The Perils of Communism Taught by Pigs: Book Review of Animal Farm

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell


Animal Farm by George Orwell is a well-known critique of communism, told as an allegory of an animal uprising on a farm.

The animals on Manor Farm are full of discontent--they work for Mr. Jones, who owns the farm, but they get no benefit from their own work, even their food is barely subsistence living. Then, Old Major, the boar who has been there longer than any of them, tells them that he had a dream that some day the animals would run the farm. He teaches them a catchy pro-animal song, and shortly after, he dies. In the animal's consciousness, the idea of rebellion stagnates in the dank basement of their discontent.

The time for rebellion comes without discussion, and in the period of joy from being freed, the animals must organize themselves. The trouble starts at the very beginning, when the pigs, deemed to be the smartest animals, are put in charge of all the animals. Two leaders arise from the group, Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball believes in their ability to self-govern and has ideas to improve all their lives. Napoleon has other thoughts in mind.

The story is allegorical--it is not merely a story of animals running a farm, as how could that be? How could they work without hands or opposable thumbs or the ability to speak human language? This is an example of a story in which it helps to have at least some historical background, lest it be a story about being more literate than the rest of the beasts.

Would I teach this book? I did teach Animal Farm this year, to my seventh grade class. I found that the book needs quite a bit of front-loading in order to help them understand what is being critiqued in the novel. Politics in general are not in the forefront of their minds, as they are far from being able to vote and they do not pay taxes. It does not occur to them how much of their lives is impacted by the choices made by elected officials. To them, life is governed by parents, coaches, teachers, and principals. To them, the problems and realities of Communism are ancient history and could not possibly happen again.

However, the students as a whole were intrigued to learn more. How could anyone think this form of government could work? What happened in real life that was similar? How could people let this happen in their country? They wanted to know more about what all this meant. Topics that pique their interest are good--they are more likely to be engaged and absorb the information. Many found Animal Farm was quite interesting and were upset at the end.

Some students did have a difficult time accepting that the layering of plot and allegory saved the book from being just a silly story about talking animals. Other student critiques included dialogue summarized instead of spoken and the repetitiveness of the plot—never mind that is part of the point, it just made it boring for them. A bonus from the book: a surprise choral performance of “Beasts of England” by my students in the classroom.

We read The Wave earlier in the year, and some of my students made the connections between the students in The Wave who got swept up in a movement out of everyone's control and how the majority of the animals quickly lost control of what happened to Animal Farm. Another book that seems like it would pair well with Animal Farm is Maus, in part because of the animal characters, but also because it is also a nightmare story of politics gone horribly wrong. The differences between the two books would also make for good conversation. For example, how the characters in Maus become round, full characters, versus the archetypes in Animal Farm. Also, how focusing on one character instead of the whole group allows for a more complicated plotline. 

Books like Animal Farm are a good way to help students become more aware of the larger forces working upon them and to think about things such as how a strong horse like Boxer could find himself in such a predicament. Thinking, on the whole, is good. Let them wonder. Even if at the end, they still don’t understand or don’t believe it could happen now, especially not to them, let them begin to wonder how the situations arise.

 

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Mystery on the Backdrop of the Opioid Epidemic: Book Review of The Wolf Wants In

 

The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh


Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and Random House Reader’s Circle for the review copy of The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh.

Times are not good in Blackwater, KS. Sadie is mourning her older brother Shane's death when she learns that an old friend’s daughter has been confirmed dead. The town is suffering from the opioid epidemic. The only professions available seem to be farming or working for the Sullivans, the family that basically owns Blackwater. It’s not a pretty situation.

Henley Pettit has two strikes against her: first, she’s a Pettit, which, in Blackwater, translates as “no good;” and second her mother is an addict who is in and out of Henley’s life. When she begins to develop a relationship with the Sullivan son, she imagines what it might be like if her life were different.

For Sadie, she wants to find out how her brother died, and she suspects that his widow had something to do with it. For Henley, she wants out of Blackwater and into the larger world. It seems that everything in Blackwater is conspiring against the two women getting what they want.

The Wolf Wants In is told in alternating narratives between Sadie’s first person point of view and Henley’s third person point of view. Both stories unfold in the same town and involve overlapping characters.

The Wolf Wants In is, at its core, a mystery. Sadie investigates Shane’s death in the ways that she knows how, mostly by interviewing people close to him. She quickly discovers that there was a lot that she did not know about her brother and the life he lived, and feels guilty for how she had not supported him. For much of the book, the story feels more like it belongs to Sadie than to Henley.

Would I teach this book? There are many things that The Wolf Wants In does well. It is suspenseful while still having a gentle pace. It discusses the opioid epidemic without being too heavy-handed. Pieces of both women arise to have hope and determination. It also has some literary touches, such as motifs that tie both stories together.

As an example of a mystery that steps away from being subscriptive of the genre and an example of how to discuss social problems in literature, it would be helpful to teach. The plot has some decent twists and isn’t entirely predictable. Certain characters who should have been more round remain unerringly flat, such as the dead brother’s widow, who shows no positive characteristics. The woman is so unlikable we have no understanding why Shane was interested in her in the first place. While not perfect, the book is enjoyable to read if you are in the mood for a small-town mystery, and may have possibilities for being taught in a genre writing class, or in a class on contemporary novels.

 

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Marriage Isn't One of Life's Checkboxes: Review of A Single Life

 

A Single Life by Daniel Ross Goodman

In A Single Life by Daniel Ross Goodman, Eli is a brilliant Torah scholar, far surpassing the ability of his peers, so he should be able to find a shidduch (a match) and a job in a prestigious school easily. However, Eli is prevented from shidduchim and other opportunities because he is biracial. His mother, who died when he was a baby, was African American, and the women he goes out with don’t say anything about his skin color, but their eyes (and not a single one asking for a second date) say enough.

