The Lovely Bones

People express their social beliefs in many different ways. Living in New York I have the opportunity to see a wide array of social commentary expressed in different ways. Walking down the street I see graffiti expressing opinions, and I see billboards full of controversial adds. Another prominent place that I see social commentary is in the books I read.   

The book, The Lovely Bones, by American author Alice Sebold is full of social commentary, however the social commentary that is the most prominent throughout the book is about race. The Lovely Bones is a book about a girl named Suise Salmon, who was murdered. This book is written from the prospective of Suise who is looking over the earth from her new home in heaven. The book includes multiple flashbacks from when Susie was alive, as well as a continuous story line taking place during the current time. An interesting part of this book that allows a more comprehensive racial social commentary is that the book takes place in 1973. This allows social commentary about strong race injustice.

In The Lovely Bones characters who are not white are considered inferior and delinquent. The author conveys this by expressing the police’s thoughts about the first suspect in Suise’s murder, Ray Singh, a young Indian boy who had a crush schoolboy on Suise. When they were questioning Ray the police “..were fueled by guilt they read into Ray’s dark skin…” In other words, the believed he was guilty for a reason none other than his skin color. Another moment in the book when a race injustice was quite apparent was in the beginning in the book when Suise’s friend Clarrisa made a comment about Ray Singh, she stated that his facial features were “freak-a-delic,” this was because Ray’s eyes were different from hers.

In conclusion, The Lovely Bones has a strong focus on social commentary about race. This was proven by the many times where the white characters act as though the characters of color are inferior. This book was able to convey this race injustice because it was written in the 1970’s , a transitional time in the United State’s history. This was a time when racial equality was controversial. Overall, The Lovely Bones sheds light on the racial divide in the 20^th century, while still being a fantastic read.

Polar Bears and Guns, Oh My!

In Upfront Magazine’s article “No Job? Get Lost!” author Andrew Higgins explores Norway’s northernmost territory, Svalbard, and the unusual law it maintains. Unlike most places in the world, Svalbard has a law that prohibits unemployment and homelessness. People in Svalbard who are unemployed and/or homeless get deported. This unique archipelago has an almost non-existent crime rate, even though most citizens own guns to protect themselves from the increasing threat of polar bears. The governor of Svalbard, Odd Olsen Ingero, attributes the low crime rate to the law against unemployment. Author Andrew Higgins makes the claim that living in Svalbard, despite the low crime rate, would not be pleasant.

            The author uses specific craft moves to support his claim. Although Svalbard is a territory so safe people feel confortable leaving their front doors open, Higgins choses to highlight the negative aspects of this town. Higgins devotes a subsection of his article to detail the “Guns & Polar Bears” in Svalbard, noting the high rate of gun ownership and the constant threat of polar bear attacks. Although Higgins does mention the positive aspects of Svalbard, he consistently undermines his comments by stating other negative facts about Svalbard with the intent of de-glorifying the territory. Higgins also delves into the high taxes of Svalbard comparing Svalbard’s 25 percent sales tax to the highest sales tax in America, which is only 9.5 percent. The author supports his claim by using a quote from an American named Mark Sabbatini, who lives in Svalbard and states, “If you want to live here, there is something slightly warped about you.”

Higgins article struck a chord with me. Since the 2008 recession hit, there has been non-stop news coverage of the fluctuating unemployment rates in the United States. Although the unemployment rates in the U.S. constantly change, in the history of the country there has never been an unemployment rate of 0 percent. I can’t imagine there being a U.S. city where there aren’t homeless or unemployed people, it’s part of what makes the U.S so economically diverse.

Furthermore, in the United States, it is a foundational belief that everyone is created equal. If any state, city or town in the U.S. were to deport unemployed or homeless people, staunch supporters of civil rights would cause a tumultuous uproar. Unemployment and homelessness is so widely accepted as a cultural norm in the U.S. that there are American T.V. shows built around it, from The Real Housewives to Extreme Cheapskates. Unemployment may not be considered a positive aspect of our country, however it defines the U.S. The U.S. will always be a country that has a wide array of socioeconomic statuses, and will never be a country with a low crime, homeless or unemployment rate. 

Darkness Too Visible Response

Niko Amber 803
October 23, 2014


In the article, “Darkness to Visible,” by Megan Cox Gurdon, Gurdon discusses her opinion of Young Adult [YA] literature. Gurdon makes the claim that YA literature is too dark for the age group it targets. The author supports her claim by writing about how sinister she believes YA fiction is. She states, “[YA fiction is] so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things of novels directed, broadly speaking, at children from the ages of 12 to 18.” The author made this point to show the type of content that is typical in YA books. Gurdon strongly opposes the content of YA books and writes about it in her argument essay.

Gurdon uses specific craft moves to manipulate readers into agreeing with her claim. For instance, she begins her essay by using narrative about Amy Freeman, a 46-year-old woman who was looking in a bookstore for a YA novel for her thirteen-year-old daughter. Freeman left the store empty handed after finding no books that she deemed age appropriate. The author wrote this story to inspire the reader to identify with the experience of Amy Freeman. Gurdon’s article was published in The Wall Street Journal, she knows many of her readers will be adults who are looking for books for teenage children. The author also uses the loaded word “ghastly” to describe the subject matter of YA literature. The word ghastly is negatively charged. The author used this word to make the reader feel as though YA books are inappropriate and contain frightening content. The author wants the reader to release all thoughts about YA fiction being good for teens.

