A.  Reader Response: “I am” poem

The Pigman and Me

I am Paul Zindel.

I wonder where my father is in this world.

I need to fit in.

I want unconditional love.

I am thoughtful toward my friends.

I pretend to be happy.

I feel trapped.

I respect my best friend Jennifer.

I worry a lot about death.

I cry when we move from place to place often.

I wish my mother would stop being psycho.

I fear being a freak.

I dream of becoming a writer.

I try not to be a social failure like my mother.

I hope a pigman is always in my life.

I am Paul Zindel.

B. Critical Analysis- Reader Response “My Read”

The Pigman and Me is an intriguing biography about the life of the author Paul Zindel. As a child, Paul frequently moved from place to place with his sister Betty and his psycho mother. During the year in his life in which this book takes place, he lived in Travis in Staten Island, New York.

While in Travis, Paul meets his best friend Jennifer and most importantly, his pigman Nonno Frankie. The pigman represents some things missing in Paul’s life: a father, a normal mother, a stable life, and unconditional love and acceptance.

This book is an easy but thought-provoking read for all ages. At thirty-four, I could easily relate to this book just as a teenager. This book made me happy, sad, and all emotions in between. It made me stop and re-think my job as a parent/ teacher and had me questioning “Am I doing my job as a parent/ teacher? Could I do more? Am I doing everything I can to show my concern and help my children and students become all they can be in life?”

I made several personal connections with this book as well. It reminded me of close friends I had in my childhood, my parents divorcing twice, my dad’s drinking and occassional outbursts, and the twin I never knew. Thinking these things through helps ease the pain they cause. This book has become my pigman of sorts by helping me deal with my past, work through it and make amends.

In life, everyone has or needs a pigman at some point in their lives to fill a void. Nonno Frankie, Paul’s pigman, filled his needs by acting as his father figure, giving him advice about life and its endless possibilities, and by leading him toward the path of becoming the writer that he is today. A pigman can be nothing more than a teacher of life and of dreams that allows you to cope with whatever may come your way. The Pigman and Me gives all this and more to its readers.

C. Intervention or Best Practice