Ashes, Ashes - Jo Treggiari
Treggiari, Jo. Ashes, Ashes. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2011.
Summary: Lucy Holloway lives in a post-apocalyptic world. Ninety-nine percent of the world's population has been wiped out by a vicious plague. Living in Manhattan, Lucy builds a small hut in what used to be Central Park. There she takes care of herself, avoiding the Sweepers and Scavengers, until one day she runs into Aidan. Aidan is a scavenger living in a small colony of people leftover from the plague. When a tsunami chases her out of her home, Lucy reluctantly marches to the colony, planning to leave as soon as possible. When the sweepers come and take some of her new friends away, however, Lucy can't help but to want to go to the hospital and free them. As it turns out, the sweepers do not want Lucy's friends. They want Lucy herself. Most of those who survived the plague were vaccinated, but Lucy has not been vaccinated for anything in her life, and yet she survives. The sweepers and they're leader, Dr. Lessing, seek out Lucy in order to drain her of her blood and find the answer to the plague. Lucy herself is eventually captured, and with the help of her friends, must choose whether to escape or to stay in the hospital and give herself to a cure.
Dystopia: Ashes, Ashes contains more traditional elements of a dystopia than While I Live. Like the other novels, there is a new power structure in place. At the start of the novel, Lucy must take care of herself. She has lost her parents, friends and anyone she was close with. Similar to Ellie, Lucy is thrust into an extreme situation and must survive using a survival book and her common sense and perseverance. She does not remain alone for long though, when she runs into Aidan. These two become the heroes of the novel like the ones I have encountered before. They will be the ones who discover the true operations of the dystopian society, in this case the hospital, and they will challenge these operations and overcome them. Although the story begins as more of a survival story, it becomes clear as the plot progresses that there are things happening that do not seem quite kosher to Lucy and her companions. The sweepers begin kidnapping people from the colony and running tests on them, even injecting them with the plague to see if they hold the secret to immunity. Like the society in The Giver, the people in the hospital are killing others in order to further their goals. Lucy struggles with this concept, just as Jonas did in The Giver. Part of her knows it is important to battle the plague, but again the issue of choice arises.
Like all of the other novels, the drama in Ashes, Ashes hinges on the main character's ability to choose. While in the hospital, Lucy in drugged and put to sleep, and her blood is taken from her without her permission. She explicit thinks about how Dr. Lessing has taken away her ability to choose what she does with her own blood. This does not sit well with the stubborn Lucy, and she decides to escape and take her records with her. She does, however, leave the vials of her blood. Like Jonas, she realizes that people should have the right to choose and to fight for themselves, but she also knows the plague must be dealt with.
This novel has more in common with traditional dystopian novels, but it also reaches out to an interest in a post-apocalyptic niche. I think that students will enjoy this novel. I liked it a lot better than I have some of the other books. The story is easy to follow, and the world Treggiari sets up is believable despite its extremes. The characters in this novel are really well developed, and so I found myself highly invested in this story. The plot is compelling, and there is conflict enough to please anyone. This book would be helpful for teaching the importance of interdependence as well as the importance of staying critical of society and one's government. Overall, this book comes highly recommended.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
While I Live - John Marsden
Marsden, John. While I Live. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2007.
Summary: While I Live is the story of Ellie Linton and her struggles to keep her family farm after her parents are brutally murdered. Living on the border between two hostile nations in a divided, post-war Australia, Ellie must fight many battles. After members of the enemy nation kill her parents in a random, cross-border raid, Ellie shoulders the burden of keeping up her family's struggling farm while taking care of Gavin, her deaf, adopted brother. With the help of her friends and her own personal courage, Ellie faces legal disputes and the every day grind of running a farm by her self while trying to finish school. On top of this, her friend Homer, and ex-boyfriend Lee are caught up in a group called the Liberation, which seeks to free prisoner's of war. When Homer becomes one of these prisoners, Ellie gets caught up in the Liberation's activity, using her experience from fighting in the war to help her. Throughout the book, she grows and becomes even braver, facing her challenges and overcoming them. In the end, she wins the rights to the farm, and saves her friends from those that would harm them.
