Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perotta, author; Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jeremy Bobb, Ramona Young, Ali Andre Ali, Pete Simonelli, Jackie Sanders, full cast, narrators.
Tracy Flick was very confident. She wanted to be President and believed she could be, but then her mom got sick, and she gave up her dream to care for her. Instead of law school, she became an educator. As her professional, personal and social life are examined, along with those with whom she comes in contact, we learn about a variety of life’s challenges and the foibles with which we are all faced, one time or another. Jealousy, abusive teachers, fidelity, racism, illness, love affairs, divorce, parenting, the work place environment, competition, sexuality, gender, education, athletics, sports teams, politics, wealth, anger management, sexual abuse, bullying, devotion, loyalty and more, all raise their heads.
When a very wealthy tech giant, Kyle Dorfman, returns to his home town, he is disappointed with its decay and lack of progress. His high school is decaying. In order to encourage new interest and involvement, he proposes the creation of a Hall of Fame, promoted by the school, which he will fund entirely. The Principal, Jack Weede, is retiring and Karl intimates that Tracy Flick will be the new Principal replacing him. He is that sure of his influence with the Board. However, he needs her help with his project. She really wants to be Principal. She was Acting Principal while Weede was recovering from a heart attack, and she performed well. She is qualified for the job, and she knows it, but things can go wrong. So, she agrees to help him, to ensure the position is hers, as he promises.
A committee is formed to select candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame. Each person seemed to have a different agenda and idea, though, of whom should be honored. Should it be a former student, a former teacher, an athlete, an employee? One member wants someone diverse; one wants an athlete, one wants a deserving candidate who has contributed to society. They are at cross purposes, at times, but finally, they agree on two candidates. Still, they can’t please everyone. As the selection is made, the societal problems they are all dealing with, are front and center.
Today’s Woke Agenda is an obvious theme in the book. The current “woke” idea of choosing a pronoun to identify one’s self comes up, as in the use of plural pronouns, they and them, and not he or she, to identify a single individual who thus becomes genderless. The politics of selecting the Principal, with those in power using their influence to affect the decision, the disappointment with the choices of the chosen honorees, the trauma surrounding the actual event, are all important ideas probed in the novel. People harbor grudges for years, infidelity is revealed, devious dealings between Board members are uncovered and the frailties of life are explored as these people interact with each other and finally take matters into their own hands to achieve their goals, some worthy, some not. Ultimately, there is violence.
The growing lack of morality and a loosening of time-honored rules, indicates a degradation of societal mores. A great deal of deceitful behavior, without regard for those that are hurt, is revealed. People use each other, lie to each other, manipulate each other, just to satisfy their desires. There is a contradiction taking place, on a daily basis, with the hard working receiving fewer accolades than those who have simply become bright, shiny objects that attract more attention, although they produce less. Charisma is often more important than accomplishment. Appearances are more important than achievements. Who is deserving, and why, becomes a profoundly important subject of discussion. Will the person selected for the ultimate Hall of Fame honor be deserving or someone who is simply able to create excitement?
As relationships and decisions are explored, the hurt and humiliation that the characters cause each other, creates genuine pain. How do they survive the pain, with equanimity? Do they react calmly or with fury? Do they desire retribution for past, perceived sins? Are they out of control, or in control of their emotions?
Several of the characters really exhibit the various sides of the coin of right and wrong. One has always done the right thing, and one has shown a disregard for all things. Tracy, the Assistant Principal, an outstanding scholar, has always been hard working, dedicated to her work and her family, sacrificing her own needs to satisfy the needs of others. Her star did not shine that brightly to others. Vito Falcone was an outstanding athlete; thus, he was worshipped by all. The brightness of his star was blinding. He bullied and abused people, simply because he could. Now that his mind and body are showing the indignity of the injuries from his football career, he is trying to recover. Part of that effort requires that he apologizes to the people he as wronged over the years. He made a list and has only one left. He has been nominated to be one of the first honorees. Then there is the long-time school secretary, Diane of the front office has served for 28 years. She is also a nominee, for her quiet loyalty, a devotion due not only to good intentions, but also to her secret attachment to Jack Weede.
Jack Weede’s wife, Alice, was expected to die from Stage four Cancer. Then Jack was expected to succumb to his catastrophic heart attack. Both of them, unexpectedly lived and the trajectory of Diane’s life and Tracy’s life changed when he announced his retirement. As often happens with the occurrence of unexpected events, one is devastated by the news, and the other is thrilled with her future prospects. Each of the characters in this book has to come to terms with their own lives and move forward. The “philanthropist sponsoring the Hall of Fame, who developed an App to make his fortune, the brother of a person abused by Vito, Lily Chu who has a secret romance that would horrify her parents, Glenn Morrison, who remembers his brother Carl with a vengeance, and others, all have to decide how to go forward, how they want to make their mark. How they live their lives, the choices they make, and why, are the subjects of this book.