(#31) / War of the Worlds / by H. G. Wells / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

The War of the Worlds / by H. G. Wells

ISBN-13: 978-1453603802 / William Heinemann

p. 138 / $6.95 (Amazon)

1898

Body of Content

Summary: The War of the Worlds is a science fiction tale – written as a first-hand account of an Englishman who finds himself at the center of an alien invasion.  While the book is set in late 19^th-century England, mysterious observations on the surface on Mars lead to equally mysterious meteors falling outside London.  From the craters, alien machinery emerges – particularly the giant tripod machines which sweep through the urban settings.  Although the aliens are only seen briefly – and never develop conversations with the Earth inhabitants – their intentions are clear when they begin destroying human civilization and feeding upon people.  The narrator, along with his countrymen, attempts to flee the carnage.  Travelling with his wife, they must flee from a host of dangerous situations in the hopes of finding peace in an increasingly unstable and chaotic world.  

Critique: Few novels deal with characters that are not given names.  But Wells provides a story that is deplete of formal names.  The reader never learns the narrator’s name – though, when the filmmaker’s recently adapted the book to the big screen, Tom Cruise took the narrator’s role as “Ray Ferrier”.

The namelessness of the human characters points to two central themes in the book – 1) the shared agony and fate felt by the characters as a common race at the hands of the alien invaders – 2) and on a more metaphorical level, the trend of imperialism to treat the native peoples indiscriminately.

The aliens in the novel change the environment of the Earth to fit their own purposes.  Such an act mirrors British imperialism, where the local environment became a source of plunder – as resources were shipped back to England – and the selection of crops came from royal decisions instead of local necessities.  The Wars of the Worlds is a science fiction novel – but it contains a measure of social implications – as a commentary on clashes between differing human cultures.          

Teaser: Martians have landed on Earth.  One man seeks to save all that holds dear.  

Information about the Author: Wells wrote many famous science fiction-themed novels including The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Shape of Things to Come, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine.  A British citizen, Wells was born in 1866 and died in 1946.  After a few odd jobs – including working as an assistant to a chemist – Wells studied biology at the Normal School of Science after winning a scholarship.  Wells came from a humble family – and after graduation – money woes continued to follow him.  He actually married his cousin – Isabel Mary Wells – but the marriage dissolved after a handful of years.  Wells would later marry a former pupil under his tutorage – Amy Catherine Robbins – though she died in 1927, leaving Wells as a widow for the remainder of his years (A&E, 2011).

Wells increasingly wrote and spoke on issues related to social welfare and socialism – with decidedly political tones.  Fellow Englishman and contemporary G. K. Chesterton alluded to Wells’ change in literary direction, saying “Mr. Wells is a born storyteller who has sold his birthright for a pot of message” (Wikipedia, 2011).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Science Fiction / Adult Crossover

Curriculum Ties: History – imperialism, technology

Booktalking Ideas: 1) Did you know that the book was performed on the radio as a theatrical play. 2) Why do you think H.G. Wells is considered such a hallmark fixture of modern science fiction lure? And what place does War of the Worlds play in the debate? 

Reading Level: A crossover title, Wells’ novel fits well with teens interested in science fiction.  It would take a more advanced reader to detect the political overtones – mostly readable by late teens – 16-19.  

Challenge Issues and Defense: The book is a crossover title – so as a general rule – some parents may want the library to put the book in the adult section versus the YA section.  As one of Wells’ main works, the book is a classic – helping challenges based on the historical acclaim of the title.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: Even though this is an adult title, I read this crossover book in 8^th grade.