Dystopia: The civilization in While I Live, is not typical of a dystopian novel. In fact, I'd be much quicker to call this book a coming-of-age novel. It is, however, set in a post-war society, where the government is still recovering from the shocks of war. I think the story before this novel would be better suited for a dystopian novel: a world in which teenagers are fighting in a war. This book, however, does not delve deep into the state of the government or the civilization, but focuses much more on Ellie, and her struggles with running the farm, raising Gavin, and continuing a battle that was supposed to have ended, all while dealing with the normal pangs of adolescence. I think that the story contained in this novel could be looked at as the possible rebuilding after the dystopia has been abolished. Most dystopian novels involve the set up of a dystopian society, a character's realization that the society is corrupt, and a character's decision to rebel, or not. In this story, Ellie is not outwardly dissatisfied with her society besides the court system where her voice goes unheard. She is relieved that she can once again rely on the police and resume trade for livestock. Ellie must fight to maintain her lifestyle, and this is the real intrigue of the story. After fighting in the war, Ellie must now fight to protect her farm, her family, her friends and herself. In this way, there is a similarity between this book and the giver or unwind. Teenagers are placed in extreme situations due to the state of their societies and they rise to the occasion.
One theme that has ran through all of the novel I have read so far is choice. This idea is very explicit in this book as well. Ellie battles for her right to choose to keep the farm when there are those who would have her sell it. She is forced to grow up all to quickly when she discovers her parents dead, and is faced with the choices her situation presents. Slighter older teens reading this book will identify with Ellie's increased responsibility and the tough situation she faces while admiring her persistence and courage. While I felt like there was too much going on in this story, I did enjoy reading in parts because I was excited to follow Ellie's choices. This story may not be quite dystopian, but it is an interesting tale of a girl who is forced to make tough choices and overcome intense struggles.
D
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Unwind - Neal Shusterman
Shusterman, Neal. Unwind. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007.
Summary: Unwind follows Connor, Risa and Lev as they seek to escape their unwinding by surviving until their eighteenth birthdays. After the second civil war in America, the Heartland War, expecting parents are no longer allowed to abort unborn babies. Once the child turns thirteen and before they turn eighteen, however, parents can choose to have their child unwound. In this process, the child is dismantled alive and their parts are given to others in need of transplants. Connor is a troubled teen whose parents have chosen to have him unwound. Before he is taken to the harvest camp, however, he escapes in glorious fashion taking the state home teen Risa and the tithe Lev with him. Rise is being unwound because there is no more room in the state home for her and Lev is willingly being unwound for religious reasons. Connor and Risa get separated from Lev, but the three eventually make it to the same AWOL camp under the command of the Admiral. From there, things get dicey and Connor and Risa end up in a harvest camp after a revolt at the AWOL camp. Lev's take on unwinding has drastically changed and he seeks revenge on those who would have kids unwound. The three make waves when they eventually escape unwinding, taking down a harvest camp with them.
Dystopia: In Unwind, Neal Shusterman takes on many topics of debate in modern times. Abortion, organ donation and other topics all come up. In this story, like The Giver, there is a government in place with policies that seem radical to the reader. There are also the revolutionaries in this novel. While Jonas sought to change things in his home, Connor, Risa and Lev seek to escape the fate they feel has been unjustly thrust upon them. Unwind is slightly different from other dystopia texts because of its lack of a perceived utopia. In many novels, like The Giver, the people of the society believe that their government is perfect or are at least forced to act as such. In Unwind, however, there is clear dissent against the practice of unwinding, and there are many AWOL unwinds. In 1984, Brave New World, and The Giver, it is just one or two citizens who come across some knowledge that causes them to question their government. The story in Unwind takes place shortly after the Heartland War, so the people of this society have not come to fully accept the unwind policy and can remember the way things were before the war. Also, the America in this novel seems to still be democratic based on clues given, although Shusterman never explicitly states this is so. Therefore this novel veers from the traditional dystopia, but perhaps becomes more effective because it deals with issues so prevalent and so touchy in today's time that it becomes more relevant.
