institution after a suicide attempt; and the main comic relief is the fellow teen who ends up becoming Dinky's unlikely boyfriend, a staunch Libertarian know-it-all Republican within a crunchy hippie liberal Brooklyn neighborhood, and who drives all the good little Democratic parents crazy with his rants about lazy welfare parasites and how we need to make America great again.
If you simply changed some of the pop-culture references and slapped on a contemporary cover, a story like this would actually go over perfectly with today's junior-high students, which is one of the brilliant details of this book that made it such a pleasure to pick up again. It's not exactly easy to track down anymore, despite it once selling in the millions of copies (of the 150 branches of the Chicago Public Library system, for example, only one single solitary copy of the book still remains); but for a wonderful Gen X nostalgia trip that still surprisingly reads as a tight and entertaining story to this day, it's worth going to the trouble to find a copy of Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! if you can. A woman who has earned the right to be as well-remembered from this period as Judy Blume herself is, here's hoping that Meaker gets a well-deserved re-assessment soon.
June 14, 2012
"People who don't shoot smack have problems too" This is one of my all time favorite young adult novels, and the reason why I'd read all of Kurt Vonnegut by the time I was 17. I read this book over & over as a young teen, but I haven't read since then and revisiting it now all these years later it is still as fresh and immediate as ever it was. ME Kerr describes young teens with such immediacy that the fact it was written in an era of mimeographs & typewriters is immaterial; Tucker, Dinky, Natalia & P. John are real, breathing people and their chief concerns back in 1972 are the same as those of teens today. I remember having thoughts and conversations just like those depicted here in the 1980s & I bet today's kids do too. That's the benefit of Kerr's ability to write such amazingly alive characters.
It was interesting to me to see how much I'd remembered and how much I'd forgotten: the main heart of the book that I've carried with me all these years is the plight of Dinky, ignored by her Mrs Jellyby-esque mother who spends all her time working for charity, chiefly with drug addicts, and alternately ignores and belittles her daughter. That struggle is where the title comes from, there aren't many drugs in the book, in fact there is only really one junkie and he's a minor, comic character. But Dinky's struggle is to get the care and guidance from her parents that she desperately needs if she is to overcome her own serious problems and grow up to be the formidable woman she clearly has the potential to become. Even Dinky's cousin Natalia gets more attention from Mr & Mrs Hocker because they have cast Natalia in the role of a deservingly needy person. Tucker is our viewpoint character and the book covers the seven months after he first meets Dinky and her family. Dinky's furious despair has stayed with me for decades. I could relate to her then & I can relate to her now. But what I had forgotten, and I delighted in on this re-read, is the complex relationships and character growth of the other three main characters Tucker, Natalia & P John. P John Tucker's is beautifully written as is . And there are passages like the notebook balloon game and Tucker's Christmas gift to Dinky that are permanently burned in my brain but over the years I'd forgotten where they came from so finding them here in this book was a true delight.
The reason I re-read this book now after all these years was to see if it would be a good gift for my 12 year old niece. I'm definitely going to give it to her someday, but I think she is not quite ready for it now, though I imagine some 12 year olds might be ready. It's such a vivid depiction of being 15, though, that it might best be read by kids closer to that age. And of course, us olds who want to read a great novel.
It was interesting to me to see how much I'd remembered and how much I'd forgotten: the main heart of the book that I've carried with me all these years is the plight of Dinky, ignored by her Mrs Jellyby-esque mother who spends all her time working for charity, chiefly with drug addicts, and alternately ignores and belittles her daughter. That struggle is where the title comes from, there aren't many drugs in the book, in fact there is only really one junkie and he's a minor, comic character. But Dinky's struggle is to get the care and guidance from her parents that she desperately needs if she is to overcome her own serious problems and grow up to be the formidable woman she clearly has the potential to become. Even Dinky's cousin Natalia gets more attention from Mr & Mrs Hocker because they have cast Natalia in the role of a deservingly needy person. Tucker is our viewpoint character and the book covers the seven months after he first meets Dinky and her family. Dinky's furious despair has stayed with me for decades. I could relate to her then & I can relate to her now. But what I had forgotten, and I delighted in on this re-read, is the complex relationships and character growth of the other three main characters Tucker, Natalia & P John. P John Tucker's is beautifully written as is . And there are passages like the notebook balloon game and Tucker's Christmas gift to Dinky that are permanently burned in my brain but over the years I'd forgotten where they came from so finding them here in this book was a true delight.