Last Thoughts

References:

A&E Television Networks. (2011). H.G. Wells [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://www.biography.com/people/h-g-wells-39224?page=3

Wikipedia. (2011). H. G. Wells [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.g._wells

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Brave Saint Saturn / Album – “So Far From Home” 

(#29) / Into Thin Air / by Jon Krakauer / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

Into Thin Air / by Jon Krakauer

ISBN: 0-385-49208-1 / Anchor Books  

p. 378 / $14.54 (Amazon)

1997

Body of Content

Summary: Jon Krakauer writes a first-hand account of the tragic events that unfolded in 1996 while climbing the world’s tallest peak.  Krakauer – who always possessed an interest in mountaineering – worked for Outside magazine at the time.  His employer arranged for him to travel to Nepal and write a feature story about various business ventures – how companies guided clients to the top of the Everest.  Krakauer finds himself at base camp – at elevation of over 17,000 feet – an elevation above his previous mountaineering experience.  At this height, the dangers are real – from bad weather to avalanches – from depleted oxygen level to sleep deprivation –from the severe cold to a lack of emergency medical aid.  But as Krakauer sets out in a guided attempt to the summit, the journalist comes to realize the most dangerous threat yet – human hubris.  

Critique: The novel speaks about – and at many times, against – the commercialization of Everest.  The first summit of the mountain occurred in the 1953 – and over subsequent decades, the mountaineering endeavor stands as a physical feat aided by a booming business that pairs wealthy clients with guides – in an effort to assist the clients’ ascension of the mountain and, in their opinion, ascend to a high level of human achievement.

The tourism fees alone – numbering tens of thousands of dollars that both Nepal and China require – demonstrate the willingness of many Western climbers to shell out monies for their attempt.  The book also speaks about the environmental effects – as Westerners leave their trash and oxygen bottles littered at base camp and along the mountain as well.  Such a practice stands in sharp contrast to many of the local peoples – who regard the mountain as sacred. 

But the consumerism and commercialism of the Westerners is painted in a different light, too.  The cost of the expeditions is not only in money – but in lives lost.  It is that dual nature of the book – painting the economic costs alongside the loss of human life – that creates a noteworthy commentary on adventure-seeking mountaineering.  For as the book unfolds, the two costs – of monies and lives – are directly tied together – they become difficult to separate: as the business guides reply on successful summits, they must take chances with human lives to do so. 

Into Thin Air provides a raw account of a survival story; but it contains social commentary – and leaves the reader with a rhetorical question: Is the payoff worth the cost?        

Teaser: A journalist gets the mountain climbing opportunity of a lifetime.  But as he ascends Mount Everest, more than a few stories develop from the journalist’s pen.

Information about the Author: Jon Krakauer is a journalist – whose early writing focused on outdoor activities in general and mountain climbing in particular.  Into Thin Air is the writer’s second novel, while another outdoor title (Into the Wild) is his first work.  Since his early works, Krakauer branched out into other journalistic-style novels – looking at Mormonism in the book Under the Banner of Heaven and researching military tales in his book about Pat Tillman titled Where Men Win Glory (Wikipedia, 2011).    

Supplemental Material

Genre: Nonfiction / Adventure

Curriculum Ties:  History – geography, commercialism, cultural customs  

Booktalking Ideas: 1) How much money would you spend – if you wanted the opportunity to climb the highest mountain in the world? 2) What is the highest elevation that you have personally visited – and how does it compare to the elevation of Everest’s base camp?

Reading Level: The reading level rests with older teens – likely 16-19. Younger readers may like mountain climbing tales like Banner in the Sky where less people die.

Challenge Issues and Defense: The book tells a raw and poignant account of mountain climbing.  Some language and general premise hamper the book – but not to the level of hamstringing it.  The book is well-written and the book’s popularity helps it – if ever challenged.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: The book takes the romanticism away from mountain climbing and thrill-seeking in general.  I believe that I liked the book – because it provided a cautionary tale against human hubris – against blind ambition.

