Farewell Friday-- Freaky Friday

I feel like this book is one that people have fond memories of but haven't read recently. I certainly hadn't. Since I hoard older titles (although I have lots and lots of NEW books), it's not surprising that it was still in my library. But it's 52 years old. Ms. Rodgers is deceased. Does it hold up?

Probably not. But might I spend my Friday night hunting down the Jodie Foster version of the film?

Absolutely. 

Rodgers, Mary. Freaky Friday
May 2, 1972 by Harper & Row

(Former) Library Copy

**Spoilers ahead**

Annabel Andrews, of New York City, suddenly wakes up in her mother's body one day, and is surprisingly unshocked. She even has the realization that she was rather terrible to her mother, so this is no doubt pay back. She doesn't question how her mother could have done this, but instead glories in brushing her mother's orthodontia free teeth and donning a velvet pantsuit and lots of makeup after admiring her mother's body. She manages to get Mr. Andrews and young Ben (aka Ape Face) off on their day, and settles in to eat junk food and watch Little Rascals on television, complaining about the lack of good programming in the morning. Upstairs neighbor, 14-year-old Boris, stops by, and she entertains him for a while, trying to change his perception of Annabel, who is rather unpleasant to him. She does do a load of laundry, but adds too many things, and breaks the machine. When the housekeeper shows up, the two have some words, and Annabel fires the woman, partly because she drinks the family gin, and partly because she says nasty things about the state of Annabel's room. Heading to the liquor store down the street to buy an inordinate amount of liquor, she sees a hullabaloo on the street, which turns out to be Ben causing a fuss, since his mother has forgotten to pick him up after school. She manages to get him home without social services becoming involved and feeds him lunch. Mr. Andrews calls to remind her of her mysterious 2:30 meeting; it's at Annabel's school, to discuss her grades, and also tells her that he is bringing people home for dinner. She convinces Boris to babysit, and he also agrees to cook the dinner. She is late to the meeting, which discusses Annabel's poor performance in school, especially a very overdue English paper. After the meeting, Annabel finds out that while Boris has dinner ready, a "beautiful chick" has walked off with Ben! Annabel panics, complications ensue, and when her mother returns, Annabel finds out that her mother has spent the day shopping for new clothes for Annabel, getting her braces off, and having her hair done. Annabel has a new appreciation for her mother, has attracted the attention of her crush, Boris (really Morris; the vacillating stuffed up nose is never explained), and finishes her school work.

The most troubling portions of this book are the outdated, racist language. While Annabel's family is more liberal, the housekeeper makes the comment that "I'm not one of your colored", and when Annabel reprimands her, she replies "You call 'em black, right? Well I call 'em no-goodniks." The derogatory terms "spic" and "retard" are also used, and the television is referred to as "the boob tube". The ick factor with Annabel as the mother interacting with Boris, a 14-year-old, is quite high; he has a crush onher, but the whole incident is just glossed over. It doesn't help that the "new and improved" Annabel is objectified as a "hot chick".

There is some sexism as well; Annabel's mother does not seem to work outside the home, and must ask Mr. Andrews for money for the liquor. He complains about how she spends it, although the family must be very well off; Annabel wants to go to a summer camp that costs $900. At the time, my mother was probably earning $8,000 a year as a teacher. The teachers treat the mother in a way that I don't think we treat parents now.

 
Annabel is absolutely horrible to everyone; rude, slovenly, and very, very angry. She is cruel to her younger brother, who idolizes her. Ben even loves being called "Ape Face" and goes by that at school because no one else has a "cool" nickname, and his classmates also think Annabel is cool. While it seemed a bit clever for her mother to make Annabel go through the mother's day and attend her own meeting while the mother went out and "improved" Annabel, I couldn't help but thinking that the problems with attitude would not really be solved so easily.

I haven't seen the movie with Jamie Lee Curtis, which seems to involve a guitar, so much diverge from the original plot, and haven't seen the 1976 Jodie Foster version for ages (as of March 1, 2024, it looks to be available on Amazon Prime for 54 cents!), but I can only imagine they are somewhat more entertaining than the book. It's a clever idea, certainly, but the details don't hold up. Now that I have reread it, I don't feel comfortable handing it to modern children, so will be pulling it from circulation. There are only 2 other copies in my entire district, so it looks like it's time.