The reason I re-read this book now after all these years was to see if it would be a good gift for my 12 year old niece. I'm definitely going to give it to her someday, but I think she is not quite ready for it now, though I imagine some 12 year olds might be ready. It's such a vivid depiction of being 15, though, that it might best be read by kids closer to that age. And of course, us olds who want to read a great novel.
May 13, 2010
Don't let the ridiculous cover fool you this book is amazing, and not about drug use at all. It's funny and full of quirky characters. Wes Anderson should turn it into a movie.
October 29, 2012
A book about flawed people, some who think they know everything, some who think they know nothing. By the end, almost all of them have found out they were wrong.
Yes, I have a thing for ya books set in New York City in the 1970s. This book doesn't have a dated feel, at least not in a bad way. I can see it appealing to modern readers. It's more about human relationships than anything else, and that's something anybody can relate to.
Plus, it's full of great quotes! Some of my favorites:
"There are two ways of chaning. One is to become more of what you once were, and one is to become less of what you once were."
"You're bound to see someone more nervous than you are in a library. Sometimes the librarians are more nervous than you are. I'll probably be a librarian for that reason."
"How can you sympathize with someone whose problem seems to be that he thinks he's superior to the underdog?"
and of course,"People who don't shoot smack have problems, too." which kind of sums up the story.
Yes, I have a thing for ya books set in New York City in the 1970s. This book doesn't have a dated feel, at least not in a bad way. I can see it appealing to modern readers. It's more about human relationships than anything else, and that's something anybody can relate to.
Plus, it's full of great quotes! Some of my favorites:
"There are two ways of chaning. One is to become more of what you once were, and one is to become less of what you once were."
"You're bound to see someone more nervous than you are in a library. Sometimes the librarians are more nervous than you are. I'll probably be a librarian for that reason."
"How can you sympathize with someone whose problem seems to be that he thinks he's superior to the underdog?"
and of course,"People who don't shoot smack have problems, too." which kind of sums up the story.
September 6, 2011
"Don't understand me too quickly" is the teaser quip on the cover page of this novel and aptly describes one of the most powerful themes of the novel. Each and every character can be described with this maxim - from the brash and overly-opinionated P.John to Tucker's mother who wants desperately to be something more than a mother. Also - a great commentary about a parent/adult who, obsessed with "doing good in the world," ignore the problems right at home.
This would create fantastic class discussions.
This would create fantastic class discussions.
November 15, 2014
One of my favorite books from childhood. So glad I found this one again. Amazing how a YA novel can touch on so many issues. Didn't buy a copy because I wasn't sure how it would hold up. Definitely buying one now.
February 12, 2017
Kerr, M.E. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack. New York: Harper Trophy, 1972.
Characters: Susan Hocker aka Dinky, Tucker Woolf, Natalia, P. John Knight, Mr. and Mrs. Hocker (Dinky's parents), Marcus, Mr. and Mrs. Woolf (Tucker's parents), Jingle
Setting: 1970’s Brooklyn, New York
Themes: friendship, boy-girl friendships, family relations, self-image, first love, romantic relationships, addiction and rehabilitation
Plot/Summary: A quirky friendship begins between Tucker Woolf and Dinky Hocker when he has to get rid of his cat, Nader, and Dinky is the only one that offers to take him. Tucker, a fifteen year-old boy who loves to read, is quiet and slightly awkward. Dinky, on the other hand, is loud, overweight and extremely opinionated. Throughout, we get to know Dinky’s parents, who are very involved in helping recovering drug addicts, so much so, that they rarely pay any attention to Dinky. On the other hand, Tucker has very loving parents who support all members of the family in their endeavors.
