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Donny Pattison

Mrs. Cramer

Comp 1 Period 3

9 February, 2018

Mental Illness and Realistic Fiction

Felton Reinstein, the main character in the first person story I'm With Stupid, is one of the

best high school football players in the entire nation. However, he is not the person you would

expect him to be. In the beginning of the story, Felton out as an average, top football recruit.

Soon, the story reveals how different Felton is. Felton deals with issues involving bullying,

suicide, and discovering himself.

One of Felton's biggest problems is dealing with bullies. Not only was Felton bullied

before turning into a jock, but now stands up for those who are bullied. In the first book of the

series, Stupid Fast, a kid named Karpinski bullies Felton for being a "dipshit." Karpinski says

"It's my job. I have to keep the dipshits in line" (Herbach 74). Felton was considered a "dipshit"

until his friend Cody brought him into sports and he excelled and became a jock – physically

anyways. Felton knows what it feels like to be picked on, so he becomes a senior mentor for

freshman "dipshit" Tommy Bode. Felton understands how Tommy feels. "I felt a cloud of doom

around us. I understood Tommy Bode in a weird way okay?" (Herbach 11). Being around

Tommy helps Felton find a purpose within himself. On page 71, Felton states he, "will justify his

existence by protecting the dipshits." Felton continues to stand up for those who are bullied

through violent acts towards the bullies.

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Next, the hardest thing Felton has to overcome is the suicide death of his father. Felton

found his father in his garage hanging with a chair on the ground. Felton's grandpa, little brother

Andrew, and cousin Tovi see Felton as a duplicate of his father. A conversation sparks about this

when Felton goes to visit them for Christmas. Tovi says, "Papa's worried that you're too much

like Papa" and, "Felton just has this vibe. It's like this coiled thing. It's like if the wind blows the

wrong way, he might destroy somebody's face" (Herbach 84). According to Felton's family, his

dad was wound tight just like him and ended up killing himself. One reason why Felton is so

greatly affected by his father's suicide after all this time is because his mentee Tommy Bode's

brother also committed suicide. Tommy's little brother walked home and shot himself in the

chest. This sent Felton over the edge. When Felton's dad hit his breaking point was when he

found a problem with drinking. Similar to his father, Felton finds drinking soothing and relaxing.

While on the phone with his grandpa, Felton asked why he should not have a drink. His grandpa

responds with, "This is how your father gave up control, Felton. This is how he gave up... All of

the pictures of him in graduate school, he had whiskey in his hand. And he went down, down,

down. Nothing we could do to stop him" (Herbach 291). Throughout the book, Felton tries

connecting to his dad and sees his hanging body everywhere. Felton begins to wear his father's

old clothes, and restate his old poems. This behavior caused Felton to be hospitalized with an

anxiety disorder.

Also, the main idea of I'm With Stupid is Felton Reinstein finding his purpose. Felton has

been handed the short end of the stick his entire life. In this story, Felton's life only gets more

difficult. The most difficult aspect of Felton finding his purpose is he is alone and must learn on

his own. His father killed himself, his girlfriend Aleha broke up with him, his mother is a

psychopath, and the rest of his family lives in Florida. When asked what he wants to major in,
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Felton responds "frisbee, TV, smart comedy" (Herbach 16). Shortly after, Felton visits several

colleges and creates a specific list of what he liked. He used this list:

1. Dude in dress served me iced tea.

2. Cute guide didn't try to grab my wang.
3. Library had leather couches.
4. Kicker discussed Louis C.K.
5. Frisbee players were very good.
6. Fog on mountains.
The only purpose Felton finds himself to have early in the book, other than football, is to protect

the "dipshits." It took Felton making a crucial decision at the end of the book to not drink alcohol

to find himself. His grandpa flies up and practically saves his life. Felton is diagnosed with an

anxiety disorder and solves his problems with the help of his family and psychiatrist. Through

help from these people, Felton was able to return to the track team and win states, fix all of his

relationships with his friends, change some of the biggest bullies in the school, and find out who

he wants to be as a person. He is "accepting, ethical, intellectual, physically active, and

beautiful" (Herbach 303).

In the end of the story, Felton Reinstein discovers himself, learns to live with suicide, and

bullying. He begins attending Stanford University and play football. Felton no longer considers

himself a "dipshit." Felton understands he has problems but accepts this part of himself and

begins to fix them slowly. So, if you are looking for a book that you cannot put down and has a

great view on mental illness, get your hands on I'm With Stupid.
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Works Cited

Herbach, Geoff. I'm With Stupid. Illinois: Naperville, 2013. Print.