Re: Black Beauty. I am still working on it. Book is long, y'all.
In other news, while I was home for the holidays I had planned to pick through the mother lode of wonderful YA books from when I was younger. I had dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Judy Blume, and most of all, Louisa May Alcott. But alas, sometime over the last few months these books have been relegated to the basement, a.k.a. the bottomless pit of my parents' house. I couldn't find them, and my mother (who probably knows exactly where they are) seemed too busy for me to justify bothering her with this. So I will have to go searching the used book shops sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful send-up of Little House on the Prairie.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Interlude: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Every once in a while I will deviate from the plan in order to write about a contemporary book. Rest assured I am reading away and will be back to regular programming shortly.
People. This holiday season, I am going to do something that is very difficult for me. I am giving away a book that I love.
If you shuddered just reading that, then you understand. Books are often hard to part with. But this is for charity, and they need gifts for teenagers, and as you’ve probably guessed, my house is full of great teen novels.
I’ve chosen Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother to give away because it is a wonderful, thought-provoking and innovative novel, but also because I think (and hope) that it will appeal to teenage boys, those ever-elusive readers.
Before I start, here is a quick synopsis of the book, taken from the author's Web site.
Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
So, here are three awesome things about Little Brother (I had to limit myself, believe me).
1) The title
It might seem kind of obvious to point out that the title of this book is an allusion to George Orwell's 1984. But I'm going to do it anyway, because I think that the way Doctorow has interpreted the Big Brother theme is one of the most interesting aspects of this book.
Little Brother comes from Big Brother, a term coined by Orwell, one that conjures images of dangerous and exploitative acts justified by claims of protection and love. Big Brother takes advantage of people's eagerness to believe what they are told; people are so willing to believe that someone else knows what is best for them that they give up more and more of their freedoms until it is too late to get them back.
Little Brother, as a title, implies right away that the protagonist of this book is in the role of "protected" rather than "protector." Marcus learns early on that the government is terrifying rather than helpful, but instead of accepting his prescribed role as an ignorant citizen, he chooses instead to fight the system. [Marcus's screen name, as a wink to Orwell readers, is w1n5t0n.]
2) Don't Trust Anyone Over 25
Marcus's age is important, and not only because this is a YA novel. Children and teenagers, more than anyone else, are subject to society's rules and restrictions. All day long, teachers and parents and other adult authority figures tell them what to do, and even the most rebellious teenager probably spends more time obeying adults than disobeying them. (Side note: whenever people complain about teenagers being rowdy, I always point out that they're generally more orderly than the elderly, who have a much larger sense of entitlement.) So Marcus's decision to fight the seemingly all-powerful Department of Homeland Security is not easy, and he does not make it lightly.
Age is an important theme throughout the book, with the adults more inclined to obey the government and the younger people often desperate to escape it. This important reversal of the parent/child relationship mirrors the problems with the larger relationship between civilians and the DHS.
3) Technology
Related to the importance of youth fighting for their rights, and certainly related to Doctorow's status as an exalted techie, this book is overflowing with cool and, if you're an analog girl like me, pretty scary technology. I will not go into too much detail, because while it was fairly easy to follow in the book, I will only expose my ignorance if I try to explain it here. Suffice it to say that Marcus leads his rebellion on an Xbox, using untraceable internet connections to organize mass technology sabotage in order to overload the DHS's attempts to track the population. In a world of gait-recognition devices (yes, that means cameras that identify you based on the unique way in which you WALK) and constant surveillance, Marcus discovers ways to turn often-unfriendly technology to his advantage, and it is fascinating to watch, even if you (like me) don't always get it.
Phew! That is all I'll say about Little Brother (and I didn't even talk about the post-9/11 political connection!). Go read it. It's great. I would lend you my copy, but I'm giving it to charity.
People. This holiday season, I am going to do something that is very difficult for me. I am giving away a book that I love.
If you shuddered just reading that, then you understand. Books are often hard to part with. But this is for charity, and they need gifts for teenagers, and as you’ve probably guessed, my house is full of great teen novels.
I’ve chosen Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother to give away because it is a wonderful, thought-provoking and innovative novel, but also because I think (and hope) that it will appeal to teenage boys, those ever-elusive readers.
Before I start, here is a quick synopsis of the book, taken from the author's Web site.
Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
So, here are three awesome things about Little Brother (I had to limit myself, believe me).
1) The title
It might seem kind of obvious to point out that the title of this book is an allusion to George Orwell's 1984. But I'm going to do it anyway, because I think that the way Doctorow has interpreted the Big Brother theme is one of the most interesting aspects of this book.
Little Brother comes from Big Brother, a term coined by Orwell, one that conjures images of dangerous and exploitative acts justified by claims of protection and love. Big Brother takes advantage of people's eagerness to believe what they are told; people are so willing to believe that someone else knows what is best for them that they give up more and more of their freedoms until it is too late to get them back.
Little Brother, as a title, implies right away that the protagonist of this book is in the role of "protected" rather than "protector." Marcus learns early on that the government is terrifying rather than helpful, but instead of accepting his prescribed role as an ignorant citizen, he chooses instead to fight the system. [Marcus's screen name, as a wink to Orwell readers, is w1n5t0n.]
2) Don't Trust Anyone Over 25
Marcus's age is important, and not only because this is a YA novel. Children and teenagers, more than anyone else, are subject to society's rules and restrictions. All day long, teachers and parents and other adult authority figures tell them what to do, and even the most rebellious teenager probably spends more time obeying adults than disobeying them. (Side note: whenever people complain about teenagers being rowdy, I always point out that they're generally more orderly than the elderly, who have a much larger sense of entitlement.) So Marcus's decision to fight the seemingly all-powerful Department of Homeland Security is not easy, and he does not make it lightly.