When Dinky takes Nader she invites Tucker to visit whenever he wants, and reluctantly, a friendship develops. Soon, Tucker meets Dinky’s cousin, Natalia, who lives with Dinky’s family and he instantly falls for her. Natalia is nothing like Dinky; she is quiet and shy, and has an old-fashioned way about her. Tucker arranges a double date for him and Natalia, and sets up Dinky with a classmate, loud and overweight P. John. Dinky and P. John hit it off right away. Meanwhile, Tucker struggles through the awkwardness of first love and romance with Natalia. John and Dinky agree to help each other lose weight and begin to get closer. However, John’s outspoken political views upset Dinky’s over absent yet controlling parents, and she is forbidden to see him again. No longer able to see P. John and unable to get the support she needs from her absent parents, Dinky turns to food once again for comfort, until she decides to strike her parents, especially her mother, where it really hurts.
Target Audience: Ages 13-18 yrs. old.
Personal/Critical response: Although the story takes place more than 30 years ago, the issues the characters face are very real and relevant today. The characters are dynamic and their troubles are believable and easy to identify with. The story is told in the third person, but from Tucker's viewpoint. So we get a peak at the inner daily turmoil an adolescent boy experiences. The dialogue is witty and funny. Obesity, drug abuse, absentee/preoccupied parents, first-love, parent relationships, differences in political views, suicide, and depression are all addressed in a simple and straightforward manner. Even better, the author depicts these issues in ordinary people, making is easy for teens today to connect and identify with.
Characters: Susan Hocker aka Dinky, Tucker Woolf, Natalia, P. John Knight, Mr. and Mrs. Hocker (Dinky's parents), Marcus, Mr. and Mrs. Woolf (Tucker's parents), Jingle
Setting: 1970’s Brooklyn, New York
Themes: friendship, boy-girl friendships, family relations, self-image, first love, romantic relationships, addiction and rehabilitation
Plot/Summary: A quirky friendship begins between Tucker Woolf and Dinky Hocker when he has to get rid of his cat, Nader, and Dinky is the only one that offers to take him. Tucker, a fifteen year-old boy who loves to read, is quiet and slightly awkward. Dinky, on the other hand, is loud, overweight and extremely opinionated. Throughout, we get to know Dinky’s parents, who are very involved in helping recovering drug addicts, so much so, that they rarely pay any attention to Dinky. On the other hand, Tucker has very loving parents who support all members of the family in their endeavors.
When Dinky takes Nader she invites Tucker to visit whenever he wants, and reluctantly, a friendship develops. Soon, Tucker meets Dinky’s cousin, Natalia, who lives with Dinky’s family and he instantly falls for her. Natalia is nothing like Dinky; she is quiet and shy, and has an old-fashioned way about her. Tucker arranges a double date for him and Natalia, and sets up Dinky with a classmate, loud and overweight P. John. Dinky and P. John hit it off right away. Meanwhile, Tucker struggles through the awkwardness of first love and romance with Natalia. John and Dinky agree to help each other lose weight and begin to get closer. However, John’s outspoken political views upset Dinky’s over absent yet controlling parents, and she is forbidden to see him again. No longer able to see P. John and unable to get the support she needs from her absent parents, Dinky turns to food once again for comfort, until she decides to strike her parents, especially her mother, where it really hurts.
Target Audience: Ages 13-18 yrs. old.
Personal/Critical response: Although the story takes place more than 30 years ago, the issues the characters face are very real and relevant today. The characters are dynamic and their troubles are believable and easy to identify with. The story is told in the third person, but from Tucker's viewpoint. So we get a peak at the inner daily turmoil an adolescent boy experiences. The dialogue is witty and funny. Obesity, drug abuse, absentee/preoccupied parents, first-love, parent relationships, differences in political views, suicide, and depression are all addressed in a simple and straightforward manner. Even better, the author depicts these issues in ordinary people, making is easy for teens today to connect and identify with.
