1984 by George Orwell

George Orwell, 1984, Signet Classic, New York, 1949. 

Plot Summary
George Orwell's seminal novel imagines a future in which the government i.e. Big Brother monitors the words, spoken and written, of all its denizens, and the only "free" thoughts are those within the confines of the brain. Oceania, the name of the future country which includes Europe and North America, is perpetually at war, but who they are at war with and why they are fighting shifts. The citizens are trained not to question anything about the war for fear that this thought-rebellion would lead to "vaporization" i.e. death. Children and adults alike are trained to believe in the maxims, "WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" and the well-behaved young ones learn to spy on their elders and turn them in to the powers-that-be. The protagonist, thirty-nine year old Winston, embarks on a journey against Big Brother, but the rebellion remains within the confines of his mind until he finds a co-conspirator named Julia. They fall in love, an act of rebellion against the totalitarian regime which has outlawed passion. Their actions are watched at every moment by a giant tele-screen-- there is no escaping the eyes of Big Brother. Can Winston, a speck of humanity in a sea of inhumanity, survive Big Brother?

Critical Evaluation
Winston represents humanity during an imagined future in which most human instincts for justice, reason, and desire have been squelched by Big Brother. Winston holds out hope that the proletariats, who represent 85% of the population and who are given a freer rein than the party members, will revolt and overthrow the chains of oppression. However, Winston realizes that they lack the consciousness to do so and will remain too stuck in daily life to seize their power. Winston's affair with Julia represents a spark of rebellion--desire is not allowed because it threatens the power of the state. In this novel, Orwell warns of the consequences of a state that will attempt to control its citizens at the expense of all civil rights.

Reader's Annotation
Is there any room for humanity left under the watchful eyes of Big Brother?  Are our human instincts for love, beauty, and truth powerful enough to triumph over a government hungry for control?  What is the fate of a rebel in this kind of environment?

Information about the Author
According to Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, George Orwell, "attended Eton, where he published his first writing in college periodicals. Instead of accepting a scholarship to a university, he decided to follow family tradition and, in 1922, went to Burma (now Myanmar) to serve in the Indian Imperial Police. Later he was to recount his experiences and his reactions to imperial rule in two brilliant autobiographical sketches, “Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging,” classics of expository prose."

"During the 1930s he began to consider himself a socialist. By the time his original and unorthodox political treatise The Road to Wigan Pier appeared in 1937, Orwell was in Spain, where he had gone to report on the Civil War and stayed to join the Republican militia. In May 1937, after having fought in Barcelona against communists who were trying to suppress their political opponents, he was forced to flee Spain for fear of his life. The experience gave him a lifelong dread of communism, first expressed in the vivid account of his Spanish experiences, HOMAGE TO CATALONIA (1938)."

"When World War II began, Orwell was rejected for military service, and instead he headed the Indian service of the BBC and then worked as a journalist. The appearance in 1945 of Animal Farm made him famous and, for the first time, prosperous. Though it was one of his finest works, it has been overshadowed by his last book, Nineteen Eighty-four (1949)."

Genre: Dystopian Literature

Curriculum Ties: Totalitarianism, Human Rights, Dystopian/Utopian Societies

Book-talking Ideas: Make reference to the phrase "Big Brother" and ask what comes to mind. Briefly note contemporary instances of surveillance and explain Orwell's original concern.

Reading Level: Advanced 14+

Challenge Issues: N/A

I included this novel because it's a grand-daddy of dystopian literature and so many novels (Little Brother, Farenheit 451) reference it. It's a commonly taught text in the western canon, and it raises issues that are of interest to many citizens.

Source Citation

"Orwell, George." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Web. 2 May. 2011.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Miramax Books, New York, 2006, ISNB 078685196-1

Plot Summary
Craig Gilner is a teenager growing up in New York City. He studies hard to get into a prestigious exam school, gets in, and then spirals into a depression when the stresses of school start piling up on him. It's not just schoolwork that's getting him down--he also lusts after his best friend's Aaron's girlfriend, Nia, and spends an excessive amount of time in the bathroom because it's the one place where he feels comfortable. He begins to doubt his abilities to do just about anything and tries to escape his reality by riding his bicycle all over Brooklyn and getting stoned at his best friend's house. He checks himself into a mental hospital, and it is there, among addicts, cutters, and the chronically sad, that Craig starts to feel whole again and gains a clearer outlook on what it means to be human.

