Oh, wow, let's pretend that I haven't been the huge book club partner slacker that I actually have been this month. Oh, goodness. I'm still not finished with the book, but I'd say I'm 2/3 of the way through, so I thought I'd better share some of my thoughts.
I am really wondering who the big mystery man is behind Ed's missions. I'm sometimes a bit confused because for most of the missions I feel like I'm watching an episode of Touched by an Angel but for others (like the rapist husband) I feel like Ed is being groomed into a hitman. I understand that in every mission there is a person or persons being helped, but then I'm thrown again when two masked men come and beat up Ed. What is that about? Suddenly, he has to perform all of these missions or he's dead? I think that puts a bit of a dark edge on his saintly deeds. Of course, I'm also wondering how these mystery people or mystery man know about all these people in need (not to mention the rocks where Ed and his brother fished). Anyway, I'm excited to find out who they are--then again, maybe we never find out . . .
It's a real bummer about Audrey, and stinks even more when he does finally get the nerve to make a pass at her and she pretty much turns him down flat. Ouch. I agree with you about the similarities between his love for her and the love of the characters in The Book Thief. So my guess is that they don't end up together. I also agree about the similarity between the mother figures. Interesting.
I wonder what Marv is saving all that money for . . . Oh, and I love that all these scrappy young people are such wonderful friends to each other. Their banter is great.
Have you noticed all the references to women's legs? It seems that whenever Ed notices an attractive woman, he describes her beautiful legs/thighs/etc. I'm not sure this is actually important, but I noticed it all the same.
Okay, I'll report back when I'm finished.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Oh, goodness
Okay, I haven't started the book yet, BUT it is on my nightstand and is waiting patiently for me to pick it up (I had two other books I had to finish first). Therefore, I haven't read any of your posts simply because I don't want anything spoiled. I will start the book this week. I promise!! Then let the posts and comments flurry commence!
Friday, August 15, 2008
YA versus Adult Lit
So I'm feeling guilty now for starting the book so early and racing through it. I finished it last week, but I won't say anything about the end until you let me know that you've finished it.
I've been thinking lately about what makes a book young adult literature. At first this book didn't feel like YA lit because of the language and because Ed so matter of factly stated that he is "pathetic when it comes to sex" (21). Of course part of my wonderings also include the book To Kill a Mockingbird, which was written for adults but is so often read in 8th and 9th grade classes. The thought with that book seems to be that because it's written from a child's perspective that it's age appropriate for middle-schoolers and freshman, but teaching it to my 8th grade class last year was a nightmare. The text was way too complex for most of my students because it requires them to draw conclusions and make inferences just to follow the storyline, not to mention the complex issues raised about gender, race, and class.
All of this isn't to say that I Am the Messenger is as well written as To Kill a Mockingbird. But I wondered at first if Zuzak wrote this book for teenagers or if he wrote it and it got dumped in the YA pile. Now that I've finished it, I think he did because of the voice of Ed and the implied audience. I'm too lazy to figure out why I felt like the intended primary audience is teenagers, but that's who it felt like Ed was talking to.
I've also noticed that many YA books tend to have a didactic thread to them that seems to be absent in more recent adult literature that instead seems interested in exploring human nature rather than explaining it or teaching something. Often I find such didacticism heavy handed and annoying even if I agree with the message, especially in YA distopian novels that take place in a future time when we've destroyed our planet with pollution. The thing I enjoyed about this book is that throughout, I got the sense that Zuzak was sharing more than a story, that he wants his readers to take something away from this book, but what exactly that message is isn't overbearing. In fact I'm sure plenty of teenagers could read this book and see nothing more than a story, but it's a story that will challenge them enough to get them thinking.
I've been thinking lately about what makes a book young adult literature. At first this book didn't feel like YA lit because of the language and because Ed so matter of factly stated that he is "pathetic when it comes to sex" (21). Of course part of my wonderings also include the book To Kill a Mockingbird, which was written for adults but is so often read in 8th and 9th grade classes. The thought with that book seems to be that because it's written from a child's perspective that it's age appropriate for middle-schoolers and freshman, but teaching it to my 8th grade class last year was a nightmare. The text was way too complex for most of my students because it requires them to draw conclusions and make inferences just to follow the storyline, not to mention the complex issues raised about gender, race, and class.
All of this isn't to say that I Am the Messenger is as well written as To Kill a Mockingbird. But I wondered at first if Zuzak wrote this book for teenagers or if he wrote it and it got dumped in the YA pile. Now that I've finished it, I think he did because of the voice of Ed and the implied audience. I'm too lazy to figure out why I felt like the intended primary audience is teenagers, but that's who it felt like Ed was talking to.
I've also noticed that many YA books tend to have a didactic thread to them that seems to be absent in more recent adult literature that instead seems interested in exploring human nature rather than explaining it or teaching something. Often I find such didacticism heavy handed and annoying even if I agree with the message, especially in YA distopian novels that take place in a future time when we've destroyed our planet with pollution. The thing I enjoyed about this book is that throughout, I got the sense that Zuzak was sharing more than a story, that he wants his readers to take something away from this book, but what exactly that message is isn't overbearing. In fact I'm sure plenty of teenagers could read this book and see nothing more than a story, but it's a story that will challenge them enough to get them thinking.