March 14, 2019
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack is an interesting, yet mind boggling book. This was written by M. E. Kerr. The book is about a boy named Tucker who moved to Brooklyn. He has one friend named Dinky Hocker. She is a little bit heavier which really comes in a little later in the story. Throughout the book these two are going through rough times with their families. Dinky has a cousin who Tucker really likes her. Dinky’s cousin name is Natalia. One night, the three kids were going to a school dance. But, Natalia refused to go unless Tucker found Dinky a date. P. John Knight was someone Tucker thought immediately would be perfect for Dinky. P. John and Dinky immediately clicked, until P. John moved away by himself because he had no support from his family.
The book Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack is quite a ride. It was a great read and can be very straight forward. When you get a chance to sit down and read a lot of the book, it can get very real.
The book Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack is quite a ride. It was a great read and can be very straight forward. When you get a chance to sit down and read a lot of the book, it can get very real.
September 3, 2024
I found this one again after many decades, it was one that I read several times as a teenager and I've really enjoyed reading it again, especially since there are subtexts that probably went right over my head back then.
October 22, 2019
Growing up, I remember seeing this book in my school library and my friends snickering at it. I didn't have any idea, at the time, what shooting smack meant, but the title always intrigued me. Alas, I never read the book in school.
Now here I am, 51 years old and one day that title flashed through my mind: Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack. I started to get intrigued all over again so I went looking for the book, read a few reviews, and bought a Kindle copy. Perhaps I'm trying to recapture my youth, or get more out of it, or something.
Anyway, I thought the book was great. It's quite witty. I laughed out loud at Dinky's interpretation of Hebrews 13:8.
DHSS feels like it was ahead of its time. It looks at addiction in the form of binge/emotional eating as Susan (Dinky) Hocker is battling a food addiction right under her mother's nose, a mother who has devoted her life to helping youth beat heroin addiction.
This book is very character-driven and the characters are quite wonderful. I loved P. John, a Conservative in a sea of Liberally-minded adults. He takes a liking to "Dinky," refusing to use this derogative nomenclature, and insists on calling her Susan instead.
There are four main characters in the story, and each has their own personality and issues. I loved the odd dynamics of the characters in this novel. They are quite forward-thinking in their diversity, for the time (1972).
The only thing I felt the novel was lacking, was that there wasn't much for setting so I had a bit of "white room syndrome."
Glad I finally read this book. I want to read it again soon, as I feel there is a lot more to get out of it
Now here I am, 51 years old and one day that title flashed through my mind: Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack. I started to get intrigued all over again so I went looking for the book, read a few reviews, and bought a Kindle copy. Perhaps I'm trying to recapture my youth, or get more out of it, or something.
Anyway, I thought the book was great. It's quite witty. I laughed out loud at Dinky's interpretation of Hebrews 13:8.
DHSS feels like it was ahead of its time. It looks at addiction in the form of binge/emotional eating as Susan (Dinky) Hocker is battling a food addiction right under her mother's nose, a mother who has devoted her life to helping youth beat heroin addiction.
This book is very character-driven and the characters are quite wonderful. I loved P. John, a Conservative in a sea of Liberally-minded adults. He takes a liking to "Dinky," refusing to use this derogative nomenclature, and insists on calling her Susan instead.
There are four main characters in the story, and each has their own personality and issues. I loved the odd dynamics of the characters in this novel. They are quite forward-thinking in their diversity, for the time (1972).
The only thing I felt the novel was lacking, was that there wasn't much for setting so I had a bit of "white room syndrome."
Glad I finally read this book. I want to read it again soon, as I feel there is a lot more to get out of it
September 5, 2013
I didn't like this book at all. Tucker's father has lost his job and developed an allergy to their cat, which leads to him meeting Dinky Hocker, a neighborhood girl with a bad attitude. He doesn't particularly like her, but is intrigued by her live-in cousin so he goes back to visit the cousin, Natalia, and his ex-cat. In order to date Natalia, he has to find a date for Dinky as well which leads to him introducing Dinky to P. John, who's even more annoying than she is. Dinky develops feelings for P. John and is crushed when he thinks of her as more of a weight-loss buddy. Dinky's mother doesn't approve of either boy and P. John ends up getting shipped off to boarding school. He comes back some months later thin and a socialist whereas Dinky has gotten even larger and become obsessed with her aquarium fish. When Dinky's mother wins a humanitarian award, Dinky spray-paints rumors about herself up and down the street as a cry for attention.
