Coming of Age Books
Page 2
The Adventures of Huck Finn
Author:
Mark Twain
Publisher:
Createspace
Page Count:
202
ISBN #:
1442141018
Website:
Publication Date:
1884
Description from back of book (Apple Classics):
Huck Finn grew up along the Mississippi in the days of slavery. Huck was a homeless rebel-a boy who loved freedom more than respectability. Huck isn't above lying and stealing but when he meets up with Jim, a runaway slave, he has a battle with his conscience. Jim tells Huck that his owner wants to sell him to a slave trader down river for $800. Jim wants to go North to a free state. If he helps Jim escape, Huck knows he'll be in serious trouble with the law. But can he turn Jim in when al Jim wants is to be free?
Thoughts on the book: (spoiler alert)
One of the main dilemmas in Huckleberry Finn is Huck's struggle with societal conditioning and what feels right in his heart. Huck Finn values his freedom, especially after it's snatched from him by an abusive father. Upon escaping from his father, Huck runs into Jim, a friend but also an enslaved man who wants his freedom. Huck has to make a choice, help a friend find his freedom or go along with society's laws and expectations. These are confusing issues for Huck, on one hand, Jim is his friend who is being forced into a bad situation against his will, on the other, hand society says Jim is a slave and the property of another. Throughout the book, Huck battles back and forth on these issues but when it comes down to it, no matter what the peril, he always fights for Jim's freedom.
One question that kept coming to mind while reading Huckleberry Finn was: what societal conditioning am I accepting right now at the expense of my better conscience?
Favorite quote:
You can't pray a lie-I found that out.
-- Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn
The Giver
Author:
Lois Lowry
Publisher:
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Page Count:
208
ISBN #:
9780385732550
Website:
Publication Date:
January 24, 2006
Description:
The community in The Giver is free of sickness, crime, emotional pain and suffering but at what price? Eleven-year-old Jonas is slowly discovering the cost society has paid by its citizens for such security. "Coming of age" for Jonas may be more than he can bear when faced with his community's history. All aspects of a citizen's life are decided by departments within society, for example a citizen's parents, spouse and career are chosen for him/her. The career chosen for Jonas sets him apart from everyone else in society and also opens a vault of secrets that will certainly change his point of view on the "perfect" community he thought he was living in.
Thoughts on the book: (spoiler alert)
The Giver made clear, in an extreme sense, how things can turn bad, even when everything appears to be perfect, when people accept their environment unconditionally. For Jonas becoming the Receiver of all memories for his society is a staggering way to come of age. Can he respect a society that maintains its security at the expense of some and under a code that ethically seems terribly wrong?
Another question that came to mind while reading The Giver: Is there a benefit to a community issuing jobs to citizens that can't quite figure out a career for themselves, instead of handing out welfare, unemployment or even in some cases disability checks?
Favorite quote:
"Better to steer clear of an occasion governed by a rule which would be so easy to break."
--Lois Lowry The Giver
The Hobbit
Author:
J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher:
Harper Collins (1991)
Page Count:
256
ISBN #:
9780261102668
Website:
Publication Date:
September 21, 1937
Description:
A day well spent for a hobbit is curled up in front of a warm fire with a full pipe after second breakfast. Bilbo's quiet home is turned upside down when the wizard Gandalf shows up at his door talking of a mysterious adventure that Bilbo must set out on right away with a determined group of demanding dwarves. Where will this journey lead him?
Thoughts on the book:
Home is where the heart is and leaving home is one of the hardest choices an individual has to make. But leaving home is what builds character and creates independence and bigger purpose in life. Bilbo's adventure turns into a journey of self-discovery as much as it helps his friends. Outside of the comfort of what he's used to, Bilbo stretches himself to overcome obstacles that would stand between him and his goal; something that would have never occurred in the safe boundaries of the Shire.
A question that came to mind while reading The Hobbit:
What's the benefit of moving away from a hometown?
Favorite quote:
"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him."