Again, the biggest connection in this text to the others is the concept of choice. Is it right for the parents to be able to choose to have their children unwound? Should abortion and unwinding even be matters of choice? Also, the soul is a recurring topic in this novel that is dealt with interestingly. When a child is unwound, it is unknown whether he/she keeps his/her soul. Does it die? Does it spread out with all the physical parts? In many religions, the soul and the ability to choose are what set humans apart from other animals, and these ideas are connected in this novel as well. What further sets Unwind apart is its lack of any real answers to these questions. The novel ends with Connor receiving transplants to replace his arm and his eye. Risa, however, refuses to receive transplants from unwinds and will be paralyzed the rest of her life. There is also a scene where the Admiral gathers all the people who have gotten transplants from his son, and it appears that the soul of the unwound still remains. Shusterman carefully dodges taking any sides in this novel, which may or may not be for the better. The novel is thought provoking, but often the best way to mould opinions is to present an argument and let the reader choose for his/herself. Shusterman beats around the bush and loses a lot of force, I think, in doing so. That being said, there are very touchy issues in this novel, and I do think that he did a good job of setting up a world in which these radical things are possible, and giving believable characters for these things to happen to. I know what his characters believe, and I see how terrible the things are that they go through, I just think the ending lacks resolution that it needs.
I would recommend this book to students, but it would come with a caution. It does get somewhat graphic in parts, and the topics could spark strong emotions in some readers. This is not a bad thing, it is just nice to have a warning. Also, I do not find the book to be a quality piece of writing. This is me being snobby, but I find it poorly written. There are errors throughout, it seems far too long to me, and the plot twists and turns in ways that cease to be exciting and become annoying instead. Also, the POV become very distracting when Shusterman switches from person to person and verb tense to verb tense. This aside and off my chest, I did actually enjoy Unwind once I forced myself to look past its flaws, and I give a nod to Shusterman for taking on the issues here. I feel that students who are less prone to look for technical errors, and more prone to look for an engaging read at their level will enjoy this book and take something valuable away from reading it.
-Zach O
Shusterman, Neal. Unwind. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007.
Summary: Unwind follows Connor, Risa and Lev as they seek to escape their unwinding by surviving until their eighteenth birthdays. After the second civil war in America, the Heartland War, expecting parents are no longer allowed to abort unborn babies. Once the child turns thirteen and before they turn eighteen, however, parents can choose to have their child unwound. In this process, the child is dismantled alive and their parts are given to others in need of transplants. Connor is a troubled teen whose parents have chosen to have him unwound. Before he is taken to the harvest camp, however, he escapes in glorious fashion taking the state home teen Risa and the tithe Lev with him. Rise is being unwound because there is no more room in the state home for her and Lev is willingly being unwound for religious reasons. Connor and Risa get separated from Lev, but the three eventually make it to the same AWOL camp under the command of the Admiral. From there, things get dicey and Connor and Risa end up in a harvest camp after a revolt at the AWOL camp. Lev's take on unwinding has drastically changed and he seeks revenge on those who would have kids unwound. The three make waves when they eventually escape unwinding, taking down a harvest camp with them.
Dystopia: In Unwind, Neal Shusterman takes on many topics of debate in modern times. Abortion, organ donation and other topics all come up. In this story, like The Giver, there is a government in place with policies that seem radical to the reader. There are also the revolutionaries in this novel. While Jonas sought to change things in his home, Connor, Risa and Lev seek to escape the fate they feel has been unjustly thrust upon them. Unwind is slightly different from other dystopia texts because of its lack of a perceived utopia. In many novels, like The Giver, the people of the society believe that their government is perfect or are at least forced to act as such. In Unwind, however, there is clear dissent against the practice of unwinding, and there are many AWOL unwinds. In 1984, Brave New World, and The Giver, it is just one or two citizens who come across some knowledge that causes them to question their government. The story in Unwind takes place shortly after the Heartland War, so the people of this society have not come to fully accept the unwind policy and can remember the way things were before the war. Also, the America in this novel seems to still be democratic based on clues given, although Shusterman never explicitly states this is so. Therefore this novel veers from the traditional dystopia, but perhaps becomes more effective because it deals with issues so prevalent and so touchy in today's time that it becomes more relevant.