One of my main problems with this book was the lack of plot – nothing really happens. I really liked the beginning of the book and thought that Tucker could have been an interesting character, but it never amounted to much. I didn't like Dinky. I didn't like P. John. Natalia's character wasn't very well-developed, so she seemed almost transparent. Her character seemed the most intriguing to me and I would have liked to know more. It seems like I'm one of the few people who didn't love this book, but I just don't get it. If I hadn't been assigned to read it for a class, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
One of my main problems with this book was the lack of plot – nothing really happens. I really liked the beginning of the book and thought that Tucker could have been an interesting character, but it never amounted to much. I didn't like Dinky. I didn't like P. John. Natalia's character wasn't very well-developed, so she seemed almost transparent. Her character seemed the most intriguing to me and I would have liked to know more. It seems like I'm one of the few people who didn't love this book, but I just don't get it. If I hadn't been assigned to read it for a class, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
Read
July 16, 2008Jocelyn says:
Looking for a good book for your young teen? Perhaps the title Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! wouldn't endear itself to you. I could feel myself mentally shrinking away from this book even as I shelved it. Last week there was a big discussion over where to shelve it-(was this really a book for older kids or did it belong in the more world-savvy young adult section???) and it turned out neither of us had actually read it. We had both judged it purely on it's title. So- you guessed it- I lost the coin toss and took it home to read. I loved it. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack is NOT focused on drug addicts and drugs. It is a story about somewhat shy,
sometimes awkward so-called priviledged urban teens who have the same insecurities most teens have. This book shows how strangers can evolve into friends and how some seemingly insurmountable problems can be solved- though no one said it would be easy. Characters grow and the feeling I got at the end was realistic and optimistic- an unbeatable combo in my book. Two thumbs up for Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! by M.E. Kerr (though I still hate the title, it now makes sense)
Ages 11-12 to 15
Looking for a good book for your young teen? Perhaps the title Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! wouldn't endear itself to you. I could feel myself mentally shrinking away from this book even as I shelved it. Last week there was a big discussion over where to shelve it-(was this really a book for older kids or did it belong in the more world-savvy young adult section???) and it turned out neither of us had actually read it. We had both judged it purely on it's title. So- you guessed it- I lost the coin toss and took it home to read. I loved it. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack is NOT focused on drug addicts and drugs. It is a story about somewhat shy,
sometimes awkward so-called priviledged urban teens who have the same insecurities most teens have. This book shows how strangers can evolve into friends and how some seemingly insurmountable problems can be solved- though no one said it would be easy. Characters grow and the feeling I got at the end was realistic and optimistic- an unbeatable combo in my book. Two thumbs up for Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! by M.E. Kerr (though I still hate the title, it now makes sense)
Ages 11-12 to 15
September 28, 2008
Well, I guess I would have had a different attitude about this book if I knew what the term, "shoots smack" means. It is an interesting book and I felt that it ended with the story hanging up in the air...not finished. It was good to see how two different families can behave towards their children when at least some of their political views are the same. I wasn't too thrilled with the drugs aspect of the book. It is sad that Mrs. Hocker was more wanting to help her drug rehab patients than her own daughter but I guess even the mother was in denial about her daughter being fat. I felt no resolution really to Dinky, a.k.a. Susan and I wished there was more development with the character Natalia. I guess I wish there was more with all of the characters. It is quick to read but I guess I just felt like I kept waiting for the story to start. There are a lot of good lessons in their, for a teenager and for a parent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2013
I honestly can't understand why Kerr's work has garnered so much praise. I read several of her books as a teen and the best thing I can say about any of them is "Well, I didn't hate it." But I didn't on any level enjoy it either, nor do I find Kerr's writing to be anything more than passable.
When I came across this book, I hoped it would be an exception to those rules--the title caught my attention, and the story sounded interesting. Unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me at all, unless you count my annoyance at the uninteresting characters. Nothing about these people felt the least bit real; their personalities were superficial, their behaviors inconsistent, and their emotions overwrought. As a result, I didn't care about them or their petty "problems."
