This week our class is focusing on Dystopian Literature. I have read a few books that fall into this category including The Giver, The Host, The Uglies, Life as We Knew, and The Hunger Games Series. I'm not too sure what it is, but this genre of literature is so interesting to me. I think for me it is the idea that things could be so different. I always believe that books are an escape from our world, but dystopian novels really let me escape. They make my imagination run wild. I wonder what it is that really hooks kids on this type of literature. In reality most of the books are somewhat depressing with kids killing on another, a life without emotion, your "soul" being subdued, and natural disasters taking over. Why in the world would these books hook so many people? I'm not sure I know the answer to that, but I know I love them.
I think these books also offer something fantastic to young readers...they can be very high interest. My neighbor who is in 8th Grade and not a very avid reader was the one who recommended Life As We Knew It to me. She is one of those students who only read novels that are assigned or necessary to read because she needs AR points. When I asked her what was so appealing to her she said "It was exciting!! And I thought they were going to die in the end..." This has gotten me thinking about what kind of books I can get her to read. I am a very avid reader, and I would love to be able to extend my love of reading onto her. I told her that she need to read The Hunger Games. She is somewhat hesitant...especially because of the length of the novel, but I am going to try my hardest to get her reading it. I think she would love it. I'm not going to stop at getting her to just read it either; I'm going to talk about it with her as she gets further into it. I hope I can her into it...or maybe one of the other ones I listed above. Wish me luck!
Alisa Richter
I was also hesitant about The Hunger Games and probably might not have read it if it weren't for this class. But.. I loved it! Hope she'll be the same. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteDystopian lit. is also one of my favorites! It's like the Cold War (one of my favorite parts of history) very dark, but it makes you think. The Giver is one of the best books! As a 7th grader I read it and I was blown away. The ethics and morals got me thinking about social justice and right from wrong. It's a book that every young person should read!
ReplyDeleteJo Scott
I like Dystopian lit because it opens your eyes to the extremes society can be taken to if we let it. If we let the government become to powerful or if we allow the media to become such a spectacle, we could end up like District 12. While it is unlikely that things would be taken to that extreme, it's a possibility that things could be taken to a different level than they are now.
ReplyDeleteI too loved Hunger Games, I had no idea what i was getting myself into except for that multiple people referred to it as "a page turner" thats all I really need to be convinvced. However, did anyone feel jipped of an ending? I realize it is a series but a little closure after such a long and grueling novel would have been a nice reward no?
ReplyDeleteAlisa, you ask a great question. I think if I was teaching dystopian lit to teens--and if they responded as enthusiastically as so many of you have--I would make your question about why people love these books a central aspect of our study. Does it have to do with entertainment, suspense, voyeurism, and all the bad Huxleyesque stuff that the comic strip posted this week so brilliantly captures? Or is it something about a craving among young people for a book that engages them in thinking about politics and authority and corruption and abuse of power and other incredibly important and compelling topics?
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking so often lately about how the same book can mean completely different things to different people, and that's why I think it would be good to explore that notion in relation to dystopian fiction. What do young readers find in these books? And what can they be helped to find in a classroom setting?
If you haven't read 1984 yet, you should definitely check it out. I think it's the whole reason I like dystopian lit so much!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that...I'll be sure to check it out!
ReplyDeleteAlisa