Again, the biggest connection in this text to the others is the concept of choice. Is it right for the parents to be able to choose to have their children unwound? Should abortion and unwinding even be matters of choice? Also, the soul is a recurring topic in this novel that is dealt with interestingly. When a child is unwound, it is unknown whether he/she keeps his/her soul. Does it die? Does it spread out with all the physical parts? In many religions, the soul and the ability to choose are what set humans apart from other animals, and these ideas are connected in this novel as well. What further sets Unwind apart is its lack of any real answers to these questions. The novel ends with Connor receiving transplants to replace his arm and his eye. Risa, however, refuses to receive transplants from unwinds and will be paralyzed the rest of her life. There is also a scene where the Admiral gathers all the people who have gotten transplants from his son, and it appears that the soul of the unwound still remains. Shusterman carefully dodges taking any sides in this novel, which may or may not be for the better. The novel is thought provoking, but often the best way to mould opinions is to present an argument and let the reader choose for his/herself. Shusterman beats around the bush and loses a lot of force, I think, in doing so. That being said, there are very touchy issues in this novel, and I do think that he did a good job of setting up a world in which these radical things are possible, and giving believable characters for these things to happen to. I know what his characters believe, and I see how terrible the things are that they go through, I just think the ending lacks resolution that it needs.
I would recommend this book to students, but it would come with a caution. It does get somewhat graphic in parts, and the topics could spark strong emotions in some readers. This is not a bad thing, it is just nice to have a warning. Also, I do not find the book to be a quality piece of writing. This is me being snobby, but I find it poorly written. There are errors throughout, it seems far too long to me, and the plot twists and turns in ways that cease to be exciting and become annoying instead. Also, the POV become very distracting when Shusterman switches from person to person and verb tense to verb tense. This aside and off my chest, I did actually enjoy Unwind once I forced myself to look past its flaws, and I give a nod to Shusterman for taking on the issues here. I feel that students who are less prone to look for technical errors, and more prone to look for an engaging read at their level will enjoy this book and take something valuable away from reading it.
-Zach O
Dys
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1993.
Summary: The Giver tells the story of the twelve-year-old boy Jonas and his assignment as the Receiver of Memories for his village. Jonas lives in a society where uniformity is law. From birth, members of this society are taught to behave and look in the same way. Throughout time, as this society has formed, even colors have been forgotten and wether is regulated so that all things are uniform. The only large distinctions made amongst members are assigned tasks. These are given to twelve-year-olds at the Ceremony of Twelve. It is here that Jonas learns he is to take on the most honorable position in the society: the role of Receiver of Memories. With the guidance of his mentor, the Giver, Jonas learns the truth about his society and the Giver transfers all of the memories of the way things were before the society. Jonas makes a decision to return the memories to society so that things will go back to the way they were before being so regulated. With the help of the Giver and through his own determination, Jonas seeks to restore the people's ability to chose and makes his way to "Elsewhere."
Dystopia: In this novel, the dystopia is present in a similar manner to other texts. Like other stories such as 1984, Brave New World, etc., the emphasis is on uniformity. Members of the society are raised and bred to look similar and act in the same ways. Any divergence from this norm is seen as inappropriate or bizarre (such as Jonas' lighter colored eyes). The members of society adhere to a strict code, and are ignorant of any other way. As Jonas receives the memories from the Giver, he becomes aware of the horrifying realities of his society. The most striking example of this comes when Jonas learns the truth about being "released" from society. Jonas father releases a twin from the community, and thinks that he is just sending the child to another place. However, the Giver reveals to Jonas that his father has actually killed the child, and sent him down a chute. Old members of the community are disposed of in a similar manner. While the rest of society believes that release is a harmless thing, Jonas learns the truth and is shocked by it. At this moment in the story, he decides, along with the Giver, that something must be done.
Like Winston from 1984, knowledge is that which opens Jonas' eyes. When he learns that there was once such thing as color, war, and sledding, Jonas sees that life in his community is unfair. It is unfair, because there is no choice. Without pain, members of the community have never experiences great joy. Without the ugliness of war, they cannot appreciate the beauty of a field of flowers. In fact, color itself has disappeared.