When I came across this book, I hoped it would be an exception to those rules--the title caught my attention, and the story sounded interesting. Unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me at all, unless you count my annoyance at the uninteresting characters. Nothing about these people felt the least bit real; their personalities were superficial, their behaviors inconsistent, and their emotions overwrought. As a result, I didn't care about them or their petty "problems."
December 18, 2013
What a book! Dinky, overweight and kind of angry about this even though she constantly eats, meets an overweight guy who is also on the fringes of school, falls in love, though they haven’t reckoned with Dinky’s controlling mother, devoted to her own cause of helping drug addicts, and failing to recognize her daughter’s own problems, but trying to control Dinky’s feelings with sarcasm and anger.
But the narrator is Tucker, who falls in love with Dinky’s cousin, a girl with her own problems, and who sees too clearly these relationships, while slowly finding some way out of his shyness and some way to communicate with his new friend.
Great characters, lots of humor, and a compelling read – what more would anyone want?
.
But the narrator is Tucker, who falls in love with Dinky’s cousin, a girl with her own problems, and who sees too clearly these relationships, while slowly finding some way out of his shyness and some way to communicate with his new friend.
Great characters, lots of humor, and a compelling read – what more would anyone want?
.
March 30, 2017
There are too many issues jammed in here together, with none of them actually fleshed out. Tucker is the protagonist, but he is merely an observer in Susan/Dinky's story/life. Tucker is a peripheral narrator like Nick in The Great Gatsby, but this technique isn't nearly as effective in this novel.
I first read this book as a teen and loved it then, but there were so few books with adolescent protagonists back then (mid to late 1970s). Rereading it as an adult, it doesn't hold up nearly as well to a more mature scrutiny. Still, I believe this novel is an important contribution to the development of YA literature, offering a realistic view of life and delving into issues that were not openly discussed with teens at the time of publication.
I first read this book as a teen and loved it then, but there were so few books with adolescent protagonists back then (mid to late 1970s). Rereading it as an adult, it doesn't hold up nearly as well to a more mature scrutiny. Still, I believe this novel is an important contribution to the development of YA literature, offering a realistic view of life and delving into issues that were not openly discussed with teens at the time of publication.
February 9, 2014
I thought I'd like this book more than I did. It was set in the 1970s, which I didn't realize going in (I mean, the title kind of sounds modern, right?? meh), and so it is quite dated.
And I am just SO TIRED of the whole 'fat person eats all the time' trope. OOOH. Just get that fatty to stop eating all the time, THERE YOU HAVE SOLVED THE OBESITY CRISIS. Sigh. That just cast a shadow over the whole rest of the book.
And I am just SO TIRED of the whole 'fat person eats all the time' trope. OOOH. Just get that fatty to stop eating all the time, THERE YOU HAVE SOLVED THE OBESITY CRISIS. Sigh. That just cast a shadow over the whole rest of the book.
March 24, 2010
Yesterday I used the word "recidivist" in conversation and remembered that the first time I heard that word was in Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!. I will never quite be able to figure out why I read this book so many times when I was in middle school, but maybe when I finish re-reading it I'll have a better idea.
August 12, 2022
I really hated this book as a teenager and had some strong opinions about it that I no longer align with. Maybe I will reread it someday.
September 16, 2010
Like a time capsule. A funny one.
June 5, 2013
I read this in 5th grade right after reading Go Ask Alice.. Passed both of them down to my 14 year old hoping they enlighten her as much as they did me.
January 19, 2015
All I can say is WOW.
October 16, 2023
Listened on Audible (Included).
DNF. YA novel from Audible (Included) package. Seemed more like a middle grade book as far as the mentality of the main characters goes. Too juvenile for me.
DNF. YA novel from Audible (Included) package. Seemed more like a middle grade book as far as the mentality of the main characters goes. Too juvenile for me.
January 7, 2021
"People who don't shoot smack have problems, too."
I stumbled across this gem through Awful Library Books in which they covered it not because of the story but because of the '70s edition (no doubt crumbling) and the title, which is unlikely to draw in a twenty-first century teenager... if they even know what "shooting smack" means. It was lauded in the post's comments, so I gave it a go, and I'm glad I did.