Last Thoughts

References:

Wikipedia. (2011). Jon Krakauer [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Krakauer

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Brooke Fraser / Album – “Flags” 

(#17) / A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider / by Ishmael Beah / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider / by Ishmael Beah

ISBN-13: 978-0374531263 / Farrar, Straus and Giroux

p. 229 / Price $9.60 (Amazon)

2007

Body of Content

Summary: The book “A Long Way Gone” tells the autobiographical tale of a young, 13-year-old boy whose life and country become saturated with turmoil and violence with the outbreak of civil war in the country of Sierra Leone.  After the destruction of his village, and the unknown fates of his family, Ishmael travels with a group of friends – trying to escape the violence that befalls his country.  But ultimately, Beah is captured by the governmental forces that are fighting the rebels – and they enlist him as a child soldier in the conflict.  Under the sway of political propaganda and the cloudy effect of powerful drugs (mostly cocaine and methamphetamines), Beah struggles through the story – committing violence and killings as a soldier.  The story is both commentary on violence and human rights – and ultimately, a struggle of a boy trying to reclaim his humanity.  

Critique: The story is gripping, heart-wrenching, and unapologetic in its description of wartime violence. [Spoiler Alert]  But, the story does not stop there.  Although the story provides undisturbed candor into the thoughts and actions of a boy soldier, Beah’s rescue from a horrific situation leaves the reader with a paradox – the insane evil resting within humanity – and the opposite – the innocent-laden goodness within humanity.  Beah literally commits dozens of murders within the wartime novel.  But, he finally flees to America – adopted by a journalist whom he had previous met at a UN conference – and now speaks on human right issues.

Beah’s portrayal (of an innocent child – turned into a killer – and finally able to recover his humanity) is a redemption story as much as it is a survival tale.  But the duality – the paradox of humanity – is a theme throughout the book.  And that paradox – of goodness and evilness – is a theme of a French theologian by the name of Blaise Pascal.  Beah’s story is one that explores the actions possible by human beings as a race – and as an individual person.  Like Pascal, there is both great concern and great hope for the human race within A Long Way Gone.  Beah’s story touches on many subjects throughout the book’s journey, but the philosophical issue of human ontology rests as a major theme – that turns a theoretical exercise into a first-hand account of war and redemption.              

Teaser: Ishmael’s homeland is devastated by a civil war.  Suddenly, he flees his home – only to find myself conscripted into an army – as a child soldier.  Can Ishmael hope to regain what he lost?  

Information about the Author: The author, now 31 years old, was born in Sierra Leone.  During a civil war in his home country, Beah fought as a child soldier.  After the war, an American journalist adopted him – and he now lives in New York City.  Currently, Beah works for the Human Rights Watch – within a committee specializing in issues related to children.  In his past work with the United Nations, he has met with notable leaders such as Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela (Wikipedia, 2011).

Upon the release of the book, Beah spoke with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.  The host reflects, “I’ve rarely read a book that’s made my heart hurt” (Daily Show, 2007).  The author responds to the fragileness of life and the ease of becoming a killer and the difficulty of returning to society (Daily Show, 2007).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Autobiography / Historical Nonfiction / Adventure

Curriculum Ties: History – child soldiers, imperialism, African history, United Nations / Theology – ontology, paradox of humanity, Pascal, “Problem of Evil”   

Booktalking Ideas: 1) How could a child become a soldier in a national conflict? 2) Does Ishmael ever find other members of his family?  

Reading Level: This book is certainly towards the upper bracket of high school – but I contend that it is thoroughly a teenage-intended book – with a teenage protagonist, short length (229 pages), and simple writing style.  Thus, the book is best for ages 16-19.

Challenge Issues and Defense: The subject matter is raw and the premise is dark.  The best defense strategy looks at the intentions of the work – as it does not seek to glorify violence, but instead, expose it for the inhumanness that it represents.  The book also received numerous awards, including a number three mention in an article by Times for Top Ten nonfiction books of 2007 (Grossman, 2007).

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: “A Long Way Gone” is a powerful book in own right – a book that I had my high school juniors read for their European history class. 

Last Thoughts

References:

Grossman, L. (2007). Top ten nonfiction books [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.time.com

/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1686204_1686244_1691772,00.html

The Daily Show. (14 February, 2007). Ishmael Beah [Video]. Retrieved from

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-14-2007/ishmael-beah

Wikipedia. (2011). Ishmael Beah [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_Beah

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Sixpence None the Richer / Album – “Divine Discontent”