Then Again, Maybe I Won’t was published in 1971, but
since it deals with issues that many boys still face today. 13-year-old Tony Miglione lived in Jersey
City, but when his father become rich, the family moved to wealthy Rosemont on
Long Island. Tony has the same feelings
as most other boys – he likes watching the 16-year-old girl next door get
undressed, he wonders if he will ever have a wet dream, and he has trouble
communicating with his parents – but it’s the change in the family’s
circumstances that are particularly interesting. We see that Tony loses his friends when he leaves his old
neighborhood, and he finds that his new neighbors are snobbish, taking a nasty
attitude towards their maid and even towards his own parents. Joel, their son, who is the same age as
Tony, likes making prank telephone calls and steals from local stores, although
he has plenty of money.

All these changes in Tony’s life
cause him great anxiety, but his main symptom is terrible stomach pain. Eventually it becomes so bad that he ends up
in hospital. He sees a psychiatrist and
talks about his life, and through this, he starts to be able to talk about his
feelings with his family. Eventually he
comes to feel more in control of his feelings and he becomes more
confident.

The story narrated by Judy Bloom is
engrossing and should still have appeal to young people. Of course, it tells of a world without
computer games and mobile phones, but this is not really a problem. The moral of the story is mainly that
becoming rich does not necessarily make life easier, and it also puts
psychotherapy in a good light. The unabridged
audiobook is narrated well by Justin Long.

© 2002 Christian Perring. First Serial Rights.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island. He is
editor of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on
philosophical issues in psychiatry. He is especially interested in exploring
how philosophers can play a greater role in public life, and he is keen to help
foster communication between philosophers, mental health professionals, and the
general public.

Categories: Children, ChildhoodDisorders