I've seen others compare Tucker, the book's narrator, to Nick from The Great Gatsby, and that's a fair parallel. He's part of the action, especially through his relationships with Dinky and Natalia, but his part is more tangential than the others. In this story we have:
- Susan "Dinky" Hocker, the rather-cruelly nicknamed wit with a weight problem
- Natalia, cousin of Dinky and orphan with mental health issues
- P, staunch anti-Commie and admirer of Dinky
- And Tucker, whose cat Nader starts the action
There is a lot going on, but it all works, and Kerr illustrates so well how parents can mean well yet be so involved with their own pursuits that their children fall by the wayside (i.e. Dinky) and they even enable their poor habits. Reading through the Christmas party is particularly brutal as Mrs. Hocker is that mother who thinks she knows what's best for "the children" but just ends up ruining everything. I also like the ending in which things aren't quite hunky-dory but could very well be in the future.
The "This Was Written in the '70s" Department:
- mimeographed flyers
- "neat" as the go-to adjective
- sympathy to communism
- ambrosia salad
I stumbled across this gem through Awful Library Books in which they covered it not because of the story but because of the '70s edition (no doubt crumbling) and the title, which is unlikely to draw in a twenty-first century teenager... if they even know what "shooting smack" means. It was lauded in the post's comments, so I gave it a go, and I'm glad I did.
I've seen others compare Tucker, the book's narrator, to Nick from The Great Gatsby, and that's a fair parallel. He's part of the action, especially through his relationships with Dinky and Natalia, but his part is more tangential than the others. In this story we have:
- Susan "Dinky" Hocker, the rather-cruelly nicknamed wit with a weight problem
- Natalia, cousin of Dinky and orphan with mental health issues
- P, staunch anti-Commie and admirer of Dinky
- And Tucker, whose cat Nader starts the action
There is a lot going on, but it all works, and Kerr illustrates so well how parents can mean well yet be so involved with their own pursuits that their children fall by the wayside (i.e. Dinky) and they even enable their poor habits. Reading through the Christmas party is particularly brutal as Mrs. Hocker is that mother who thinks she knows what's best for "the children" but just ends up ruining everything. I also like the ending in which things aren't quite hunky-dory but could very well be in the future.
The "This Was Written in the '70s" Department:
- mimeographed flyers
- "neat" as the go-to adjective
- sympathy to communism
- ambrosia salad
October 29, 2019
Tucker seems like a compassionate young artistic man. Dinky didn't have faith in herself because she wanted the attention and wasn't getting it. Her weight was away to get attention from her parents. Her parents let her do that so bad people or her peers wouldn't accept her because they don’t want her to be a drug addict.
Self-identification, identifying yourself. Charity starts at home. If your lost in self-identity and have a hard time identifying yourself, you should read this book. If your family is not paying attention to your needs but to others, then this is a good book because her parents are caught up in other things than their children. Identification within the family is important as to why you read this book because young adults do rebel against the family because parents a lot of time do not pay attention to their children. Dinky's parents turned around because they saw her clear signal in the street of Dinky calling out for help. Youth can admit they need attention from their parents. Parents were paying too much attention to Marcus, their so-called new son. Also good for the parents to read before it is too late. Parents choices came with harmful consequences
Self-identification, identifying yourself. Charity starts at home. If your lost in self-identity and have a hard time identifying yourself, you should read this book. If your family is not paying attention to your needs but to others, then this is a good book because her parents are caught up in other things than their children. Identification within the family is important as to why you read this book because young adults do rebel against the family because parents a lot of time do not pay attention to their children. Dinky's parents turned around because they saw her clear signal in the street of Dinky calling out for help. Youth can admit they need attention from their parents. Parents were paying too much attention to Marcus, their so-called new son. Also good for the parents to read before it is too late. Parents choices came with harmful consequences
October 13, 2025
This was wholesome but had also substance.