Gurdon’s assertion, that YA fiction is too dark for teenagers, is an opinion I do not agree with. I believe that certain YA books may have content that is too mature for some teenagers. However, I believe that it isn’t up to adults to prohibit what teens are reading. It is up to teens to know themselves as readers, and know what they feel comfortable reading. I believe that contrary to what Gurdon states in her essay, teens between the ages of 12 and 18 understand their personal boundaries. Teenagers know if they can handle books about self-multination, for example, or if they need to stay away from books on that subject matter. Adults should not ban YA books, because they don’t know everyone’s story, background and sensitivities. In conclusion, adults shouldn’t ban books but instead should make sure teens know the subject matter of the books they are planning to read, and whether or not they are ready for it.

And Then I Found Out the Truth

Niko Amber  803                                                                                            10/16/14

Reading Response

And Then I Found Out the Truth

There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible - a wound that will never quite heal           —Susan Wiggs

And Then I Found Out the Truth, by Jennifer Sturman, is a story about loss and finding independence. In the novel, Delia is a teenager whose mother, T.K., suddenly dies while on a boating expedition in Central America. T.K.’s death forces Delia to move from her beach-side house in California to New York City, where Delia learns life lessons, while trying to unravel the mystery of her mother’s death. Sturman symbolically illustrates the ways in which the death of T.K. impacts Delia both negatively and positively.

            Many readers may be surprised by Delia’s reaction to her mother’s death. Although many teenagers have a hard time coming to terms with the death of a parent, Delia absolutely refuses to believe that her mother, a widow, is dead. Instead, Delia believes her mother is lost at sea. Delia thinks that her mother is too organized to suddenly die in a freak accident. Although, Delia believes her mother is alive, the absence of her only parent takes a toll.

            American novelist Susan Wiggs states, “There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible - a wound that will never quite heal.” However, for Delia the effects of her mother’s death were not all negative. Delia experienced a period of growth while mourning for her mother. 

            In the beginning of the book, Delia takes a physics test, which she fails. The test symbolizes the ways in which T.K.’s death negatively impacts Delia. T.K. is a science wizard; she studied at Stanford University and created her own science-based company. However, Delia did not inherit her mother’s aptitude for science. In the past, the only way Delia had been able to pass science class was by receiving constant tutoring from T.K. When Delia fails her first science test after her mother’s disappearance, she begins to understand the ramifications of her mother’s death.

            Although Delia struggled with her mother’s absence, Delia made significant realizations about her self during the time she was living with her aunts in New York. The restrictions that Delia’s mother put into place were dropped under her aunt’s supervision. Delia no longer felt obligated to live up to the expectations that she would equal her mother’s success. Delia began to live her life based on her preferences rather than arbitrary rules her mother put in place. For example, Delia’s mother only believed in buying clothes from L.L. Bean catalogs. When Delia moved to New York she was no longer regulated in her clothing choices; she could finally express herself through fashion.

            While Delia suffered though her mother’s absence, she reaped great rewards in discovering her independence. She learned how to live without the restrictions of her mother, and although she got off to a rocky start in her science class, she managed to get her grades up. At the end of the book, Delia got a got an A on her physics final. It’s likely the author, Jennifer Sturman, wrote And Then I Found Out the Truth to show teenagers that while they may go through hardships as they are developing into adults, something good can come out of a bad situation.

            Delia’s experiences throughout the book are relatable to many teenagers. Although the story revolves around a mysterious death, the foundation of the plot is a coming of age story. Specifically, And Then I Found Out the Truth is about a girl who loses her mother, only to find her independence, individuality and resilience. This is a universal theme that resonates with many teenagers, because all teens have to go through separating from their mothers to find who they are as individuals.

             

The Partials

               The Partials

By Dan Wells

The Partials by Dan Wells follows sixteen-year-old radical heroine Kira Walker as she tries to revolutionize a post-apocalyptic world. Although this book is very similar in genre to many other popular Young Adult (YA) novel such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, I appreciate this book because of the author’s original ideas. Specifically, the medical environment that this book is set in allows Wells to heighten the feeling of distress for readers by creating frightening medical-based situations, such as when all the newborn babies die. I also appreciate the evocative language the author uses. For example, on page 17 Wells writes, "There are somethings more important than ourselves — more important than the limits of the present, and the whims of the now." He is using this piece of dialogue to convey how the Mayor of Long Island convinces the citizens that forcing teenage girls to get pregnant at 17 is for a better future.  

Wells also did a great job building the personality traits of each character. Because of his skill, I built book-relationships with many of the figures in the story. For example, Marcus is my book enemy; he is self-centered, annoying and skeptical. While Marcus acted as though he cared about Kira, he didn’t help Kira when she was trying to recruit people for her mission to save the children of Long Island. Kira thinks about society as a whole; Marcus thinks only about himself.

The author has a clear message that he is trying to convey: Wells wants to show the reader how society’s obsession with the perpetual advancement of new technology is potentially dangerous. Wells also illustrates for readers that humans will always engage in power struggles, even in the most dire times. Last, in The Partials Wells effectively suggests that most people care more about themselves than others. It is a depressing view on humanity, but perhaps the author is right.