This paper is an examination of the emotional experiences of Katie, the main character in Elizabeth Berg's novel, Joy School. Katie is a teenager, struggling with the upsets, uncertainties, and stresses of adolescence. Circumstances have forced her to cope with almost every major stressor possible, from the loss of a parent to the awkwardness of a first love. That she is able to survive the traumas of her life without becoming psychologically devastated is an indication of the resilience of the human spirit. Adolescence can be the most trying period of an individual's development. Joy School records Katie's struggles to grow up whole. The central focus of the book is her crush on an older man, an experience that helps her gain self-confidence and learn a little about how to be an adult.
Katie is the younger daughter of a military man, growing up during the 1960s. Her mother has died, and her older sister has left home, unable to live with their father's strict discipline and undemonstrative nature. Katie keeps her mother's memory alive by imagining her, always wearing different outfits, giving her advice and support as she finds her way.
Katie's father has been transferred to a recruiting post in Missouri, and the two have left their home in Texas to start a new life. At the beginning of the story, Katie is 12 and just on the brink of becoming a teenager. This can be an especially traumatic time in the best of circumstances, but Katie is also faced with the need to make new friends at a time when her body is changing and her home life is uncertain.
At first, she clings to the lifeline of Cherylanne, her best friend from back in Texas, who writes her cheerful, newsy, educational letters. However, Cherylanne's letters are less frequent than Katie would like, and she begins to wonder if she can really remain friends at such a distance.
She tries to understand the secret, unwritten code of her new school, and ...