Monday, August 04, 2008
The girls, gals, and women
Blood and Roses, p. 174
I can't believe it's been more than a year since we've read a book together. Where does the time go?
I have to confess that I started reading this book before August and it's one of those books that I've sort of fallen into and I don't want to stop reading. It was just the sort of change of pace I was looking for and I didn't expect that at all. I've heard some people say that The Book Thief was hard to get into because it's narrated by Death, but I love how Zuzak begins this book with "The gunman is useless." I think it's the sort of start that would really grab most young adult kids. And it seems like Ed is the sort of guy most of my eighth grade male students would identify with just because all kids at that age feel insecure and they identify with the loser guy who can't get the girl yet still seems to be a sort of hero. I just don't know if they'd stick with Ed through Milla and Angie Caruso. And with all the talk about sex and the language I probably wouldn't recommend it to an eighth grader myself.
I don't feel like I have much intelligent to say about this book; mostly I'm just enjoying the story but I felt like I had better post something before I finished the book. I am fascinated by the women. Zuzak seems to have a thing with foul-mouthed mother figures. And I find the contrast between Ed's mom and Audrey so interesting. Ed's mom is nothing like the angel at the hearth, and Audrey is too adored to be stuffed into the whore side of that dichotomy and yet there's a very strong dichotomy there with Ed's mom as the epitomy of every horrible stereotype about women (except the whore part) and Audrey as the wonderful but unattainable woman. And it's interesting to me how so far, the only really rotten woman is Ed's mom. When it comes to the cards all the other women are sweet and wonderful but in some sort of distress that they need to be saved from. So is Zuzak a chauvenist deep down, or does Ed need to save a few women in order to recuperate his self-image after growing up with his mom? Even that sounds chauvenistic. And why is it that all the men on the cards seem to need a good beating so far in order to get them to see straight.* I'm interested to see if these gender trends continue throughout the book. And I wonder if Ed will end up with Audrey in the end. With the way The Book Thief ended I think it's possible that he'll never get Audrey. And that get's me wondering if Ed isn't a sort of grown up Rudy with his total love of Audrey.
But, so far my favorite part about this book are the insinuations about women who wear Ugg boots. I have to admit that I don't really understand the Ugg boot trend unless they're insanely comfortable. To me they just look big and clunky, but my middle school students loved them and I've never been really hip in the first place. So if you own a pair, just know that I probably don't know what I'm talking about anyway. But I still find it fascinating that all the women who wear Ugg boots in this book seem to be delinquent moms in some way or another.
*I realized last night after I wrote this that the priest wasn't like Gavin Rose or the abusive husband, but I do find it interesting how Zuzak's characters always seem to have a thing with fist fights.
I can't believe it's been more than a year since we've read a book together. Where does the time go?
I have to confess that I started reading this book before August and it's one of those books that I've sort of fallen into and I don't want to stop reading. It was just the sort of change of pace I was looking for and I didn't expect that at all. I've heard some people say that The Book Thief was hard to get into because it's narrated by Death, but I love how Zuzak begins this book with "The gunman is useless." I think it's the sort of start that would really grab most young adult kids. And it seems like Ed is the sort of guy most of my eighth grade male students would identify with just because all kids at that age feel insecure and they identify with the loser guy who can't get the girl yet still seems to be a sort of hero. I just don't know if they'd stick with Ed through Milla and Angie Caruso. And with all the talk about sex and the language I probably wouldn't recommend it to an eighth grader myself.
I don't feel like I have much intelligent to say about this book; mostly I'm just enjoying the story but I felt like I had better post something before I finished the book. I am fascinated by the women. Zuzak seems to have a thing with foul-mouthed mother figures. And I find the contrast between Ed's mom and Audrey so interesting. Ed's mom is nothing like the angel at the hearth, and Audrey is too adored to be stuffed into the whore side of that dichotomy and yet there's a very strong dichotomy there with Ed's mom as the epitomy of every horrible stereotype about women (except the whore part) and Audrey as the wonderful but unattainable woman. And it's interesting to me how so far, the only really rotten woman is Ed's mom. When it comes to the cards all the other women are sweet and wonderful but in some sort of distress that they need to be saved from. So is Zuzak a chauvenist deep down, or does Ed need to save a few women in order to recuperate his self-image after growing up with his mom? Even that sounds chauvenistic. And why is it that all the men on the cards seem to need a good beating so far in order to get them to see straight.* I'm interested to see if these gender trends continue throughout the book. And I wonder if Ed will end up with Audrey in the end. With the way The Book Thief ended I think it's possible that he'll never get Audrey. And that get's me wondering if Ed isn't a sort of grown up Rudy with his total love of Audrey.
But, so far my favorite part about this book are the insinuations about women who wear Ugg boots. I have to admit that I don't really understand the Ugg boot trend unless they're insanely comfortable. To me they just look big and clunky, but my middle school students loved them and I've never been really hip in the first place. So if you own a pair, just know that I probably don't know what I'm talking about anyway. But I still find it fascinating that all the women who wear Ugg boots in this book seem to be delinquent moms in some way or another.
*I realized last night after I wrote this that the priest wasn't like Gavin Rose or the abusive husband, but I do find it interesting how Zuzak's characters always seem to have a thing with fist fights.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)