Hurt Go Happy: A Novel

Ginny Rorby

Jul 2007 · Sold by Macmillan

About this eBook

Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails.

Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow—until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.



At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

Joey is a magnificent protagonist, one of my favorites of the past few years, who has to fight to be heard (yeah, I guess that pun is intended). Her observations and reactions to life are pieces of gold for teachers like me. Metaphorically speaking, this is a treasure trove as well -- a trove of metaphors, that is. Rorby has developed wonderfully subtle metaphors as well as bold metaphors that should shake a student's understanding of what finely crafted writing is -- so much so that any student should be able to truly understand and appreciate that the best writing requires great thought, constant planning and driving passion.

i liked this book from the very start; thirteen year-old Joey Willis is deaf.She has been since she was six year-old.Ever since then most kids have been avoiding her and she does'nt have any friends-until she meets Dr.Charles Mansell and his chimpanzee Sukari who uses sign language to communicate.Joey wants to learn signing but her mother forbids her.Joey decide's to go against her mother's permission and starts to learn signing.She is much happier than she ever has been -she even has some friends at school- until a horrible tragedy occurs. Now it is up to Joey to see that the chimp's future will be happy for both her and Sukari... I loved this book because about how a deaf teenage girl feels and how she wants to protect an animal that shares 98% of our DNA.It also talks about how humans can be so cruel to their fellow beings. a great book for people who like dramatic,life-filled books yet also with a story that means loving and protecting is something that everyone-both human end animal-needs.

This book deals with animal cruelty as well as language barriers. Joey is a deaf 13 year old girl that befriends an older man, Charlie who owns a chimpanzee that can communicate with sign language. Throughout the course of the book Joey learns to sign, gains responsiblity for the chimp, and rescues her from a lab that is doing tests on her.

About the author

Ginny Rorby holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Miami and an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. Her young adult novel, Dolphin Sky, was nominated for the Keystone Reading Award. Ginny Rorby is also co-director of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, now in its 15th year. She lives in Fort Bragg, California.