Critical Evaluation:
The novel is told in first person, and Craig Gilner seems like a trustworthy, albeit confused narrator. At times it seems hard to believe that neither Craig nor his parents pick up on the fact that attending a pressure cooker of a high school and hanging out with a stoner best friend to whom everything (girls, grades) comes easily is not doing Craig any favors. This reader wanted to jump in and say, "Leave that school! Ditch that "best friend"'! But Craig's realizations about what he needs to want to live are hard earned, and the honesty and warmth of his friendships with his friends on the psychiatric ward are a welcome contrast to the shallow and flighty Aaron and Nia. At the end of the novel, Craig's lists what he needs to do to maintain his center, "Run. Eat. Drink. Eat more.... Make a phone call. Open a door. Ride your bike. Ride in a car. Ride in a subway. Talk. Talk to people. Read. Read maps. Make maps. Make art. Talk about your art. Sell your art." (p. 443) That's pretty insightful advice on good living coming from a fifteen year old boy who's learned it the hard way.
 
Reader's Annotation:
Ever had a bout of sadness that just wouldn't go away? Want to learn more about mental illness & psychiatric institutions from the safety of your own couch?

Information about the Author
According to the author's web-site, "Ned Vizzini is the author of three acclaimed young adult books: It's Kind of a Funny Story (now a major motion picture), Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah.... Ned has spoken at over 200 schools, universities, libraries and organizations around the world about writing and mental health. He writes about books for the New York Times and the L Magazine. His work has been translated into seven languages."

About It's Kind of a Funny Story, the author writes,  "85% of It's Kind of a Funny Story is true. I based it on my own experience in Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn in late 2004. I was hospitalized for suicidal ideation like Craig in the book. Once I left the hospital, I started writing about it, but I fictionalized some important elements. Here is what I did: 1. I changed the names of the characters. 2. I changed the age of Craig, who is 15 when he goes into the hospital (as opposed to my age at the time, 23). 3. I added the love triangle."

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Health Unit/ Mental Health in a Health class

Booktalking Ideas: Identify the stresses that Craig is dealing with and list some of his options. Read a brief excerpt from when he decides to check into a mental hospital. 

Reading Level: 14+

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why Included?
I included this novel because I think that many young adults struggle with the stresses of high school life. I think that reading about fictional characters' experiences with mental health issues is compelling for many teenagers and can be a comfort for those wrestling with depression or anxiety. Oh, and it helps that there's a film coming out based on the novel!

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly, A Northern Light, Harcourt Inc. 2003, ISBN 0-15-216705-6

Plot Summary:
 Jennifer Donnelly frames this novel with a real murder case that occurred in the Adirondacks in the early 1900s and then fictionalizes the story of the narrator, young Mattie Gokey, who is entrusted with the love letters of the dead girl. Mattie faces the struggle of what to do with the letters--should she keep her promise to the dead girl or break the promise and provide crucial evidence against the killer? Mattie also grapples with major life decisions--should she stay close to home, get married, and help her widowed father or pursue her ambitions to educate herself and become a writer? While entertaining her readers thoroughly, Donnelly also offers a meticulously researched portrayal of rural life in the early 1900s and the predicaments that an ambitious and intelligent young woman would face during this time.

Critical Evaluation:
A Northern Light is one of those rare books that has something to appeal to just about any reader: romance, murder, history, humor and class struggle. However, one of the greatest joys of reading this novel is the terrific characterization. Most of the characters are thoroughly believable, from Mattie's ne'er-do-well, hard-drinking-but-lovable French-Canadian-trapper uncle to her heartbroken father to the English teacher who plants seeds of possibility in the life of this country girl. The dialogue transports the reader to another time and place where dating is called "sparking", and a girl who is "sparking" with a boy is likely to marry him. The rich characterization and dialogue help the reader enter into rural New York in the early 1900s and the perils and thrills of life then including everything from farm-life, romance, frustrated ambitions, childbirth, and, yes, even murder.

Reader's Annotation:
Should Mattie keep her promise to the dead girl and burn the letters with their damning evidence? Or should she break her promise and reveal the killer?

Information about the Author:
In her website, Jennifer Donnelly reviews the following about herself: 

What fictional character do you most identify with?

"I love so many characters, but there’s one character I feel especially close to – Clarice Starling. Because like her, I am – to quote Hannibal Lecter – a “well-scrubbed, hustling rube”.

---

Where and how do you write?

"I write in a room in my house in New York's Hudson Valley. I usually have a pot of strong tea and a bar of dark chocolate for company and courage. I plot and plan and scheme and dream in longhand, but I do the actual writing on my computer."

---

Why do you write?

"Because I love words and stories so much.
Because I would be grief-stricken every day of my life if I couldn’t write.
Because I’m obsessed and compelled.
Because I’d be utterly useless at anything else."

Genre:
Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Early Twentieth Century History, Women's History, Rural Life in the U.S.

Booktalking Ideas
Read aloud excerpts from the letters that Mattie has been entrusted with and explain that these are primary sources--Donnelly has woven these historical documents into this work of fiction. 

Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 14+

Challenge Issues:
N/A

Why Included?
I included this book because it was a Printz Award winner and included many elements that appeal to me (and many others!) as a reader, namely suspense, romance, and history lessons.