Unlike some dystopian novels, this one ends with a glimmer of hope. Jonas releases the memories of the past back into the community, and therefore opens people's eyes to choice and another way of life. In the ending image he thinks he hears music, but in true dystopian fashion, Lowry tells that it may have been just an echo. This ending gives hope, but allows the novel to retain its grave tone.
This novel is heavy to be classified as YA lit., and is different because it does not focus so heavily on one character and his/her growing pains, but on the issue of society as a whole. However, it does follow a twelve-year-old and his comeuppance in his own society, making it most appropriate and identifiable for younger readers. It is a great novel to discuss the topic of choice and skepticism when it comes to governments and ruling bodies in general. I think students would enjoy discussing the similarities between the novel and what can be found in the real world. In this way, it is a good novel to help students who are prone to being self-involved shift their view from self to the larger picture. It is an enjoyable book to read, and the plot is compelling and the action fast enough to keep students interested. The writing is appropriate for younger, middle-school, but the material is thought-provoking enough to engage readers of 20+.
-Zach O
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1993.
Summary: The Giver tells the story of the twelve-year-old boy Jonas and his assignment as the Receiver of Memories for his village. Jonas lives in a society where uniformity is law. From birth, members of this society are taught to behave and look in the same way. Throughout time, as this society has formed, even colors have been forgotten and wether is regulated so that all things are uniform. The only large distinctions made amongst members are assigned tasks. These are given to twelve-year-olds at the Ceremony of Twelve. It is here that Jonas learns he is to take on the most honorable position in the society: the role of Receiver of Memories. With the guidance of his mentor, the Giver, Jonas learns the truth about his society and the Giver transfers all of the memories of the way things were before the society. Jonas makes a decision to return the memories to society so that things will go back to the way they were before being so regulated. With the help of the Giver and through his own determination, Jonas seeks to restore the people's ability to chose and makes his way to "Elsewhere."
Dystopia: In this novel, the dystopia is present in a similar manner to other texts. Like other stories such as 1984, Brave New World, etc., the emphasis is on uniformity. Members of the society are raised and bred to look similar and act in the same ways. Any divergence from this norm is seen as inappropriate or bizarre (such as Jonas' lighter colored eyes). The members of society adhere to a strict code, and are ignorant of any other way. As Jonas receives the memories from the Giver, he becomes aware of the horrifying realities of his society. The most striking example of this comes when Jonas learns the truth about being "released" from society. Jonas father releases a twin from the community, and thinks that he is just sending the child to another place. However, the Giver reveals to Jonas that his father has actually killed the child, and sent him down a chute. Old members of the community are disposed of in a similar manner. While the rest of society believes that release is a harmless thing, Jonas learns the truth and is shocked by it. At this moment in the story, he decides, along with the Giver, that something must be done.
Like Winston from 1984, knowledge is that which opens Jonas' eyes. When he learns that there was once such thing as color, war, and sledding, Jonas sees that life in his community is unfair. It is unfair, because there is no choice. Without pain, members of the community have never experiences great joy. Without the ugliness of war, they cannot appreciate the beauty of a field of flowers. In fact, color itself has disappeared.
Unlike some dystopian novels, this one ends with a glimmer of hope. Jonas releases the memories of the past back into the community, and therefore opens people's eyes to choice and another way of life. In the ending image he thinks he hears music, but in true dystopian fashion, Lowry tells that it may have been just an echo. This ending gives hope, but allows the novel to retain its grave tone.
This novel is heavy to be classified as YA lit., and is different because it does not focus so heavily on one character and his/her growing pains, but on the issue of society as a whole. However, it does follow a twelve-year-old and his comeuppance in his own society, making it most appropriate and identifiable for younger readers. It is a great novel to discuss the topic of choice and skepticism when it comes to governments and ruling bodies in general. I think students would enjoy discussing the similarities between the novel and what can be found in the real world. In this way, it is a good novel to help students who are prone to being self-involved shift their view from self to the larger picture. It is an enjoyable book to read, and the plot is compelling and the action fast enough to keep students interested. The writing is appropriate for younger, middle-school, but the material is thought-provoking enough to engage readers of 20+.
-Zach O
T
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