Eventually, Eli gets a job at a Modern Orthodox Jewish High School, where he meets and falls for a white, Christian woman--which is problematic for his religious standing. To make matters more difficult, Emma’s views on race in America are unrealistically rosy. But Eli sees her as his beshert, as his soulmate. Will things work out for Eli and Emma?

Eli spends a lot of time thinking about relationships and playing them out in his head. He imagines so much about what could happen, good and bad. It is not always comfortable to be so close to someone who thinks—obsesses—over relationships so much. The novel discusses very little of his life otherwise. The story is so hyper focused on getting married that it feels suffocating. For many, the mission to marry probably feels the same way.

There are parts of the novel that are very amusing. For example, all of the Hebrew and Yiddish phrases are footnoted with translations, which is both necessary for most people who are not super familiar with the lingo, but also kind of funny. And whether Eli is meant to be funny or not, his single mindedness (yes, I went there) is so focused as to be silly.

Would I teach this book? It would be very difficult to explain this book to someone who is not familiar with Orthodox Judaism. Many Orthodox Jews would not appreciate the moments of spice in the book. While I appreciate the opening to discuss racism in Orthodox Judaism, I am not sure that the conversation in the book goes far enough—what is the answer? Does Eli accurately depict the experience of Jews of color? How can we continue the conversation? All good questions that The Single Life does not moves towards addressing.

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Money Can't Buy You Love, but It May Make It Possible: Book Review of Play to Win

 

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter

I received Play to Win from GoodReads Giveaways. Thank you to GoodReads and to St. Martin’s Press for the review copy of Jodie Slaughter’s Play to Win.

In Jodie Slaughter’s Play to Win, Miri’s life is not what one would call easy: her husband ran out on her eight years before, she lives with her mother in a rundown rental, and her job at the nail salon just covers the bills. When she wins a big lottery, an enormous lottery, she knows that her life is going to change, but she does not anticipate that her estranged husband will be the largest part of that change. A financial advisor tells her that her husband has legal rights to the money, and suggests that she reach out to him with divorce papers and a fixed amount of cash. And so Miri asks the man who tore her to shreds back into her life and even offers to pay him.

Leo, he ex husband, on the other hand, has spent the last eight years acting as the guilty dog he is, not moving on from their marriage, and wallowing in his own atrocious actions, too terrified to do anything about it. When Leo gets the call from Mira to come back, he cannot return to her fast enough.

With Leo back in town, and the immaturity and money woes that stifled the relationship of their younger selves, the couple might have a second chance. If Leo can step up. And if Miri can forgive.

Play to Win is a sweet love story that revolves around both romantic love and self-love. Part of both Mira’s and Leo’s journey is figuring out how to forgive their younger selves and make better decisions. For Leo, this also means healing relationships with family and friends that were collateral damage of his fleeing his marriage. For Miri, this means deciding what she wants and finally giving herself what she needs.

As the two make chess moves back and forth--Leo trying to convince Miri that he is worthy and Miri trying to determine if Leo is worthy--there is a whole supporting cast of family and friends in their small community who are eager to assist Miri and Leo through their journey.

Play to Win has some spice, but it is more focused on the romance and community than it is on spice. With Leo back in town, he must ingratiate himself back into his sister’s and her family’s life, his old school friend’s life, and Miri’s mother’s life. The apologies he must make, and the hurt he caused that he must confront create an emotional core for the novel. It also gives the novel some weight, as the rest of the cast are not merely onlookers, but also have their own stake in the couple as well as desire to see them happy. This is not to say that Miri and Leo make choices based on what other people want them to do, but just like in life, those around us want happiness for us, and our relative happiness has an impact on their lives. It is in large part the ensemble cast that makes Play to Win easily imaginable as a movie.

Would I teach Play to Win? I must admit that this is unlikely--as a romance, Miri and Leo are fine characters, but they don’t stick with me as much as other characters have. The romance is not epic and even the lottery ticket is not handled in an extravagant way. Not bad for a beach read or to take on a plane, but there would be no guilt in leaving it for the next person.

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Homage to Lovecraft: Stephen King's Revival

 

Revival by Stephen King

A big thank you to Montgomery County Public Library for making Stephen King’s Revival readily available to the public, free of charge.

Revival starts out pretty normal for a Stephen King novel. Jamie Morton, a kid in a small town, befriends the new minister, who shows him a trick with electricity. The minister is a bit electric himself, and he, his wife, and their son make a golden family that reels the local townspeople into the church. Reverend Jacobs' residency is short lived, and when he leaves the community, Jamie has no reason to think that he will see him again. However, as the story continues and Jamie grows up and grows into a budding rock star, he finds himself in Reverend Jacobs' presence again and again.

The plot gets strange at about a quarter of the way through the book, maybe even quicker than that, and Jamie realizes that he has a tie to Reverend Jacobs, whether he likes it or not. And if he doesn’t like it, then Jamie has to decide what he’s going to do about it.

It is difficult to discuss this book without spoilers, though what I can say is that at points the story feels like an homage to Lovecraft. It is both a pure part of the King cannon and a departure.

Would I teach this book? While I enjoyed Revival, it would not be my first candidate to teach. In the grand future, when I am given full-reign to design a literature course and I make it all Stephen King, all day, maybe I would include the book to demonstrate a foray in science fiction/horror. Maybe. But Jamie is not the strongest of King’s characters, and he’s a bit lackluster, especially for a rockstar. However, if you are a King fan like me, then it is worth a read at the beach. Or in the car. Or over Shabbat. Or any old time when you want to tempt the darkness. 

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