J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit
Swann's Way
Author:
Marcel Proust
Publisher:
Viking Adult (September 11, 2003)
Page Count:
496
ISBN #:
067003245X
Website:
Publication Date:
1913
Description:
The narrator of Swann's Way tells, true to character, the thoughts and emotions of a young boy's frustration and wonder toward the adult world around him. The observations sweep the reader into the meticulously described French society of the late 19th century.
Thoughts:
Swann's way is filled with beautiful description that is easy to become entranced in. One of the most moving and perfectly captured moments of youth is when the narrator describes being forced to go to bed without a kiss goodnight from his mother. Proust captures the frustration, determination, and inconsolable longing that a child expresses when they feel they have been unfairly told "No." The narrator describes the escalation to frenzy so well that by the end, the reader gives a big sigh of relief when the child finally finds solace.
A few questions that kept coming to mind while reading Swann's Way:
As adults do we lose touch with the simple needs that create overwhelming anxiety and longing in childhood? How can we stay in touch with these memories in order to better understand and more easily relate to the struggles of children?
Favorite quote:
"And so I must set forth without viaticum; must climb each step of the staircase, 'against my heart,' as the saying is, climbing in opposition to my heart's desire, which was to return to my mother, since she had not, by kissing me, given my heart leave to accompany me."
--Marcel Proust Swann's Way
The Outsiders
Author:
S. E. Hinton
Publisher:
Speak (November 1, 1997)
Page Count:
192
ISBN #:
014038572X
Website:
Publication Date:
1967
Description:
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose ideas of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect until the night someone takes things too far.
Thoughts on the book:
Ponyboy reflects on how hard life is for him and his friends, at home their broken or abusive families are barely keeping it together, at school it's tough to focus and keep up, on the street it's hard to stay out of trouble, it seems like they never quite get a break. And for those people whose lives are a little better it's easy to point fingers and say, they need to get it together, no excuses, but is it so easy to change something when you can't recognize the origin of the problem? Ponyboy's best friend Johnny was the quiet one who liked to read and stay out of trouble, yet he's the one swept into trouble when assaulted by an opposing gang. The Outsiders is an important example of the added pressures and struggles that at-risk kids face when coming-of-age.
A question that came to mind while reading The Outsiders:
Is the capability of limiting the alienation of a child or groups of children within reach of the public school system, what are some actions that could be taken?
Favorite quote:
"'It ain't fair!' I cried passionately. 'It ain't fair that we have all the rough breaks!'"
--S.E. Hinton The Outsiders
To Kill a Mockingbird
Author:
Harper Lee
Publisher:
HarperCollins (October 17, 2006)
Page Count:
336
ISBN #:
0061205699
Website:
Publication Date:
1960
Description:
One man stands unjustly accused of a horrific crime, and because of the color of his skin the public sees him as guilty, a closed case, but there are a small few who look past prejudices and recognize him for his good character and noble actions.
Harper Lee beautifully portrays the innocence of youth, coming of age in a time of broken morals and twisted values. The rich description and humorous interactions between the children are entrancing, but the unbreakable bond of family is what makes this story so hard to put down.
Thoughts:
Narrated by a nine-year-old girl whose father takes the case of Tom Robinson, an unjustly accused man, To Kill a Mockingbird is an important account of what happens to society when unethical values are accepted as a standard, and the uphill battle that follows for the few who have the courage to stand up against the corrupt thinking of a majority. The children struggle to make sense of the injustices happening around them by people they know and trust, but hypocrisy and malicious treatment are hard to stomach.
A few questions that came to mind while reading To Kill a Mockingbird:
History and traditions are passed on from one generation of family members to the next, and aren't easily forgotten. For people of today who have never known slavery, but it is part of their family's history, does society take into account the affects of this serious but distant oppression on current generations?
If an entire past society is capable of accepting racism as a standard, and laws are created to support it, is society today also accepting, supporting and justifying marginalization of groups of people that will be recognized as shameful to future generations?
Favorite quote:
"...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
--Harper Lee To kill a Mockingbird