The 20th Annual Book Report Competition For

Secondary School Students

The Championof English Junior Section

School: St. Paul’s Co-Educational College

Student Name: Wong Ho Gan

Title: Wringer

“Wringer” was definitely not a familiar word to me. When I spotted this book at a book fair, the word “Wringer” printed on the cover, in radiant red, just jumped out at me. I picked the book up, flicked through the pages and later that night found my mother forcing “Wringer” out of my grasp, telling me to go to sleep.

The story is set in a country town where pigeons are killed during a traditional annual week-long festival — Family Fest. Every annual Pigeon Day over five thousand pigeons are released and shot by the participants in the shoot, townsfolks who have paid a fee for the “privilege.” Some pigeons are shot dead as soon as they leave their crate and some lucky ones fly away unharmed, while others fall injured to the ground. This is when the wringers run out to the field to collect the pigeons on the ground. The fees collected on Pigeon Day pay for the town's park maintenance. But Palmer LaRue, a boy from the town, cannot stop telling himself that he does not want to be a wringer.

Wringers are ten-year-old boys who, as part of the tradition, wring the necks of pigeons wounded by the shooters. Wringer is about Palmer’s emotional conflict between obeying tradition and following his own personal ethics, and between the peer pressure of pre-teen gang-life and true friendship.

Since his initiation into the gang at his ninth birthday party, Palmer, or Snot, as he is known to the gang, has been under the influence of maliciousgang leader Beans and his “henchmen” Mutto and Henry.

Beans, Mutto, and Henry, like most people in the town, eagerly look forward to Pigeon Day. But Palmer’s reluctance to become a wringer increases! He does not understand Pigeon Day and as he approaches his tenth birthday his anxiety grows.

A girl living across the street from the Palmers, Dorothy Gruzik, also known as “Fishface” by the gang, was once Palmer’s friend but is now victimized by the gang. When Dorothy confronts Palmer about his behaviour he feels guilty and begins to have second thoughts about his role in the gang.

A turning point comes one morning after a blizzard, when a pigeon lands on Palmer’s windowsill and starts pecking at his window. Filled with sympathy Palmer gets some breakfast cereal and feeds the pigeon, which he names Nipper. Little did Palmer know that Nipper fluttering into his life, would bring about many changes. Palmer is going have to make some tough choices.

This book made me sweat — the suspense was unbearable. I could identify with Palmer because Jerry Spinelli uses first person perspective so that I shared the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. The pigeon massacre in the book particularly stands out because the writing is full of sounds and smells, and the disturbing vision of the pigeons shrieking and plummeting to their deaths. I had imagined that this story was set around a fictional event. The vividness of the writing, however, convinced me that it must have been based on a real ceremony. Indeed, in the Reader’s Guide at the end of the book Spinelli explains that the story is based on an actual annual event in a rural American community.

Although I felt disgusted at first, I kept on reading because Pigeon Day was something completely new to me and the writing was compelling. As I read on, I decided and hoped that Palmer wouldcome to the same conclusions as me. I really felt that I was part of the story, and while I was immersed in the book, I was living a double life.

This gripping book has many hidden treasures.

One of the diamonds in the book tells how people are significantly influenced by the environment. Palmer, the protagonist, lives in a town that celebrates traditions which he believes to be cruel. However, he manages to stand up for his moral convictions. Therefore, one should have the courage to stand up for his own beliefs, even if society disapproves.

In most societies, peer pressure has always been a problem for adolescents like Palmer. It causes some teenagers to take drugs, so that they can fit in with their “friends.” Being part of the crowd is not always right because the majority might not be correct. Fitting in can give a person a sense of security; but one must have in mind that each and every person is unique, and one should not lose his own character or beliefs.

On the other hand, Palmer was losing his own character in the story.At the beginning of the book, I empathized with him because he was trying vigorously to be part of the crowd. However, when I got to the middle of the book and found that he was hiding his personality just to stay in the crowd; I realised that Palmer was behaving stupidly.

I discovered another treasure inWringer, when Jerry Spinelli mentions the recent extinction of passenger pigeons mainly because of hunting. Their passing has affected the balance of the ecological system, which in turn is affecting mankind. It reminds me of the similar situation happening to other animals: tigers, elephants, dolphins… . If hunting continues without any consideration given to nature, future generations will have fewer and fewer animals to enjoy, until, evidently, humans will eventually meet the same fate.

My preconceived thoughts about pigeons have changed completely after reading Wringer. I used to think pigeons were gray, filthy, dismal creatures but actually they are colourful birds with silky feathers ranging from white to green, purple to black. They have bright orange eyes, rimmed with white patches of feathers like snow.

Wringer shows me that I should stand up for what I believe in and reinforces in me the power of courage. We should not surrender to peer pressure or problems. Ignoring problems will not alleviate or solve them. We should respect others’ beliefs; furthermore, we should bear in mind that being different makes a person special, not strange.