Age is an important theme throughout the book, with the adults more inclined to obey the government and the younger people often desperate to escape it. This important reversal of the parent/child relationship mirrors the problems with the larger relationship between civilians and the DHS.
3) Technology
Related to the importance of youth fighting for their rights, and certainly related to Doctorow's status as an exalted techie, this book is overflowing with cool and, if you're an analog girl like me, pretty scary technology. I will not go into too much detail, because while it was fairly easy to follow in the book, I will only expose my ignorance if I try to explain it here. Suffice it to say that Marcus leads his rebellion on an Xbox, using untraceable internet connections to organize mass technology sabotage in order to overload the DHS's attempts to track the population. In a world of gait-recognition devices (yes, that means cameras that identify you based on the unique way in which you WALK) and constant surveillance, Marcus discovers ways to turn often-unfriendly technology to his advantage, and it is fascinating to watch, even if you (like me) don't always get it.
Phew! That is all I'll say about Little Brother (and I didn't even talk about the post-9/11 political connection!). Go read it. It's great. I would lend you my copy, but I'm giving it to charity.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Black Beauty, part one: pre-read.
I grew up in a rural community. There was no shortage of farms. As someone who loved animals and the outdoors, this was ideal, as I got to spend hours playing with other people’s barn cats, which I loved. (Sidebar: a childhood friend and I nicknamed an outbuilding “the cat house” and spent hours there every summer, brushing mangy barn cats into submission. Only recently did I realize that “cat house” is another way of saying “whorehouse.”) I didn’t even mind the smell, or the cows, as long as I got to play (probably dangerous) games of hide-and-seek in the hay lofts and feed the lambs. One breed of animal I did not have much time for, however, was the horse.
I have been on a horse exactly three times in my life: once at the aforementioned friend’s house, with the horse at a slow walk and my friend’s mother holding tightly to the reins; once on a class trip to a riding trail where the horses knew the way and were taking it whether you wanted to or not; and once in my neighbour’s barn, without a saddle. All three times were mildly terrifying. I was not a horse girl. I realize, though, that many young girls love horses. Really love them. Horses are their passion: palominos, ponies, even unicorns. Especially unicorns. I just didn’t get it, though. Horses weren’t cuddly; they were frighteningly gigantic. They looked mean and undoubtedly were just waiting for you to let your guard down so they could kick you in the face. These were my thoughts on horses, if I even thought of them at all.
Until I read Black Beauty. I believe it was a gift, though I can’t remember from whom. I probably read it because I pretty much read whatever people put in front of me, but I do remember not being able to put it down. And crying; I remember crying. Cursing the unfeeling nature of humans, the hard life of the horse. This is likely because this book is written in first-person horse (that is so strange to write [the phrase; I have never written a book in first-person horse]). Obviously the emotional connection often brought about by the first-person tense worked on my young self. The details are vague, for now, one of the reasons I want to re-read it.
Stay tuned.
I have been on a horse exactly three times in my life: once at the aforementioned friend’s house, with the horse at a slow walk and my friend’s mother holding tightly to the reins; once on a class trip to a riding trail where the horses knew the way and were taking it whether you wanted to or not; and once in my neighbour’s barn, without a saddle. All three times were mildly terrifying. I was not a horse girl. I realize, though, that many young girls love horses. Really love them. Horses are their passion: palominos, ponies, even unicorns. Especially unicorns. I just didn’t get it, though. Horses weren’t cuddly; they were frighteningly gigantic. They looked mean and undoubtedly were just waiting for you to let your guard down so they could kick you in the face. These were my thoughts on horses, if I even thought of them at all.
Until I read Black Beauty. I believe it was a gift, though I can’t remember from whom. I probably read it because I pretty much read whatever people put in front of me, but I do remember not being able to put it down. And crying; I remember crying. Cursing the unfeeling nature of humans, the hard life of the horse. This is likely because this book is written in first-person horse (that is so strange to write [the phrase; I have never written a book in first-person horse]). Obviously the emotional connection often brought about by the first-person tense worked on my young self. The details are vague, for now, one of the reasons I want to re-read it.
Stay tuned.
Where am I? What is this? What's going on? (An introduction)
My name is Stephanie, and I am not a teenager. But I have a confession to make: I love teen novels. I tried to deny this love for a time, focusing on “real” literature: classics, poetry, nonfiction. I still read and enjoy all of these genres, and really most any kind of book, but my affection for fiction about high school drama and teen romance demands to be acknowledged.
My aim with this blog is to write about what I’m reading. (A more obvious sentence has never before been written.) The plan is to revisit the books I loved and/or hated as a young adult and see what I think of them now, with a few added years of reading and world experience, not to mention a very expensive English degree. I know already that I will not be able to limit myself to books from the past, however, so I will also occasionally read a contemporary YA book.
Enjoy!
P.S. Do me a favour and forgive how terrible this blog will likely look at first. I am pretty bad (ha! understatement) at this brave new world.
My aim with this blog is to write about what I’m reading. (A more obvious sentence has never before been written.) The plan is to revisit the books I loved and/or hated as a young adult and see what I think of them now, with a few added years of reading and world experience, not to mention a very expensive English degree. I know already that I will not be able to limit myself to books from the past, however, so I will also occasionally read a contemporary YA book.
Enjoy!
P.S. Do me a favour and forgive how terrible this blog will likely look at first. I am pretty bad (ha! understatement) at this brave new world.
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