A young genius on earth is used to crush an alien species that had invaded over 70 years prior.
General Information:
- Series: The Ender Quintet (Book 1)
- Price: $9.83
- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (July 15, 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0812550706
- ISBN-13: 978-0812550702
Plot:
Ender’s Game is a story of Earth and her colonies 70 years after nearly being wiped out by an alien species. The earth is overpopulated at this point in time so there is a universal 2 child rule with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Ender Wiggins who is a Third and is allowed to exist due to his and his siblings very high IQ scores. The global government in charge of the defense of earth from a possible second invasion from the alien species is taking the brightest minds up to the international space battle station for training to see who will lead Earth’s forces one day. Though Ender is a genius he has a hard time and conflict seems to follow him as he kills two children (one in kindergarten and one on the battle station) though both in self defense. He is also relentlessly pushed to his limits both physically and mentally at the battle station. In the end he is used without his knowledge to lead Earth’s forces in what ends up being a genocide against the alien species.
Reading and Interest Level:
Marketing has Ender’s game at a 9th grade reading level but it will interest any teen in high school 9-12th grade.
Evaluation:
Ender’s game is a high energy science fiction story that has very deep issues and thought provoking scenes for the reader to think about. It is a very well written book that keeps the reader engaged. There are a lot of twists and turns and everyone is grey even Ender. The author does a wonderful job of you wanting Ender to win but also questioning whether he is the right person to lead earth. The ending specifically is wonderful when you think that Ender was just tricked into committing mass genocide against these perceived enemies of earth only to finally succeed in the one simulation game that always gave him trouble which leads to him discovering a larva that will hopefully recolonize the alien species. It is a very effective book in spreading life lessons in an entertaining way.
Bibliotherapeutic Value:
The bibliotherapeutic value in this book really varies as there are many topics that can be covered using Ender’s Game. The first couple that I would like to talk about on a level that is more relatable immediately by teens would be the idea of being ostracized for being intelligent. When you are intelligent and people recognize you as a threat or a rival they will do their best to push your limits. Though Ender’s Game takes that to the extremes, the way Ender works his way through these problems is a something that teens can relate to and learn that hey it is okay that they excel and that they can overcome the obstacles that are being placed in front of them by others to hinder them. The other issue that this can offer therapeutic value is in the sense of the lessons of hated in Ender’s Game. Earth is overcome by its hatred and fear of the alien species that there was no chance of surrender or talking to them to try and understand what provoked the attack 70 years before. Instead they let that blind hatred lead them down the road of using a little boy in what ends up being a near genocide campaign without his knowledge that it was happening.
Issues Present:
The issues present in Ender’s Game leading to it being challenged include child on child violence (killing), two child rule, and the presentation of genocide as an answer to a foreign populace. Also oddly enough I saw a challenge on this book describing it as pornographic in nature which I still do not understand but as it was a legitimate challenge on the book I will mention it.
Defending the Title:
The defenses for this title and the challenges laid out above are relatively simple besides the pornoggraphic claim as I still do not understand where that is stemming from. The presentation of suicide as an answer is an overlying example of when fear leads to unbridled hatred and humans forget that the ones that are being ostracized have families and lives as well. The idea of genocide is something that occurs regularly throughout human history and it is an abominable crime which is some of the crux that the end of the book is getting at. As for the child on child violence, all of the killing was done in pure self defense with no malicious intent and the rest of it shows an example of how to rise and overcome the pressures of bullying.
Book Talk Idea:
The idea for a book talk that I would like to talk about in this book would be to follow Ender’s siblings story along with his and take a look at how each of them handle different areas of difficulty and their roles in how the story end. They have an important part in Ender’s life and yet they proved incapable of being successful in Ender’s shoes as they had already been tested out by the military. Some of the pages that really highlight this are: 2, 3, 14, 15, 122, 123,130, 131, 150, 151, 232, 233, 310, 312
Genre:
The Genre of this book is Teen Fiction: Science Fiction with the theme of a futuristic society using a genius child to destroy an Alien species that almost wiped out earth 70 years earlier.
Similar Reads:
Author’s Website:
Awards:
1986 – Nebula Award for Best Novel
1986 – Hugo Award For Best Novel
1986 – Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award
Professional Reviews:
http://sfreviews.net/card_enders_game.html
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/enders-game
https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/enders-game/
Why I chose to read this book?
Ender’s Game as a science fiction book about a war between humans and an alien species that had nearly wiped them out seemed like an interesting book. However the hook of the book is the fact that it was about so much more than that. Ender’s Game is thought provoking on many levels from whether or not the two child rule is good or bad for the earth? To how far can a child be pushed before they are pushed to far? Also the idea of is all encompassing hatred/fear the root of genocide and war? It is really a well written book and the premise got me started but the depth is what made me really enjoy this book!
Librarianship 