Coming in November...

November has us diving into one of the most loved and controversial books. The Giver has often found itself on the banned books list for its violent content, just a couple of slots below the also controversial To Kill A Mockingbird. The state that has removed this book from its shelves most often, is our own, Texas. Ironically, or maybe, as a result, The Giver is also the number one best seller in Teen & Young Adult Values and Virtues Fiction on Amazon.com. 

You might have heard of the terms dystopian and utopian regarding literature, and both have similarities and differences. A dystopia usually involves characteristics similar to science fiction and fantasy, but all the technology invented to create a perfect society has failed. Wikipedia defines dystopia "as an alternative society characterized by a focus on that which is contrary to the author's ethos, portraying it as mass poverty, public mistrust and suspicion, police state, and/or repression." This contrasts the utopian ideal of a perfect society and political system. Utopian novels are often a form of satire. 

Recently, there has been a rise in dystopian literature. We have seen the Divergent series, the Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. I have us looking at two classic dystopian novels this year, The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. I like the way The Giver begins as a utopian society but quickly reveals a much more dystopian reality. This novel came out when I was in high school and won the Newberry Medal in 1994, the year I graduated. That's been quite some time. :) But this book has recently been adapted into a film, which many of you might have even seen. There are some very serious differences, so be careful to read the book closely.