I chose this book because I saw the movie and really enjoyed it. I thought it had a very thought provoking plot, and I had always heard good things about the book.
I'm glad that I saw the movie before I read the book. I feel like having seen the movie first, I am still able to enjoy it. It is, of course, very different from the book and missing several plot elements - so I feel that if I had read the book first, I would not have been as pleased with the film. This way, however, I am still able to enjoy both. Because I did very much enjoy the book also.
There were some things about this book that made it a little difficult for me. I couldn't think too much about the age of the children. It made me mad when I would stop and think about how the government had stolen their childhood from them, and the emotional, mental, and physical pressures they were putting on such young kids. But at the same time, that is the point. That is a key part to carrying out the overall objective of the book. The issues addressed would not have been so impactful had these things happened to an adult.
One of the little things I really liked in the book was the description of anger. I thought it painted an excellent picture when he described Peter's anger as cold, as opposed to Bonzo, whose anger was hot. I am a sucker for good verbal descriptions and I thought this was one perfect. It made perfect sense to me, though I had never thought of attaching temperature measurements to anger before. It really helped to illustrate Peter, and help the reader understand him a little more - even though he was not present in that situation.
Another thing that stuck with me that I have kind of been thinking about now that I'm finished with the book, is the role that all three Wiggin children played in the safety and well-being of the earth. All three were born to "save the world," but the government only focused on Ender's ability to be a military leader. In the end, however, it was all three of them who created the new and better world. While Ender was fighting the war in space, Peter and Valentine were fighting the war on earth. It was Peter and Valentine's writings and influence that changed the world. In the end, all Ender had done was destroy a race that no longer posed a threat to mankind. Peter and Valentine faced the real threat, which was the one mankind posed against itself. I like, however, that in the end, Ender was able to make a meaningful difference. I liked the aspect of all three Wiggin children "fulfilling their destiny" - Peter in an impressive leadership position helping to maintain peace on earth, Valentine heading up the immigration to other planets and writing her philosophy, and Ender, as Speaker for the Dead.
I really enjoyed this book, but what did you think?
