Content Reviews: YA Dystopians

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Goodreads: Wither

Series: The Chemical Garden #1

Published: March 22, 2011

Source: Purchased

Summary:

Due to some failures of genetic engineering, all females now die at the age of twenty, and all males at twenty-five.  Rhine is planning on making the most of the four years she has left.  But then she is kidnapped, forced to become one of the polygamous brides to one of the wealthy men seeking to keep the populating rising.  Life with her new husband has its perks—a constant supply of food, no more worries about being murdered, more luxury than she could have imagined.  Yet nothing can compare to the love she has for her twin brother, and she will do anything to make her way back to him.

Conclusions:

Wither is a very “content-heavy” book, particularly for a young adult novel.  The readers know right away that there is polygamy.  There is next implied sex, and then implied sex between a thirteen-year-old girl and a twenty-one-year-old man (who are married).  There are mentions of prostitution, which seems to be a fairly common occupation for young ladies in this society.

DeStefano clearly attempts to lessen the impact of some of this by having the main character refuse to have sex with her husband.  Only the other girls, with whom the readers are supposed to sympathize slightly less, do.  She and the other girls interact mostly as friends and act as “sister wives” primarily when they want to overwhelm their husband with attention so he will grant them favors.

There is little violence and no cursing.

Religion appears to have been eradicated.  Characters talk about “fate” instead of “God.”

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads: Delirium

Series: Delirium #1

Published: Feb. 1, 2011

Source: Purchased

Summary:

All citizens must undergo an operation in their teenage years to make them forever immune to the disease of love.  Lena is counting down the days until she becomes a grown-up—and free from all the worries and dangers that emotions bring.  Then she meets Alex, who would like to convince her that love is actually something beautiful.

Conclusions:

The premise of this dystopian is that love is a disease.  Therefore, touching or even much interaction between people of different genders is not allowed.  Clearly, the protagonist of a book in such a society needs to rebel against these rules.  Mostly there is kissing.  She mentions once that Alex thinks she is beautiful without her shirt on, but there is nothing graphic described and there is no sex.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads: Insurgent

Series: Divergent #2

Published: May, 1 2012

Source: Purchased

SPOILERS FOR DIVERGENT

Summary:

Now that Erudite has revealed their intention to take over society with their mind-controlling serums, Tris and Four are ready to fight.  Yet it will take some convincing for Amity to join a war and for Candor to care for more than the safety of their own faction.

Conclusions:

Beyond the plot (which is awesome!), Insurgent is interesting mainly for its discussion of morality.  Although Tris, and the book in general, like to talk about shades of gray, it seems obvious that there is some sense of the existence of absolute morality at work.  One character, one of the traitors and therefore a “bad guy,” argues that he made his decisions because “Evil depends on where you stand.”  Tris immediately retorts that certain things will always be evil to her, no matter where she stands.

Roth also writes a little more about religion in her society, and all the factions seem to relate to it differently.  Dauntless does not appear to have much religious belief.  Amity is very spiritual, gathering in groups to pray together and talk in a community.  Abnegation’s beliefs seems closest to traditional Christianity.  All religions are respected by other factions.

The romance continues to be as it was in Divergent.  Tris and Four kiss (strangely, usually in the midst of highly dangerous situations).  They occasionally sleep in the same bed at night.

Obviously there is violence, as there is a war on.

The Introduction to the Devout Life

Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

Goodreads: Introduction to the Devout Life
Series: None
Published: 1609



Though written over four centuries ago, the great Christian classic, Introduction to the Devout Life, is still as relevant to life today as it was in the world of St. Francis de Sales.  This down-to-earth, easy-to-read book provides practical guidance for individuals striving for holiness.  Echoing the words of the more modern St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis de Sales stresses that the key to holiness is not necessarily in performing great deeds, but rather in going about one’s daily business with great devotion.  He offers advice for those in all walks of life: single persons, married couples, even young people who struggle to find a balance between prayer, responsibilities, and recreation.

I believe that the most helpful part of this book lies in its advice for developing an authentic prayer life.  I personally often struggle with prayer.   Prayer is a relationship with God, yet I often find myself reading Scripture, analyzing it, and trying to fix my tendencies to sin.  St. Francis de Sales urges a prayer life centered upon a God who heals all who come to Him.  He encourages the faithful to call to mind the presence of God and to beg for His inspiration before meditating upon His word.  Furthermore, St. Francis de Sales tells His readers that the most important part of prayer comes after prayer, when we go back into the world and to our duties.  Following our meditation, we should make daily resolutions that will help us grow closer to God and be more loving towards others.  If our prayer remains only within our minds and fails to change the way we live, then we are prone to deceiving ourselves of holiness.  We think we are saints when we are nothing more than Pharisees who uttered many words to God in the synagogue. 

Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales is an excellent guide to holiness for those who seek a greater sense of God’s presence in their daily lives.  Through the wisdom of this great saint, we can ask God to help us to become more like the unique person He is calling us to be; indeed, we can learn to truly “be who we are and be that well”.

Looking for... A Clean Fairy Tale Romance

Entwined by Heath Dixon

The death of their mother leaves Azalea and her eleven sisters trapped in the palace as they observe mourning. Abandoned by their grief-stricken father, the girls despair until they discover a secret passage to a land below.  There they dance each night under the eyes of the handsome and mysterious Keeper.  The Keeper, however, longs to escape his underground prison and orders the princesses to help him.  The fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance as the girls try to determine whom they trust more—the Keeper or the king.  A retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Timid Addie has always lived in the shadow of her more daring sister Meryl, who dreams of discovering the cure to the deadly plague—the Gray Death—that ravages their kingdom.  When Meryl herself falls victim to the illness, however, Addie knows she must be the one to set forth on the quest.  Though she fears even spiders, Addie will soon find herself battling specters and attempting to outwit dragons.  The answer to a centuries-old riddle, however, may arrive too late to save Meryl.

A True Princess by Diane Zahler

Twelve-year-old Lilia runs away from home in order to avoid service under a cruel master and to find her birth parents.  Her stepbrother and sister, Kai and Karina, travel with her, but along the way Kai falls under the spell of the Elf King's daughter.  Determined to rescue their brother, the girls strike a dangerous bargain: if they can steal a magical jewel, the princess will return Kai.  In order to gain the jewel, however, the girls will first have to unravel the mystery of the test being used to help select a royal bride.  A retelling of "The Princess and the Pea."

Unplanned by Abby Johnson

Goodreads: Unplanned

Series: none

Publication Date: Dec. 2010

Source: Purchased

Summary: The true story of a Planned Parenthood director who quit her job after eight years when she helped perform her first actual abortion, and then joined the Coalition for Life.

Review: Unplanned is a continuous story with two distinct sections—one when Abby was pro-choice and one when she became pro-life.  She makes a remarkable effort to explain her thinking at each stage of her life.  She explains why she was pro-choice and the reasons she truly loved her job at Planned Parenthood in a fairly objective manner, trying to help readers (most of whom she knows are probably pro-life) understand her thought process and appreciate the other side of the debate.  The overarching point is that pro-choice supporters, and most of the volunteers at Planned Parenthood, have good intentions are really interested in helping women. 

Her explanation of why she became pro-life is not quite as clear, perhaps because it took her awhile to sort out her own thoughts.  When she first quit her job, she even talked to the director of the Coalition for Life about her worries she was not “pro-life enough.”  She still worried about many of the issues always brought up in debate, such as cases of rape.  Following Abby’s conversion from one side of the fence to the other is moving because it was never black and white for her; she had to fight to figure out what she believed.  Now that she is established as a prominent pro-lifer, she still understands that people disagree with her, and her book is not a pushy tract trying to convert others, just a personal memoir explaining her own personal decision.   It has a sense of catharsis, with a just a quiet implication that if it does happen to help readers find their own beliefs, or to understand their “opponents,” she would like that.

Some reviewers disagree that the book is mostly objective, arguing that Abby “was never really pro-choice” or that she is “too defensive” about her decisions.  The first complaint is a matter of opinion, but it is worth noting that there are shades of grey on both sides of the abortion debate.  There are many people who are technically pro-choice who have some reservations about abortion.  Not everyone who thinks it should be legal thinks it is the best thing a woman can do.  It is a valid viewpoint.  The second complaint has some merit, but Abby’s defensiveness grew from the personal attacks she experienced (both when she was pro-choice and when she became pro-life) and from the lawsuit Planned Parenthood brought against her.  She also now believes that she is responsible for a number of morally reprehensible actions.  She is trying to come to terms with that and may be justifying herself to herself, in addition to her readers.

Whether this is the life-altering read that other reviewers have called it, I do not know.  I found it interesting mostly in that it strove to give a balanced portrayal of both sides of the abortion debate and in that it chronicled one woman’s very radical change of beliefs.  Her type of story is not unique—other professionals have switched from each side—but it is fairly rare.   And it is good to know what might drive a person to make so profound a switch.