Narrated by 15yo Tucker, the two main characters are these two girls, Dinky and Natalia. They both have psychological issues but it's not a huge thing and they're not "othered". It's kind of nice that despite this they're positioned as love interests for the two guys who are much more normal.
This book really made me think, gosh, people really are a product of their upbringings. P John is the opposite of his father (very conservative, Saffy-style) and Dinky is off-the-rails (as a result of her mother, the do-gooder). They both get it together in the end though*.
It was rounded out with a cast of side characters (Tucker's family seem awesome!). I wish we knew what was going to happen to everyone in the future. You sort of are rooting for everyone by the end.
Definitely a warm fuzzy kind of read...
* what if they DIDN'T though? Dinky has a big explosive moment but what if the parents had responded differently? She'd have to get it together DESPITE this. Hmm. That would be trickier but not impossible...
Narrated by 15yo Tucker, the two main characters are these two girls, Dinky and Natalia. They both have psychological issues but it's not a huge thing and they're not "othered". It's kind of nice that despite this they're positioned as love interests for the two guys who are much more normal.
This book really made me think, gosh, people really are a product of their upbringings. P John is the opposite of his father (very conservative, Saffy-style) and Dinky is off-the-rails (as a result of her mother, the do-gooder). They both get it together in the end though*.
It was rounded out with a cast of side characters (Tucker's family seem awesome!). I wish we knew what was going to happen to everyone in the future. You sort of are rooting for everyone by the end.
Definitely a warm fuzzy kind of read...
* what if they DIDN'T though? Dinky has a big explosive moment but what if the parents had responded differently? She'd have to get it together DESPITE this. Hmm. That would be trickier but not impossible...
April 7, 2023
One star and a half from the adult me. Mostly unpleasant people doing mostly unpleasant things. I did not enjoy this book very much at all. I know I read it once when it first came out and I was in junior high, but I must not have liked it much then, either, since I only read it once. I remembered the "surprise" ending, and I remembered the thing with the aquariums, but not much of anything else. Which is pretty damning coming from me.
In 1972 a huge number of YA novels (let alone TV shows and movies) were set in NYC or on the Eastern seaboard, which made them hard for kids like me in smalltown Midwest to relate to. They mentioned Brentano's or whatever like of course you knew what they were. And of course we didn't. Of course the supermarket chain and bookstore chain name-dropped have long since gone out of business, by the end of the 70s in fact, which is a nice stroke of irony.
I would not bother to read this again, nor would I lend it to anyone I actually liked.
In 1972 a huge number of YA novels (let alone TV shows and movies) were set in NYC or on the Eastern seaboard, which made them hard for kids like me in smalltown Midwest to relate to. They mentioned Brentano's or whatever like of course you knew what they were. And of course we didn't. Of course the supermarket chain and bookstore chain name-dropped have long since gone out of business, by the end of the 70s in fact, which is a nice stroke of irony.
I would not bother to read this again, nor would I lend it to anyone I actually liked.
May 23, 2017
I remember hearing of this book when I was a teenager. Didn't read it then...as I really didn't read much then at all. Now that I work with students just beyond the age of the characters in this book, I found it interesting. It was initially a bit difficult to get into, but as I read I appreciated the development of the characters and the real-to-life issues and emotions of adolescence. At the end, the book elicited a bit of emotion, both sadness and a bit of humor, and provided opportunity for a bit of thinking. It was definitely worth the read.
March 30, 2020
Excellent book!
I remember reading this book on one Friday night when I was in the 7th grade. During this time, books were about my only friends.I
"Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack" was a special book to me. It introduced to me the reality of my parents world of caring about my siblings many accomplishments, and leaving me behind in my own world.
It is beautifully written, has great characters, with excellent character development, and is a book that any young adult would enjoy.
You do have to keep in mind that the book was written in the early 1970s.
I remember reading this book on one Friday night when I was in the 7th grade. During this time, books were about my only friends.I
"Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack" was a special book to me. It introduced to me the reality of my parents world of caring about my siblings many accomplishments, and leaving me behind in my own world.
It is beautifully written, has great characters, with excellent character development, and is a book that any young adult would enjoy.
You do have to keep in mind that the book was written in the early 1970s.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews