DVD Documentary: Food Inc.

Food, Inc is an eye-opening documentary on how the way we grow food has changed remarkably over the last 50 years. Although the food industry promotes the idea that food is produced on the family farm in its labeling of food products, this pastoral fantasy is entirely marketing. Instead the food industry in America is controlled by several multinational companies whose goal is to produce vast amounts of food as cheaply as possible, using heavily subsidized specific crops (corn and soybeans mainly) without concern for the environment, the treatment of animals and least of all without concern for the health and safety of workers.

The average American supermarket contains a whopping 47,000 products. Take a close look at what's being sold in your grocery store today and it's evident that the grocery store of the past 25 years is vastly different from the grocery store of the 1960s and 70's. There are no seasons in today's grocery store and there are no bones. Everything is precut, prepared and prepacked.

The reality, as Food Inc. effectively sets out to demonstrate, is that food is manufactured and not grown. Food production in the United States is controlled by a small group of multinational corporations who deliberately hide how food is produced from the unsuspecting public. And the less the public knows, the better.

The manufacturing/industrial system was grafted onto food production beginning with the development of fast food. In the 1930's, the McDonald brothers opened a very successful restaurant. But wishing to expand and serve more customers they grafted the factory system onto the back of the restaurant in the 1950s. They changed the way jobs in the kitchen were performed, so that workers were trained to do only one job, such as cooking hamburgers, meaning they could be paid less. They also wanted all their food to look the same, and since they were selling more hamburgers, french fries and so forth, they required vast amounts of meat, potatoes, tomatoes and other foods. MacDonalds became the largest purchaser of hamburger meat in the United States and it is not surprising that they changed the way beef was produced. The massive quantities of beef required by fast food restaurants meant that beef could no longer be grown on family farms but instead needed to be produced in a way similar to that of a factory - on CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). The result is that today, instead of many beef producers, there are four top beef producers in the United States who control 80% of the market.

From this stunning beginning Food, Inc. takes us through various aspects of food production in the United States, starting with the production of corn. Supermarkets give us the illusion of diversity but many products have some type of corn or soybean derivative in them. Corn is a commodity crop because it can be stored and is heavily subsidized. One of the most astonishing facts I learned from Food Inc. was about the use of corn as cattle feed. Having grown up in a farming community and having lived the past 15 years of my life in a rural farming area in Canada, I know that corn has been used for years as feed, especially in the winter, but never exclusively. Cattle are ruminants, which means that they have evolved to eat grass. When a cow is fed corn, the bacterial population in its rumen changes predominantly to acid resistant E. coli - which is the most dangerous form of this common bacteria . This is a product of both the corn diet and living in a cramped feedlot, the latter meaning that all the cows in the lot eventually have E.coli. This bacteria is in the cow manure which coats their bodies and gets into the meat in the slaughterhouse. As a result most meat today is tainted with E. coli and now this contamination has spread to many other foods such as spinach and apple juice.

As Food, Inc. posits, one would think that as more and more technology is applied to food production, the safer our food products would be. But instead, food is more contaminated than ever today.

Food Inc. explores the feedlot, the darkened tunnel-fan chicken barns, and the vast slaughterhouses, such as the Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Hell, North Carolina. It also explores grass, seeds and organics. Not many people know for example, that farmers in the United States are no longer able top save their best seeds to replant the following year. Chemical manufacturer, Monsanto, which has a record of producing deadly chemicals such as Agent Orange, created a genetically modified soybean that can survive spraying by their pesticide, Round-Up. Due to Monsanto's prosecution (read, persecution) of farmers who wish to plant non genetically modified soyabeans, over 90% of soybeans today are Round Up Ready soybeans, meaning Monsanto is gradually gaining control of a major part of food production in the United States.

Food, Inc. presents its case in a logical, straightforward manner, without shocking the viewer. By making consumers aware of how their food is being produced, and why our food today is more contaminated than ever, it hopes to motivate viewers into pressuring the industry to change. As the film states near the end, we vote three times per day about how our food is made and what is sold in supermarkets. To prove this point, Food, Inc. indicates that Walmart, a mega-retailer often vilified by consumers, has made changes is what it purchases for its grocery section. It has listened to consumers and the changes it has made are positively affecting the type of food sold in stores. As we did with the tobacco industry, we can effect positive change in the food sold. The film provides viewers with ideas they can do to influence what food shows up in the supermarket.

Directed by Robert Kenner, Food,Inc. interviews major players in the attempt to waken the American public and effect positive change in the food industry. If you are concerned about what you eat, the environment, the treatment of animals and the health and safety of food industry workers and farmers, Food, Inc. is just the film to enlighten you.


For vintage pictures of the first McDonald's store in San Bernardino, California and a brief history of the fast food restaurant, check out this recent story from The Daily Mail in the UK.

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

"In any case, the short answer to that first question--How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? --is really very simple. You kill them in the middle of nowhere."

The Sandcastle Girls is a tale of two stories, separated by almost one hundred years. The present is narrated by Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in New York with her husband and two children. From Laura we learn about her life as a half-Armenian American raised in the eastern United States.We also learn about her family's history one that has a connection to the Armenian genocide of 1915. That connection dates back to Laura's American grandmother, Elizabeth Endicott and her Armenian-born grandfather, Armen Petrosian. Although Laura doesn't mention them by name at first, we come to know that this is Elizabeth and Armen, whose story, set in Armenia of 1915, will be related alternately with that of Laura's current narrative.

Laura becomes interested in her family history in her first year of college while writing for the student newspaper. She is sent on assignment to explore the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts and to write about a resolution by the US House of Representatives to declare the 1915 Armenian slaughter a genocide. There she encounters a photograph that is both puzzling and haunting. Life goes on and Laura never really follows up on the picture. However, just before Mother's Day, when she is forty-four years old, an old college friend calls Laura to tell her that there is "an old picture of her grandmother in The Boston Globe". Thinking she will see a picture of her grandmother, Elizabeth Endicott, instead it is the same photograph she saw years ago in college. However, this time the photograph has a caption identifying a woman with the last name of Petrosian, who carried her dead infant for days on a march from Harput to Aleppo.

Laura's grandparents rarely spoke to her about the First World War and the Armenian genocide. Not knowing who this woman is, Laura decides to travel to Boston to attend the showing of the photographs at Harvard's Peabody Museum and then travel again to the Watertown Museum where, she has learned, her grandmother's letters and diaries and the reports she wrote for the "Friends of Armenia" are held in the archives. Besides the photograph of a young woman bearing the same last name as Laura's family, Laura remembers how her father spoke about his parents moodiness, especially his mother's moroseness.

Interspersed with Laura's narrative about investigating into her grandparents past and the woman with the same last name, is the story of Elizabeth Endicott and Armen Petrosian. This narrative, set in 1915, is provided by twenty-one year old Elizabeth, a graduate from Mount Holyoke College in Boston. But there are also other narrators from this time as well; Armen Petrosian, an Armenian engineer who has lost his wife, Karine, and their 12 month old daughter in what is becoming a genocide, and also by Nevart and Hartoun, Armenian refugees, and by two German engineers.

Elizabeth and her father,Silas Endicott, a banker, are in Aleppo as representatives of Friends of Armenia organization. Elizabeth came to Aleppo because she felt this would be a meaningful way to finish off her studies at Mount Holyoke. There they are horrified to see refugees, women and children, who have arrived from the desert, naked, emaciated, starving and dying. The American Consul, Ryan Martin tells them that there were at least one thousand before they left Zeitun or Adana, but many have been crucified, tortured and murdered on the march to Aleppo.

In the town square at Aleppo, Elizabeth and her father meet German engineers who are photographing the refugees in order to document what is happening. Although Germany is an ally of Turkey, they disagree with what is happening and hope to show the world the fate of the Armenians. With them is a young Armenian engineer, Armen. Armen had attended Euphrates College in Harput but escaped with his two brothers, Garo and Hratch into the hills around Van, a beautiful city of 50,000 people, half of whom were Armenian. Garo is possibly with the Russians while Hratch is dead. Armen had a young wife, Karine and a young daughter, both of whom he now believes have perished.

Armen and Elizabeth are instantly attracted to one another and begin to meet daily, talking and going for walks. When they start to become physically close, Armen decides to leave for Egypt where he plans to meet up with the British and enlist. He leaves abruptly and Elizabeth and her father continue trying to help the refugees both in Aleppo and also those sent to camps in the desert. But Armen and Elizabeth's meeting will have consequences well into the future.

Discussion

The Sandcastle Girls is a timely novel about the Armenian Genocide that occurred in 1915. The author, Chris Bohjalian has a connection to the Armenian Genocide as his paternal Armenian grandparents were survivors of the genocide. The novel incorporates the technique of a story within a story, told in two narratives, that of an American writer, Laura Petrosian and her grandmother, Elizabeth Endicott-Petrosian. Bohjalian gradually weaves both stories together, telling us what happens to Elizabeth and Armen and how their story and the mysterious woman in the photograph is connected to Laura's family. It is a story of profound tragedy and terrible loss that reaches into the future to touch Laura. It is also a story of family secrets, too painful to have been broached therefore history not passed on.

Laura's narrative besides providing a storyline also serves to instruct the reader about the Armenian genocide, in a matter of fact, but in-depth manner. As such Laura's perspective tends to reinforce what her grandmother and great-grandfather saw in Aleppo in 1915. Laura informs readers about the 1908 revolution in Turkey, where Talat Pasha seized power and masterminded the genocide of the Armenian Christians; how the Turks systematically descended upon the Armenians, disarming them, rounding up the men, massacring them and then deporting the women and children; how the world refused to believe what was happening; how the Germans were complicit in the genocide. It's a tragedy that the world still seems loathe to recognize, despite the 100th anniversary which will be in 2015. Bohjalian's novel is well researched, well written, and definitely gripping to the very end. There is some sexual content, but the overall story and especially the subject matter is too important to be missed. 

Book Details:
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
New York: Doubleday      2012
293 pp.

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

Harvest of Rubies tells the story of a young Persian scribe during the Reign of King Artaxerxes. Set in 457 BC Persia the novel opens with Sarah, daughter of Simeon who is a royal scribe in the Persian court, revealing her ability to read. 

When Sarah's father and her Aunt Leah balk at her learning to read and write, Sarah's cousin Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes intervenes. "If the Lord has gifted the child, then perhaps it's because He has a plan for her life that requires such skills. And who are we to stand in the way of the Lord."

Her father sets about teaching her and eventually Sarah becomes accomplished in writing and languages. By age sixteen she can read and write Persian, Akkadian, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Sarah is driven to succeed as a way to get her father to notice her and to have some sort of relationship with him. When the prophet Nehemiah questions Sarah about her faith, she tells him that she doesn't believe God helps people. Instead she feels that people help themselves by their own efforts and that only her work makes her valuable as a person.

Eventually Sarah is recommended by Nehemiah to become Queen Damaspia's senior scribe. Although initially reluctant, because she fears that she will fail, Sarah does agree to take on the position and moves to Persepolis, capital of the Achaemenid Empire. There Sarah becomes a trusted scribe to the Queen.

One day she is summoned by Damaspia who tells her that the queen mother, Amestris has accused Damaspia's servant, Frada, of stealing. Damaspia is furious. When Sarah reads the tablet she finds evidence that things are not as they should be. She manages to convince Damaspia to allow her to try to sort out the situation. Damaspia agrees and when Sarah solves the mystery in the three days allotted to her and salvages the relationship between the king's mother and the king's wife, Damaspia decides to reward her senior scribe in a manner Sarah never dreamed.

The reward Damaspia has in mind, horrifies Sarah;  Damaspia has arranged for Sarah to marry Lord Darius, son of Lord Vivan, one of the king's cousins. Both Nehemiah and Damaspia put forth Sarah's name when Lord Vivan complained about his son's inability to find a wife. Not only will Sarah marry Lord Darius, but she will do so within the week because Lord Vivan will be departing for Ionia.

Panicked, Sarah seeks out her father and her cousin, Nehemiah, in the hope that they will be able to get her out of the marriage to Darius Passargardae but she soon learns that this will not be possible as both men sealed the contracts. Nehemiah encourages Sarah to trust God, that he has a plan for her. Instead, Sarah gives in to despair and refuses to prepare properly for her marriage.

The week before her wedding passes quickly, with Sarah continuing to refuse to prepare for the marriage. Her lack of personal care and outrageous appearance at her wedding both shock and humiliate the groom. Darius is revolted and furious and Sarah realizes too late what she has done. "The last of my defiance vanished as I realized how I had demeaned him in my foolishness. An avalanche of shame and regret covered me with such force, I almost cried out. I turned to leave, to run away from this devastating disgrace, to free Darius Passargadae from the humiliation I had brought upon him."

After spending the night together in which their marriage is not consummated and Darius is drunk, Sarah is taken before Queen Damaspia the next morning where she confesses to the Queen what happened and how her demon-like appearance was completely unintentional. The queen asks her to persevere and sends her a maid, Pari to help her and be her companion. Sarah then travels to Darius' large estate where she finally has the opportunity to speak with him and tell him what happened. Darius believes that Sarah schemed and manipulated her way into the marriage after their first encounter years earlier on the dunes outside of Persepolis. When she tries to tell him the truth, he refuses to believe her, thinking she is a liar. He tells her, "'I cannot abide liars. I do not think I can abide you. Your very presence is like a poisoned dagger pressing against my flesh.' "

And so she is left alone on Darius' estate. After wallowing in grief, depression and utter loneliness, Sarah is encouraged by Pari to get out of bed. Sarah must make a choice; wallow in her despair or try to win the heart of her husband. Will she allow her faith to sustain her and will she trust in God's plan for her life? Fearing that her behaviour might cause harm to Pari, Sarah decides to try to make the best of her situation. She soon discovers that her husband's steward, Teispes, is abusing his position and stealing from the estate, allowing it to go to ruin. She manages to build her case against Teispes, and when Darius returns, Sarah presents the situation to him. This is the beginning of their reconciliation and Sarah's realization of the true state of her relationship with God as well.

Discussion

Harvest of Rubies is another beautifully written novel by Tessa Afshar that captivates the reader both with its well crafted romance and its unique historical setting - a hallmark of Afshar's novels.

This book has plenty of biblical references and allusions to parables seamlessly woven throughout the story. When Sarah is young, Nehemiah reads one of the psalms to her and Sarah remembers learning them when her mother was alive. During Sarah's marriage to Darius, Nehemiah brings him a copy of the psalms of King David. Darius crumples the valuable gift, but later, these same psalms serve to draw Sarah back to the Lord.

When Sarah finds Bardia, the groundskeeper cutting back the grapevines until there was almost nothing left of the plant, she admonishes him to stop. But he tells her that the sweetest wine in produced when the vine suffers and that he, the gardener knows what is best for the vine. This encounter leads Sarah to reconsider her relationship with God. Was he allowing all that had happened to her; the neglect by her father, the loss of her beloved mother, the loss of her work that she held so dear, and her difficult marriage for a greater purpose?

We accompany Sarah on her journey of faith, beginning when she recognizes how she has lived her life up until her marriage. She remembered her mother's painful death and wondered at God allowing such suffering - a question many people struggle with. She struggled to earn her father's love but only received what seemed to be indifference. "At that point I stopped reciting the Scriptures and relying on the Lord. I still kept the outward form of the Law when possible, living amongst Gentiles as I was, but my heart no longer made room for God. I learned it was far better to rely on myself."

Instead of trusting God, as the prophet Nehemiah suggested, Sarah fought him and made her life more difficult. Eventually with time, Sarah comes to realize that she has been putting the Lord to the test, questioning and accusing God, instead of clinging to him. She understands that she must either unconditionally surrender to God or continue to stubbornly resist his will for her. With her arrogance and rebellion, and her need for control, Sarah had constructed walls around her heart that had kept God out.

But her lack of faith is not her only problem. Sarah's view of herself not only affects her own life but has now spread to how others view her. She believes her only value comes from her work. She tells Nehemiah to look at her, and that no man will value her, especially not a rich spoiled man like Lord Darius who will likely want only beautiful women. Sarah believes she has value only through her work as a scribe.

One of the major themes in this novel is that of reconciliation. As Sarah's relationship with God changes so does her relationship with her husband and ultimately her father. Allowing God to lead her, frees her from her fear and helps Sarah open her heart towards those in her life.

Thankfully, Afshar will continue Sarah and Darius' story in a second book that deals with Nehemiah's journey to Jerusalem. The first chapter of this novel can be found in the back of Harvest of Rubies.

Book Details:
Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar
Chicago: River North Publishers 2012
372 pp.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

At the conclusion of Divergent, Jeanine Matthews, leader of the Erudite faction has used a serum containing a transmitter to create a simulation that causes Dauntless soldiers to attack and murder members of the Abnegation faction.

Tris Prior and Tobias Eaton were not affected by the simulation because they are Divergent - able to know they are in a simulation and therefore not be controlled. To avoid being discovered they accompany their Dauntless friends to the city but are captured. 

However, Matthews knows that the Divergent are not affected by the serum. The Divergent, most of whom inexplicably come from Abnegation, do not respond to the simulations, so she needs a way to either remove them or control them. 

To control the Divergent, Matthews has created a new serum that allows the person to act independently but still confuse friend with enemy. She injects this into Tobias who immediately attempts to kill Tris. Matthews has Tris sent to be murdered but she is rescued by her mother who it turns out was a Dauntless and is also Divergent. Natalie reveals to Tris that her father, her brother Caleb, and Marcus have escaped the mass murder and are hiding in the basement of Abnegation headquarters. Tris's mother sacrifices herself so Tris can escape and once treated by her father for her wounds, she sets out to destroy the computers running the simulation. 

To do that she had to go to the Dauntless headquarters where her father sacrifices himself to save her. Tris also finds Peter who tells her he was kicked out of the simulation. Tris manages to bring Tobias out of the simulation and he is able to stop it and steal the hard drive containing the data from the program. While the Dauntless must now deal with what they've done, Tris, Tobias, his father Marcus, and Peter flee to the Amity farms.

Insurgent picks up exactly where Divergent left off. The five fugitives are on a train that takes them to the Amity headquarters outside the city. There, they hope to secure the Amity faction's help. However, the Amity, under the direction of Johanna Reyes, decide to remain impartial and to establish their faction headquarters as a safe house for all factions provided that there are no weapons and no fighting or discussion of the current conflict. This is mainly because the Erudite and Amity factions work closely together.

Tris overhears a conversation between Marcus and the leader of Amity, Johanna that reveals there is some kind of secret information that the Abnegation were entrusted with. Jeanine attacked the Abnegation faction to steal this information, in order to destroy it. Marcus refuses to reveal the nature of this secret information to Johanna. When Tris tells Tobias what she's overheard, he dismisses it as his father exaggerating. Tris also learns that Marcus is determined to obtain this information back from Jeanine but is rejected when she offers her help. 

Peter attempts to steal the hard drive from the simulation computer from Tris which leads to a fight between the two of them. Tobias and the Amity stop the fight allowing Tobias to retrieve the hard drive. Tris is taken away and injected with "peace serum" which makes her silly. Johanna tells Tobias that because they have broken the agreement with Amity they will not be able to stay. He accuses Johanna and the Amity faction of working with the Erudite under the pretense of neutrality and that they will be gone in two days but will not be taking Peter with them. She tells him to avoid the bread.

But before Tris and the rest of the Divergent can leave, the Amity compound is raided by members of the Erudite faction with the help of Dauntless traitors. Tris destroys the hard drive and she, Tobias and the rest of the Abnegation change into Amity clothing and try to hide. However, Tobias is discovered by a Dauntless, setting off a shoot-out. Only Tris, Tobias, Caleb and an Amity woman named Susan manage to escape through the cornfields and back through the fence.

When these four follow the train tracks into the city, they find themselves confronted by the factionless (those who failed their initiation into a faction) who are led by Tobias' mother, Evelyn Eaton. From Edward who survived with one eye, Tris learns that most of the factionless are Dauntless, Erudite, then Candor, with a few Amity. The Dauntless faction is now fractured with half of the faithful going to Erudite and half with Candor. What is left of Abnegation is now with the factionless. Evelyn has been tracking the location of the Divergent in the city, in the factionless safe houses. The Abnegation, who had been providing food to the factionless prior to the attack were test the factionless because they believed they had the highest number of Divergent - those who think differently and therefore are more likely to fail their initiation. She is concerned that the Erudite who are now looking for more bodies to control, will look to the factionless next, both for bodies to fight with and also to eliminate the Divergent. Evelyn wants to know how many Divergent they have so they know who can resist the simulation. Evelyn has her own goals however; she wants to destroy the Erudite, form a new government and a new society, one without factions. And to achieve that she is willing to destroy whatever is necessary to achieve this goal.

Evelyn reveals to Tris that her father was born into the Erudite faction and left it to become Abnegation. He grew up knowing Jeanine Matthews as their parents were friends. Tris realizes this might be true as her father never spoke about his childhood and seemed to hate the Erudites.

Tobias and Tris decide to go to the Candor faction at the "Merciless Mart" where they are arrested and meet the faction's leader Jack Kang. While at the Candor faction, both Tobias and Tris are interrogated under the influence of truth serum. However, while there, the Dauntless traitors raid Candor headquarters, searching for Divergent with the intent of bringing two back to study and killing all other Divergent they can find. This assault is unsuccessful mainly due to Tris and Tobias's intervention. Tris manages to save Will's sister, Cara.  Despite this, Kang wishes to negotiate a peace treaty with the Dauntless and Erudite factions. Tris and Tobias realize they cannot attack the Dauntless traitors and the Erudite factions without Candor's help, so they decide to try to enlist the factionless.

When Kang meets with Matthew's representative, Max, he is told that Candor is disposable since they provide nothing useful to the Erudites. Instead he is ordered to turn over the Dauntless leader Eric as well as the Divergent and provide the names of those who were not injected with simulation serum. Believing Matthews is somewhere nearby, Tris sets out to try and locate her but before she can do that, Lynn shoots Max. Realizing that they are no longer safe at the Candor headquarters, Tris and Tobias leave and return to Dauntless headquarters. Tobias, who is now leader of the Dauntless meets with his mother Evelyn. Evelyn agrees to form an alliance with Dauntless provided they are given a place in the new government after the Erudite are destroyed.

When Jeanine Matthews threatens to kill a Dauntless every two days unless one of the Divergent surrenders to Erudite headquarters, Tris decides to turn herself in. Jeanine Matthews is desperate to learn why the Divergent do not respond to the simulation serum and therefore cannot be controlled. She never dreamed of getting the strongest Divergent but with Tris she hopes she can learn how to control them. An MRI scan of Tris's brain reveals a large lateral prefrontal cortex and Jeanine decides that the newest serum should deal with that aspect. Despite the experiments, Tris cannot be controlled by Jeanine. Tobias enters the compound not to rescue Tris but to learn the location of the Erudite control rooms so when they attack they can shut down the simulations. He tells her that will be in two weeks when she is scheduled to be executed. and she is eventually helped to escape. Tris also meets her brother Caleb who it turns out has been a traitor. When Jeanine fails to learn how to control Tris, she schedules her execution, but with the help of Peter, both Tris and Tobias escape.

Marcus finally decides to reveal to Tris the information that Jeanine Matthews stole from Abnegation. He tells her that a week before the simulation attack, the Abnegation leaders decided to reveal the information they had, to everyone but they needed the help of the Erudites to do so. Instead, because o Jeanine's simulation resulting in the Dauntless attack on Abnegation, they were not able to do so. Marcus tells her that they were placed here for a specific purpose. Marcus says he cannot tell Tris what the information is because she will not believe him. Tris also learns that her mother was trying to retrieve that information from Matthews but chose instead to save her. Marcus asks her to help him, but helping Marcus means betraying Tobias who along with his mother Evelyn, are planning to attack the Erudite and destroy them. For Marcus however, retrieving this information is more important than any attack to destroy the Erudite.

Can Tris retrieve this important information before it is destroyed forever by the attack on the Erudite headquarters? And just what is the information that is so important that Tris' mother and father died trying to retrieve it? What they learn will change the path of the people of Chicago forever.

Discussion

Insurgent is the second novel in the Divergent trilogy and picks up immediately where the first book ended.  It is a very lengthy read (over 500 pages) and probably could have used better editing. It also introduces so many new characters that a cast of characters placed at the front of the novel would have been helpful. To that end Roth has realized that this was problematic and has created a webpage  for readers listing the characters in Divergent and providing a summary of the end of that novel.

Insurgent is explores the themes of conflict and loyalty. There is conflict between each of the factions, even within the Amity faction who are supposed to love peace and live somewhat pastoral lives. There is unresolved conflict between Tobias and both his parents; Marcus for his cruelty and Evelyn for her abandonment. There is conflict between Tris and her brother Caleb who supports the Erudite faction. 

Ironically, it is the division of society into personality characteristics which fosters conflict and ultimately civil war. For example, the Dauntless who are fearless and strong will see all other factions as physically weak. The Erudite who honor the acquisition of knowledge will see other factions as ignorant. Those who fail their initiation and become factionless, living on the margins of society are despised by all. Although the factions are all supposed to work together, their society is simply another form of class, creating conflict and tension because it highlights differences and not commonalities.

The theme of loyalty is highlighted in the division of factions as various characters switch allegiances. Tori and Zeke, believed to be Dauntless traitors show up at Candor revealing they were gathering information and helping Erudite defectors. Tris's brother has been pretending to be Candor but eventually reveals that he has always been faithful to the Erudite faction. Peter has become a Dauntless traitor, yet helps Tris escape from Jeanine Matthews. The ultimate test of loyalty is set up between Tris, Tobias and Marcus, creating intense inner conflict for Tris. 

Tris loves Tobias and wants to be with him but she must choose between being loyal to Tobias or being loyal to the pursuit truth. Tobias believes dealing with the Erudite is more important than learning the truth about their society.  Despite having no reason to trust Tobias's father, Marcus, Tris decides to help him find the information Jeanine has because she knows that her mother died trying to obtain that information and she wants to "...accomplish the goal she failed to achieve."  Ultimately, her gamble pays off, when the file is shown to all after the attack on the Erudite building.

Roth also begins to explore the concept of evil but doesn't give it much depth in this novel. When Tris tells Peter what he's doing is evil, he responds "Evil depends on where you're standing." implying that it is a relative concept. 

Roth has fashioned a strong bur realistic female protagonist. She is a complex mixture of strength and weakness. Physically she is very strong, but emotionally Tris is vulnerable. She obviously suffers from post-traumatic stress as she tries to deal with killing her friend Will while he was under the simulation, the death of her parents, and the fact that many of her new faction, Dauntless have murdered innocent Abnegation while under the simulation. "For the first time I feel like I understand Al. I am tired of being Tris. I have done bad things. I can't take them back, and they are a part of who I am. Most of the time, they seem like the only thing I am."  Eventually she comes to realize that people are not good or bad but they are a mixture of both. Tris herself notes later on that Marcus, despite having done cruel and evil things, is not all evil. "Cruelty does not make a person dishonest, the same way bravery does not make a person kind. Marcus is not good or bad, but both." 

There are several week points in the the plot of Insurgent. Why do Tobias, the Dauntless and factionless want to wait two weeks to attack the Erudite headquarters, especially since Jeanine has learned from him the location of the factionless safe houses? Why would he allow Jeanine to experiment and torture Tris for that length of time? Although this ends up being redundant in light of what happens, the entire plan doesn't make sense. One thing the novel does not really address is the effect on the Dauntless soldiers who committed mass murder while under Jeanine's simulation serum. The only character who seems to experience remorse is Tris who is so traumatized by having to kill her friend Will, that she cannot handle a gun and freezes in situations requiring her to do so. 

It also puzzling that Jeanine Matthews would not have destroyed the information she had on her computer from the very beginning, especially if it would prevent her from achieving her goal of a new government. She had to know who Edith Prior was, she had to know what being Divergent meant and that the Abnegation survivors knew about the file and would be determined to retrieve it at any cost. If Jeanine Matthews wanted to set up a new government, the most logical action would have been to destroy that file which was the only evidence of the origin of the factions.

The book ends with the revelation of what that information was; the people of Chicago were placed in the destroyed city, which is fenced off and completely isolated from the rest of the world. This new society was formed based on attributes such as sacrifice, candor, intelligence and divided into factions. They were to stay isolated until those who were flexible and open minded became numerous then they were to come back to the parent society and help save that society which was riddled by war. Those people were to be called Divergent. It's apparent that this experiment has failed. The video containing this information was made by Amanda Ritter who moved into the colony and changed her name to Edith Prior.  It is as Tris's mother told her "Human beings can be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us."

Overall, Insurgent was a good read but far too long. Two hundred pages could have easily been edited from this book without much loss to the plot and this would have created a better flow to the storyline. It will be interesting to see how Roth evolves the storyline in the third book. It is likely we will see Tris and Tobias and the rest of the characters work to determine just what lies outside the fence. 

The third and final book in this series will be released in the Fall of 2013.

Book Details:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books   2012
525 pp.

DVD Movie: Hunger Games

The blockbuster hit, The Hunger Games, dropped in theatres in March and was released this past week on DVD. The movie adaptation of the first book in Suzanne Collins dystopian YA trilogy is well done and faithful to the novel of the same name.

Briefly, Panem is the new nation forged out of a terrible war. Now divided into twelve districts, every year one boy and one girl (known as tributes) are drawn from each district to battle one another to the death, for the entertainment of the residents of the Capitol in what is known as the Hunger Games. These annual games are a punishment for the rebellion of District 13 which was annihilated during the war. The winning tribute receives wealth and accolades and returns to live a life of ease in their own district. The games are also a draconian reminder that all must work together to avoid another war.

District 12 is the poorest of the districts. Katniss lives there with her mother and her sister, Primrose, in abject poverty. In order to survive, Katniss has developed her wilderness skills and is a skilled archer, killing wild game (which is illegal), to supplement their meager food stores. She often meets up with Gale Hawthorne in the woods to hunt and their common interests forge a strong friendship.

The Reaping for the 74th Hunger Games sees Prim's name chosen. Prim's terror causes Katniss to volunteer as tribute. She knows sending her younger sister to the Hunger Games is a certain death sentence. Both Katniss and Peeta Mellark, the baker's son, are chosen to represent District 12. 

They are taken by train to the Capitol along with District 12's escort, Effie Trinket and will be mentored by their district's only surviving victor, the dissolute Haymitch Abernathy. On the train, it's evident that Katniss and Haymitch do not get along. Haymitch tells her that  key to winning is obtaining sponsors to help throughout the Hunger Games. The sponsors can send food, medicine and other help to a tribute. And to get sponsors a tribute needs to make people like them and want to help them. At the Capitol both Peeta and Katniss are prepared by a special team that includes Peeta's stylist Portia, and Cinna who is Katniss's stylist.  Katniss knows some of the tributes have spent their lives training for the games, but she has no intention of dying. Haymitch develops a brilliant plan to help Katniss win, one she is reluctant to go along with. But Katniss knows this may be her only way to win against such great odds.

Discussion

The movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins young adult novel,  The Hunger Games is very well done. It succeeds admirably because it stays true to the novel with its strong screen writing, and is very well cast with outstanding performances by almost all the actors involved.

The Hunger Games movie offers readers of the novel a realistic portrayal of the totalitarian world of Panem, a country born out of environmental catastrophes and war. The movie follows the two main characters of the novel, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) as they fight to survive the Hunger Games. 

Jennifer Lawrence is well cast as Katniss Everdeen, despite the initial reservation of many fans of the novels. As the main protagonist in the story, Lawrence was more than able to carry the film. She is convincing as Katniss, capturing the character's determination and inner conflict while showing great depth of emotion. The film also featured strong performances of many of the supporting actors. Josh Hutcherson was believable as the sweet, caring Peeta Mellark, who was determined to help Katniss survive the Games. Lawrence and Hutcherson were able to establish an effective on-screen rapport, making their blossoming friendship seem plausible. 

Strong supporting performances were given by Woody Harrelson as the tormented Haymitch Abernathy, a former Games victor and Stanley Tucci as the flamboyant, coiffed Caesar Flickerman, host of the Hunger Games broadcast. Harrelson, whom many will recognize as bartender Woody Boyd from the television series Cheers, captures the inner struggles of Haymitch who has been unable to cope with the trauma he's experienced both in his own Hunger Games, and as a mentor to District 12 tributes he knows never survive the Hunger Games. Excellent performances were given by Elizabeth Banks as the faithful Capitol supporter, Effie Trinket and by Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Katniss's caring, innovative stylist. These two characters more than any others, represent the people of the Capitol with their wealth, status and appearance. While Effie seems oblivious to the reality of what the Hunger Games really are,  Cinna is deeply aware that he is preparing an innocent girl for a brutal death.

The movie's opening is a bit slow, but that is mainly due to the presentation of the back story. Scenes of the Reaping, highlight the poverty and drabness of District 12, a district that supplies coal to the Capitol. The buildings are grey and derelict. Everyone present at the Reaping is subdued and tense, dressed in" whites, pale greys and blues. In contrast, is Effie Trinket from the Capitol, in her brilliant fuchsia suit, (in the novel her suit was "spring green" and she had pink hair), her outlandish hair and makeup, and affected enthusiasm. Instead of applauding the selection of the tributes as Effie suggests, the people of District 12 raise their hands in a silent, three-finger salute which mystifies Effie. Once the Reaping occurs, events progress quickly, with the emotional parting of Katniss from her family and Gale and the obvious conflict between the dissolute Haymitch and a frightened Katniss on the train to the Capitol. 

The film effectively portrays the vast difference between District 12 and the Capitol. As the train is pulling into the Capitol, Peeta runs to the window. He is stunned by how large the Capitol is and how clean and modern it looks with its shining, silver towers.  The people who greet the train look happy, healthy and are colourfully dressed. 

In the Capitol, the elaborate preparations and training Katniss and Peeta undergo are well portrayed.  One of the best scenes is that of Katniss, the last of the tributes to showcase her talent to the Gamemakers. After missing her first shot with the new bow and arrow, she nails the second one, only to see that the Gamemakers are focused only on the roast pig being served. Furious, Katniss's rebellious nature takes over and she sinks an arrow into the apple in the pig's mouth, skewering it to the wall behind the shocked Gamemakers. 

This scene leads to one in which we are treated to a glimpse of the Hunger Games the perspectives of other characters. In the novel, the story is narrated solely by Katniss so readers do not know what other characters like Snow and Seneca Crane may be experiencing. In the movie adaptation, viewers get to meet Snow (Donald Sutherland) in more depth, as he takes Seneca Crane to task for not dealing with Katniss's outburst during training. He tells Crane that having a winner in the Hunger Games offers the districts a glimmer of hope but that too much hope can be dangerous.  Crane really has no idea how to deal with Katniss (who outsmarts him) and it will cost him dearly.

The leadup to the actual Hunger Games are the tribute interviews by Caesar Flickerman. This part of the movie succeeds on the strength of the performance of all the cast but especially that of Stanley Tucci as  the outlandish, larger-than-life host of the Hunger Games. His appearance is somewhat toned down from the description in the novel, where he is described as wearing " ...a coating of pure white makeup" with hair that is "powder blue and his eyelids and lips are coated in the same hue..." and a "...ceremonial suit, midnight blue dotted with a thousand tiny electric bulbs that twinkle like stars." Katniss finds him scary because his appearance over more than forty years is virtually unchanged, due to plastic surgery.

The portrayal of the Hunger Games is intense; a mixture of action, suspense, and psychological thriller. Though the underlying concept of the book is quite dark and violent; children fighting children to the death for entertainment, the film was able to portray terror and danger without gratuitous violence and without being overly graphic.  Deaths were often portrayed off camera, or as brief scenes that flashed by, giving the viewer a glimpse only of what was happening. Nevertheless, the scenes of the forest fire, the tracker jacker attack, and the attack by the mutts at the end of the games are realistic and intense.

As a movie,  Hunger Games allows viewers to become spectators along with the people of Panem. Like those watching in the Capitol and in the districts, viewers have front row seats as Katniss and Peeta struggle to survive and to outwit far superior tributes. Viewers are also able to see the sadistic behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Games by the Head Gamemaker and his team. For example, the lack of exciting action leads Seneca Crane to force the tributes together so they can fight. He does this in a most cruel way by creating a raging forest fire that rapidly engulfs her position. She flees in terror as Seneca Crane sends fireballs and flaming trees at her directing her down towards the other tributes. This scene portrays the abject cruelty of the Gamemakers who see the tributes merely as "chess pieces" to be moved around to make the Games more exciting for the Capitol, instead of real people who are suffering and dying for entertainment.

In this way the reality of Panem is presented; a totalitarian dictatorship, its people so self-absorbed that they cannot recognize the wanton cruelty they condone as entertainment.  This self preoccupation is manifested in outlandish fashions, bizarre makeup and wigs, excessive plastic surgery making the Capitol citizens appear ultra-civilized, but in reality, they are a people who are indifferent to the suffering around them, even that of young children. They have dehumanized the people in the districts, believing them to be violent savages who can be offered up as sacrifices for the pleasure of the Capitol citizens while telling themselves it is the only way to maintain peace. 

The Hunger Games is a refreshing and faithful adaptation of a young adult novel that actually works. There have been numerous movie adaptations of young adult books that are characterized by poor script, and subpar acting,; Twilight, I Am Number Four, and Beastly are just a few. Perhaps the reason Hunger Games works is because Suzanne Collins is a television writer and she got it right for the movie. 

The movie adaptation of the second novel,  Catching Fire is due in theatres next year, November 22, 2013!

Miracle by Elizabeth Scott

Now they hugged me like I was made of glass. Not like I might break, but like I was something priceless. They didn't hug me like they use to and that's when I knew I wasn't Meggie anymore. I wasn't even Megan.

I was Miracle.

Megan Hathaway is the lone survivor of a small plane crash in the Round Hills National Forest. She is a miracle. Surviving with only superficial scratches, it soon becomes apparent that Megan's real injuries are hidden. When she awakes in the hospital, at first she doesn't really know what has happened to her and she can't remember the crash. When the doctor asks Megan if she can remember the plane crash she says she can because she can see the worry and fear in her parents eyes. Megan doesn't want her parents to worry about her because they already have so many problems with her younger brother, David, who has many health issues.


When Megan is offered counseling prior to leaving hospital she refuses saying she is fine. But when she returns to school things are not fine. Gradually Megan's trauma begins to manifest itself in various ways. Megan finds she cannot sleep, that she has no feelings whatsoever about anything, and that she doesn't really feel alive. Her friends find her withdrawn, detached and uncaring.

For Megan however, the way people now view her is distressing. Her parents continue to talk about how she is a "miracle" and her friends treat her differently asking her opinion about things they never would have before the accident. When they ask her about the crash, they want to know how she became a miracle.

Gradually Megan's distress escalates, affecting every aspect of her life. She has flashbacks of the accident and the terrible fire afterwards, and is afraid of trees. Her schoolwork suffers and she begins cutting classes. Her senior year of high school is unraveling fast and she is soon at risk of not graduating.

Strangely, her parents seem happy to ignore all of this, and pretend that everything is just fine. Megan, is after all, their miracle. God has touched their lives in a special way. Fortunately, there are two people however, who do help Megan in their own way; the handsome boy next door, Joe Reynolds, and a retired teacher, Margaret.

Joe lives with his father. His sister Beth, died as a result of an asthma attack, and because Joe was not home when Beth was stricken, his father blames him for her death. After Beth's death, Joe's family imploded, his mother left to live with another man and his father lost his job. Even after living ten years next to Joe, Megan realizes that doesn't really know him at all. Joe and Beth connect because they have both had to deal with death and the resulting family issues. Joe is still trying to process what happened to Beth, while Megan is trying to remember what happened and understand how she alone survived such a terrible accident. Both are still dealing with survivor's guilt. Both Joe and Megan are also trying deal with problems in their respective families as a result of the tragedies they experienced.

Margaret is a lesbian whose partner, Rose, has also passed away. Both women served in the Vietnam War and both women had trouble coping afterwards with what they experienced. Margaret helps Megan realize that she needs to talk about what she experienced and that she needs to do this with her parents and a counselor. At first Megan doesn't really listen, but she soon realizes that what Margaret is telling her is truly what she needs to do. Margaret, as a veteran of the Vietnam war, is speaking from experience. When Rose had trouble many years ago coping with her own experiences from the war, Margaret tried to pretend that everything was fine. But things weren't and it took Rose many years before she was able to process what had happened to her in Vietnam. It is Margaret who gives Megan both the strength and the permission to confront her family, especially her mother, with her feelings.

When she does finally confront her parents, Megan comes to understand why her mother has wanted things everything to be just fine. Megan was her miracle from God, from the very beginning. She was her proof that God forgave her for hurting her parents. And this miracle was reaffirmed when Megan survived the plane crash too. But Megan's mother realizes that by putting all this onto Megan, she has prevented her from healing from the tragedy. Together they decide to try to help each other and work through what Megan has experienced.

Miracle is a well written, short novel that evokes strong emotions in the reader. It tackles a difficult subject of post traumatic stress syndrome in a forthright and authentic manner. The two people who understand Megan's situation best are those who have experienced an unexpected loss and intense grief in their own lives.


Miracle provides young readers with a good insight into post traumatic stress disorder, a condition they might not be very familiar with but might be hearing more about given the return of soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq. For teens who like realistic fiction, Miracle is a great choice.

Book Details:
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
New York: Simon Pulse    2012
217 pp.

Double by Jenny Valentine

Chap is a sixteen year old boy living on the streets of London. After being thrown into a storage room for fighting at a shelter, he is confronted by two workers, Ginny and Gordon, who believe he is a missing boy, Cassiel Roadnight. Cassiel vanished two years ago from his home and has never been seen again.


When Chap sees the photograph of Cassiel he can hardly believe it - the fourteen year old boy in the picture looks just like he did at fourteen, except that he's smiling and at fourteen Chap didn't have much to smile about. Chap decides to play along, assume Cassiel's identity, and become a part of Cassiel's family. This family includes a mother who's dependent upon prescription drugs, an older sister, Edie, and an older brother, Frank. Frank is a banker and is well off.

Chap must always be on his guard because he doesn't know anything about Cassiel's life. He's afraid that he will say the wrong thing or act wrongly and that will give him away.

"What are you afraid of," she said. "Daylight?"
No. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid of myself, of whatever it is I'm going to do or say to make it all go wrong. I'm desperately trying to avoid that moment and walking straight toward it, all at the same time.

But if Chap has a secret, he soon discovers that the Roadnights have their own secrets too. There is a mystery surrounding Cassiel's disappearance that no one will talk about. It's only when Chap unexpectedly meets one Cassiel's acquaintances, Floyd, and Helen reveals a family secret, do the pieces start to come together, and Chap learns who he really is and what may have happened to Cassiel. Is he willing to expose his identity and solve the mystery of Cassiel's disappearance?

Told in the believable voice of Chap, Double alternates between Chap's past and his present life. Chap is a well drawn, sympathetic character mainly because of the difficult life he's had. He knows assuming Cassiel's identity is wrong on many levels, but his desire to have a family, an identity, and a life are simply too overwhelming. Through Chap's narration we get a definite sense of his fear of discovery, which at times is overwhelming, and his conflicting emotions about taking on Cassiel's identity.

They spoke at the same time, almost. They were nothing but questions. I couldn't answer them. My disguise was paper-thin. I didn't know who Cassiel Roadnight was or what he'd say. If I spoke, I'd eat away at it, I'd just show myself lurking underneath, the rotten core.

The novel is well paced with author, Jenny Valentine, gradually weaving both stories together, connecting the characters and the events, tying up the loose ends quickly and neatly in what is a complex storyline.

Double which was originally published as The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight in Great Britain in 2010, touches on themes of identity, loss, abandonment, and love.

Book Details:
Double by Jenny Valentine
New York: Hyperion 2012
246pp.

The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots by Carolyn Meyer

The Wild Queen is the seventh book in the Young Royals series, written by Carolyn Meyer. This well  researched novel tells the story of Mary of Scotland, who was the rightful heir of both Scotland and England. Mary was born December 8, 1542, at Linlithgow Palace, in Scotland. Her father, King James V, died a few days later. Mary was his only legitimate heir to the Scottish throne. Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland when she was just nine months old, at Stirling Castle on September 9th, 1543. In an attempt to unite Scotland and England, Henry VIII, King of England successfully negotiated a treaty which the Scottish Parliament signed, dictating that Mary would marry Henry's son, Prince Edward when she turned ten.

Fearing for her daughter's safety, Mary's mother moved her to Stirling Castle which was well fortified and far north of the English-Scotland border. When Mary was four years old, King Henry VIII died. Her mother made the decision that she would marry the future king of France rather than England's Prince Edward and so she was sent to France to live at the French court and learn the language and customs of the French people. At this time France had been supporting and protecting Catholic Scotland. Eventually however, protestantism, imported from England, overtook Scotland. John Knox, a strict, dour Protestant preacher was the main force behind the stripping of  Scotland of its Catholic heritage and faith.

Accompanied by her Four Maries, Mary Fleming, Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, and Mary Livingston, the young Mary left her beloved Scotland on July 29, 1548. For the next thirteen years, Mary lived in France, traveling throughout the country as the French court moved from one palace to another. Throughout those years, Mary grew into a beautiful woman, over six feet tall and well spoken. She grew to love the French people but never forgot that she was in line for the Scottish throne.

Mary became the wife of the dauphin, Francois de Valois when she was fifteen years old. Their marriage was short-lived however, when Francois, always somewhat sickly, died from a massive infection on December 5, 1560. Mary was a widow after just two years of marriage. At this point in her life, just days shy of her eighteenth birthday,  Mary decided to return to her native Scotland in an attempt to regain the throne and rule Scotland as queen. Alone, without the support of a husband, or a father or father-in-law, Mary found herself caught in a difficult situation. She was a devote Catholic returning to a country no longer in the faith. She needed to find a strong Catholic prince to marry but there was no one in all of Christendom. Her enemies were many although at first she had a few staunch supporters. From this point on Meyers tells the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots as she struggles to rule Scotland, while fighting off traitors, dealing with a murderous and cowardly second husband, and protestant reformers such as John Knox who considered women not fit to reign.

Meyer's novel will appeal to those with a keen interest in history, especially royalty. Her account is remarkably unbiased and is a creative retelling of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. The novel opens with Mary, facing her day of execution, Wednesday, February 8th, 1587 and then narrating her life's story as to how she came to be in prison, sometimes reflecting on how the choices she made led her to her fate.  The Wild Queen is quite readable, has several maps to help readers understand the setting and at 420 pages, rather lengthy. After all this, some readers may be interested in learning more about this remarkable Catholic woman, who was both courageous and sometimes remarkably naive.

For those who are interested in reading about Mary, Queen of Scots, I suggest Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots and also Warren Carroll's The Cleaving of Christendom. The latter book is Volume 4 in his History of Christendom series.

Book Details:
The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen  of Scots.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company         2012
420 pp.

DVD MiniSeries: Great Expectations 2011

The newest adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations is spectacular, capturing the very essence of Dickens at his best. And the major reason for this is the outstanding performance of actress Gillian Anderson, as Miss Havisham.

The novel Great Expectations, published in serial form throughout 1860 and into 1861, follows the fortunes and coming of age of Philip Pirrip, known as Pip. Pip is an orphan living with his sister and her husband, Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. The Gargery's life is impoverished and Mrs Joe Gargery is always complaining about the time and expense of raising Pip. Joe however, is kindly towards the boy. His foil is the cruel, base Dolge Orlick who works with Joe in his forge. Orlick hates Pip and often threatens the boy.

The movie opens with the escape and recapture of a convict from one of the boats headed to Australia. Pip encounters that convict on the coast and terrified by his threats, agrees to bring him back a file so he can escape his shackles. But Pip not only brings back the file but also a piece of mutton pie, for which the convict is very grateful. Pip's kindness towards the convict will have positive future repercussions.

One day Mr. Pumblechook, Joe's uncle arrives telling the Gargery's that Miss Havisham of Satis House wishes Pip to come to see her. Both Pip and the Gargery's, but especially Mrs. Gargery, have "great expectations" as to how Pip's association with Satis House will raise them up.Sadly Mrs. Gargery will not live to see these expectations come about.

When Pip arrives at Satis house he learns that he is to come each day to be a companion for a young girl, Estella, whom Miss Havisham has adopted.  Satis House however is a creepy, decrepit place. Miss Havisham is a wealthy spinster who was jilted by her fiance, Compeyson, on her wedding day. She lives in her bedraggled wedding gown, walking through the house in a stupor in her bare feet. Her crumbling estate, Satis House still bears all the decorations of her wedding day, complete with a table set for her wedding banquet and a rotted wedding cake.

Nevertheless, Pip continues to visit Estella, and gradually falls in love with her. As soon as Havisham discovers this she sends Pip away, paying for his apprenticeship to Joe Gargery, the blacksmith. The first part of her plan, creating an attachment between Pip and Estella has been successful. Distraught and disillusioned, Pip settles in again at the forge, until one day, Mr. Jaggers, a London barrister arrives to inform the Gargery's that an unknown benefactor has requested that Pip leave for London immediately to become a gentleman. Pip cannot inquire as to the identity of the benefactor until he comes of age, at eighteen.

In London, Pip rooms with Herbert Pocket who is related to Miss Havisham. Herbert helps Pip fit into London society. Estella also now lives in London and both Pip and Estella continue their friendship. From this point on the storylines begin to converge. When Pip learns who his benefactor is, he is filled with horror and disbelief. He does not want to accept the fortune offered. He also learns more about his benefactor and also who Estella really is.

Meanwhile his love for Estella is unrequited. In a dramatic confrontation Pip learns that Estella will marry Bentley Drummle, a coarse womanizer who does not love her. He is stunned and cannot understand this turn of events. Miss Havisham considers this the perfect contest for Estella who has been trained not to love, but Pip recognizes that  Havisham does not understand men nor love and that it is Estella who will be destroyed, not Drummle.

In the end, Dickens ties all the story lines together demonstrating how interconnected all his characters truly are. Dickens did revise the ending to Great Expectations to make it happier but many consider that the original ending with Estella and Pip going their separate ways to be more stylistically appropriate.

Discussion  

The BBC adaptation of Great Expectations succeeds on many levels. It is a well done period-piece about the coming of age of a young man who is ruined and then redeemed again. The miniseries alternates between the gothic atmosphere of Satis House and the dark, damp waters of the coastline.

The character Miss Havisham is brilliantly portrayed by Gillian Anderson who first read Great Expectations while preparing for the series. Havisham is the personification of unprocessed grief and Anderson captures this with her wispy soft voice. She lives in the past and will not move on. Havisham is a tragedy. She could not forgive nor forget and that was her ruin. She could have had another life; one filled with love, a husband and children but she chose to let her grief consume her, as so appropriately portrayed symbolically in the movie when she catches on fire while burning letters. Her grief is a raging, consuming fire.

Unable to forgive being jilted, Miss Havisham uses Estella as a means to exact revenge, not on any one person, but men in general. It is a diabolical scheme, that involves an attempt to ruin another life. By training Estella to be cold hearted, and unmoved by love, she can hurt any man who loved her by not returning that love. Pip was the means to test Estella, to strengthen her against love. But in the end, Miss Havisham does not succeed. And Estella, raised to be incapable of love, turns out to be terribly vulnerable, something Pip realizes.

Pip is portrayed by the handsome Douglas Booth who has been cast as Romeo in remake of Romeo and Juliet currently in post production. Pip is a thoroughly good person. Even after the terrible evil Miss Havisham does, he still forgives her.

If you haven't read Great Expectations, definitely consider this novel. This is a book that can be read and reread. Whether you read the novel or not,  don't pass up this movie adaptation of the book. This is another outstanding BBC production.

DVD MiniSeries: Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, was to be Charles Dickens final novel, only because it was unfinished at the time of his death. It was due to be published in twelve installments in 1870-71 but at the time of Dickens death, only six were completed. This was most unfortunate because like most of Dickens' novels, The Mystery of Edwin Drood had the potential to become yet another brilliant novel. 

The namesake of the title, Edwin Drood, is a young orphan who is on his way to the town of Cloisterham to meet his betrothed, Rosa Bud. Rosa, also an orphan, lives at Nun's House, a boarding school for girls. Edwin and Rosa's fathers arranged their marriage many years ago but neither are too eager to marry. Edwin seems flippant about it all and is only interested in travelling to Egypt where he wants to work as an engineer.

Edwin meets Rosa at Nun's House, and as usual, they do not get along but their quarrels are good natured. He also goes to meet his uncle and guardian, John Jasper, who is choirmaster at Cloisterham Cathedral. Jasper is not the upright choirmaster he appears to be though; he is an opium addict who frequents an opium den run by Princess Puffer. Jasper regularly hallucinates about killing Edwin because as we learn, Edwin is to marry Rosa with whom Jasper is infatuated and whom he deeply desires.

Meanwhile, two young people, Neville and Helena Landless who appear to be from Egypt, arrive for their education with Reverend Septimus Crisparkle. Neville will stay with Septimus while his twin sister, Helena will board at Nun's House with Rosa. Neville and Edwin quarrel over Edwin's lighthearted treatment of his betrothal to Rosa. Neville is angry with Edwin's lack of attention and respect towards Rosa, whom he considers too good for Edwin. Septimus Crisparkle tells Neville he must learn to control his anger and get along with others, especially Edwin.

Meanwhile, Rosa tells Helena that she does not really want to marry Edwin and that she is disturbed and frightened by her music teacher, John Jasper's attentions. Helena tells Rosa that Jasper is in love with her and this further distresses Rosa. When she meets with her guardian, Mr. Hiram Grewgious, she asks him what would happen if she and Edwin did not marry. He tells her that she would remain under his guardianship for another four years, at which time she would receive her inheritance. Grewgious also meets with Edwin, giving him his father's will and also the ring his mother wore. He tells Edwin that if he is serious about Rosa, to give her the ring, but if he is not, he should return it to him.

Now aware that she does not have to marry Edwin, Rosa meets with him, and tells him she would like their love to be like that of a brother and sister. Edwin, relieved, agrees. The young couple leave the church, happy with their mutual decision. This scene is witnessed by Jasper who decides he must act. He invites both Neville and Edwin to his lodgings for dinner. The dinner passes amicably but the two younger men do not notice that Jasper has consumed large quantities of laudanum. They leave together and venture into the stormy night and enter the crypt where Neville leaves Edwin. At this point, Jasper rushes out of his rooms, and we see him accost Edwin in the sanctuary of the cathedral where he strangles him with his black silk scarf.

Up until this point the movie follows Dickens novel much as he wrote it. The second DVD opens with Edwin having gone missing the next morning and Jasper seemingly despondent. They search the river for signs of Edwin and when nothing is found, Jasper begins to lay suspicion on Neville whom he has perfectly set up to take the fall for Edwin's mysterious absence. Neville is captured by the local townsfolk and brought before the magistrate who agrees to allow Mr. Grewgious to lodge him in his home.

Shortly after this, Jasper confronts Rosa alone in the garden at Nun's House, confessing his deep love for her and when she refuses, he threatens her, telling her he will destroy Neville Landless unless she marries him. Rosa immediately flees to Mr. Grewgious's home. Jasper becomes more and more confused about exactly what happened the night of Edwin's disappearance and seeks out help in Princess Puffer's opium den. When he eventually discovers that Rosa has sought refuge with Mr. Grewgious he goes to the house and confronts her again, only to be faced by Helena. It is at this time that he learns that Rosa broke off her engagement to Edwin. From this point on the movie creates its own ending for the novel, providing twists in the plot that were hinted at in the first part of the movie.

The prime question is the disappearance of Edwin, whom we assume has been murdered. But there are other questions too. Is Edwin Drood Sr. really dead? And are the Landless twins who they say they are?

Discussion

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is well cast. Matthew Rhys portrays John Jasper and does a wonderful job capturing the nature of a dissolute opium addict who craves the unrequited love of the virginal Rosa Bud. He is at times, dark and brooding, the complete opposite of the amiable but strict choirmaster. Edwin Drood is played by Freddie Fox whom viewers will recognize as King Louis XIII from The Three Musketeers (2011). His sister, Emilia Fox, played Georgiana Darcy in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, and the strong family resemblance is not difficult to miss at all. Tamzin Merchant who was cast as Georgiana Darcy in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice is a blushing, tender Rosa Bud. Innocent on the outside, Rose is determined to resist the unwanted advances of Jasper. There are a host of other characters, typical of Dicken's novels, Princess Puffer who operates the opium den and Deputy the homeless boy who loves to throw rocks and has multiple run-ins with Jasper.

The series has a gothic atmosphere that helps to deepen the mystery of Edwin's disappearance and Jasper's role in it. Viewers will enjoy the twist at the end, although some might feel it too convenient. Overall though this was a good effort that hopefully will encourage viewers to read this novel, and the many other interesting stories Dickens wrote.

DVD MiniSeries: Moby Dick 2010

The 2011 movie adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel, Moby Dick, is generally well done and exciting, thus providing a new generation with the opportunity to become familiar with this classic tale. The movie which was filmed in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, contains a cast of well known actors including, William Hurt as Captain Ahab, Ethan Hawke as First Mate Starbuck, Charlie Cox and Ishmael, Eddie Marsan as Second Mate Stubb, Raoul Trujillo As Queeqeg, and Gillian Anderson as Elizabeth Ahab. Although there is some dramatic license taken with Melville's storyline, the essence of the novel remains.

Melville's lengthy novel tells the story of the whaling ship, the Pequod captained by veteran whaler, Captain Ahab. Ahab is on a mission to hunt down and destroy an enormous, white whale, named Moby Dick which destroyed his boat and bit off his right leg. Moby Dick is known by whalers as a malevolent leviathan that must be destroyed. Ahab has sworn vengeance to kill this whale no matter the cost. His incredible obsession with Moby Dick borders on madness.

The story of Ahab and his quest to destroy Moby Dick is told by Ishmael, an itinerant sailor who signs on to the Pequod, along with many others, ignorant of Ahab's real intention for the voyage. Ahab is joined on the voyage by his devout Quaker and First Mate Starbuck, Second Mate Stubbs, and Third Mate Flask. Each of these mates chose a pagan harpooner for their boats. Ahab rallies the crew to his mission of hunting the rogue white whale, although Starbuck does not wish to participate is such an undertaking. He wants to hunt whales for their oil and hopes to see his beloved Mary and Nantucket again. After a first sighting of Moby Dick, As the Pequod sails on its way to the Pacific Ocean, meeting many whaling ships including the Rachel which had an encounter with the white whale. In that deadly encounter the captain of the Rachel has lost his youngest son in one of the boats while pursuing the whale. Undeterred, Ahab sails his ship onward in search of this evil white whale. They finally sight Moby Dick and after two days of pursuit, a final, devastating confrontation occurs.

Discussion

Melville's novel, Moby Dick is in part based on real incidents that occurred in the early 1800's in the whaling industry. In 1820, the Essex, a whaling ship out of Nantucket was rammed and sunk by a giant sperm whale off the coast of South America. Only one crew member survived, First Mate Owen Chase, who wrote about the incident. In the 1830's there was a large white whale, named Mocha Dick, said to attack ships in a premeditated way off the island of Mocha, near Chile. Mocha Dick was normally docile until provoked by an attack. He would then defend himself in an intelligent and vigorous manner. This whale was thought to have been an old bull whale. These incidents were not the only ones recorded as whaling ships were sometimes attacked. Melville drew upon these incidents to write his novel, Moby Dick.

Considered part of the Western canon of literature, Moby Dick is both an adventure story and also a book that describes in great detail the whaling industry as it existed in the 1800s. There are numerous themes throughout the novel, including those that touch on the limits of human knowledge, revenge, religious beliefs, the role of prophecies and fate, and death. It's difficult today to understand 19th century society's acceptance of the butchering of whales in the thousands. Whale oil was an important commodity in American life, used to light homes. The whale was a fearsome animal to be used by man, with little understanding of the ecological effect of whaling on ocean ecology. However,  this wasn't the only species hunted without mercy during this era. In North America, the bison, wolves and beaver suffered a similar fate as did many animals native to Africa and Australia. The mindset of this era was one of taking whatever we wanted from nature without counting the ecological cost.

This newest miniseries is relatively faithful to the main elements of the storyline but there are exceptions. Elizabeth Ahab is not part of the original novel and the major character, Fedellah, a harpooner Ahab has brought on board the Pequod, is not in this movie. Nevertheless, this adaptation captures the obsession and madness that overcomes Ahab in his pursuit of Moby Dick, and his inability to turn away even when it is evident it will cost him his life. William Hurt is well cast and gives an excellent, believable performance as Ahab.  At times Hurt's Ahab is overly melodramatic, but that seems to be the fault of the script rather than the acting. Ethan Hawke is also excellent as a foil to Ahab, being the signature voice of reason against Ahab's mad intent.  Raoul Trujillo's Queequeg, was captivating as the cannibal, tattooed harpooner with his creepy body art and mild demeanor. Queequeg and Ishmael form a close bond that sees them through many tough times on board the Pequod.

The action scenes involving Moby Dick were realistic and remarkably well done. It was interesting to see how CGI would present the whale and for the most part Moby Dick was believable, being portrayed as an enormous whale whose presence instilled fear in even the most hardened whaler. The final epic battle scene between Moby Dick and the crew of the Pequod was very well done and exciting.

Directed by Mike Barker, screen play by Nigel Williams, Moby Dick is a movie worth watching.

For a description of Mocha Dick, and an accounting of his brutal death by a whaler's harpoon read The Knickerbocker or New York Monthly Magazine, Vol. 13. 

The Age Of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

"We didn't notice right away. We couldn't feel it.
We did not sense at first the extra time, bulging from the smooth edge of each day like a tumor blooming beneath skin....

Summer ended. A new school year began. The clocks ticked as usual. Seconds beaded into minutes. Minutes grew into hours. And there was nothing to suggest that those hours, too, weren't still pooling into days, each the same fixed length known to every human being."

Eleven year old Julia wakes on a Saturday morning that begins like many other Saturday mornings in the past; her friend Hanna is over for a sleepover, she has a soccer game in the morning, and her parents are at the dining room table reading the newspaper. But this Saturday is soon unlike any previous Saturday nor like the ones that are to come. Julia and her mom and dad, along with everyone else learn that the Earth's rotation has gradually been slowing and the days are getting longer. No one knows for sure why this is happening or specifically what will happen as the days lengthen. All they know is that if the earth's rotation continues to slow they can expect radical changes in the weather, earthquakes and tsunamis, possibly mass plant and animal die-outs with  the oceans shifting toward the poles.

Each of the characters respond to the impending crisis in different ways. Julia's mom, a former actress begins hoarding food and other necessities, and she soon begins suffering from slowing syndrome. Her father, a doctor, generally a more calm and cerebral person, seems to be coping well until Julia makes a shattering discovery about where her father has been spending time. Her grandfather at first believes the situation is a diversion from military action in the Middle East. Julia, who tends to be quiet and watchful, has more and more difficulty fitting in with her classmates. It seems, crisis or not, being eleven years old is just a difficult time of life.

As the days get longer, society divides into people who live on "real-time" and those who follow the 24 hour clock. For the latter like Julia's family, this eventually means getting up at night to catch the bus to go to school in the dark or trying to sleep during the day in full sunlight. In San Diego, California, where Julia lives, as the days lengthen, the sun bakes the plants and crops. Birds begin dying, the oceans change, foods that were once common become scarce, forests die and catch fire and insects proliferate.

Humankind continues to struggle on however, as do Julia and her classmates in their own little corner of the world. But gradually society begins to fall apart. More and more children stop attending school, and things that people once took for granted no longer exist. Food must be grown in greenhouses and power, rationed. Despite all this, Julia meets her first boyfriend, Seth, and they struggle along together trying to understand what has befallen them, what their place will be in society, and what the future holds for them. Some of the discussions between Seth and Julia are particularly haunting; they are a generation facing the possibility of no future in a dying world. And so they ask one another which way they would prefer to die. Walker does a great job of focusing on Julia's reality; that of an eleven year old dealing with the inexplicable loss of her best friend, the alienation of her classmates, a first crush, and her mother and father's struggling marriage. This is typical pre-adolescent fare set in an apocalyptic time.

The Age of Miracles follows in detail a year of Julia's life as the catastrophe deepens when the Earth's rotation gradually slows and the days get longer and longer. The last chapter tells how things have fallen apart and generally what life is like on Earth for Julia as an adult of at least 23 years of age and other survivors. It is a tale of survival and adaptation yet the ending is depressing and provides no closure for the reader. In some ways it reads like a eulogy to a dying world.

Overall, this was good read but I felt in some ways Karen Walker did not develop this story to its full potential. Slowing of the earth's rotation, especially to the extent revealed in this novel, would have profound effects on the earth and all life inhabiting the planet. Walker tries somewhat to convey this but often it comes across in Julia's narrative as vague and muted. Other times we feel the full force of what Julia and her family are experiencing especially when the birds begin to die off and also later on when the magnetic storms begin to batter the atmosphere.The Age of Miracles is really two storylines; a coming of age and an apocalyptic disaster that mostly works. In the end though, the reader is left feeling distraught and hopeless.

Book Details:
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Toronto: Bond Street Books       2012
272 pp.