The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember) by Jeanne DuPrau
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Book Reviews of The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember)
Book Review: loved it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I so value Jeanne DuPrau's writing as she manages to convey the golden truths in a simple way that even children can understand. I think we're seeing classics in the making.Book Review: Best Book Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought this book was awesome.If you want to read this book you should first read The City of Ember. It has alot of suspenseful moments.Book Review: The People of Sparks
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed these books. They where creative and interesting.Book Review: Exploration of war and violence in a YA book? Check!
Summary: 4 Stars
I'll start by admitting that while I enjoyed The City of Ember (Books of Ember) and found it truly fascinating in the issues it brought up, I actually found it almost too simple of a read. A flaw that I can easily overlook given the intended readership. I did not find this an issue with this book and this is probably because of the simple fact that the issues in this book are slightly more complex to break down. But the sheer fact that DuPrau is able to touch upon such massive issues as the roots of violence and war and neither talk down to her readers nor be over their respective heads is truly phenomenal.
I don't think anyone is a fan of war or violence. At least not consciously. As Doon shows so adequately, he doesn't want to be angry or react harshly, but there are situations where it can often seem the only option. Maybe it's the only one readily noticeable or the easiest to accomplish, but it doesn't feel right to him. I have a harder time relating to Tick, but I think that I have a harder time accepting that he's just evil for evil's sake. I'll grant the possibility that such a thing exists, but I still would have liked more of a justification than he was just fueled by the enjoyment of anger or the like.
I also find it noteworthy that what the author has shown here is that the roots of such an awful thing as an outright war are in fact very simple things. Stemming the progression might be a difficult process, but the root of the entire thing starts out as something that almost seems inconsequential. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, it's this nearly insignificant thing that grows until it very likely becomes out of control. I once heard when I was very young that every war could be traced back to this: one important person pokes another important person and the first starts to cry . . . and then of course it just balloons into a huge mess. Now that's probably not historically accurate, but the point is one I fully embrace and certainly the events in this book would justify such a belief. Not only that but she also explores the idea that violence itself -- for whatever reason -- only creates more violence and thus it really doesn't solve anything.
The other major thing that is brought up in this book is the idea of social responsibility. I have a degree in Sociology and I readily admit that this can be a difficult and complex idea to explain even to an adult and yet the author presents it in such a way that it's remarkable in its simplicity. The refugees of Ember are in desperate need of assistance and the people of Sparks are in a position to help them: give them food, teach them the ways of this new world, etc. But does that mean they are obligated to sacrifice themselves for these strangers who seemingly have nothing to give in return? And if they don't, what's to become of the former underground citizens?
Also, in a subtle way DuPrau touches on discrimination and stereotyping. Right off the bat the villagers of Sparks are suspicious of the Ember refugees. History has taught them to be cautious of strangers and then of course the refugees are not used to this new world and seem stupid, lazy and weak. These initial and somewhat unfounded descriptions only feed their mistrust and cause those of Ember to feel ostracized and ridiculed. When they try and stand up for themselves by explaining their limitations, the villagers refuse to believe otherwise and justify any of the eventual misdeeds on the facts as they seem them. And it goes the other way, as well, the refugees are mistreated and feel wronged and so they accept that all of Sparks is that way and will continue to act as such.
Building on the themes of the first book, I also enjoyed that DuPrau doesn't give her characters a simple answer. Just like the Believers back in Ember who were basically waiting around for some higher power to solve everything, Lina discovers that there is no magic solution for the refugees of Ember. She doesn't lose hope, of course, that her people won't find a workable solution to survive. But she does learn that just because she feels strongly that this particular answer -- in this case the shining city of her imagination -- is not going to be their solution.
The most amazing thing I find with this book (and its predecessor) is that the major themes presented can easily be related to our present times. Whether this was intended or not, the end result is a bit eerie and yet incredibly impressive. Truly enjoyable read; I very much recommend!
Book Review: More than a Spark of Interest
Summary: 4 Stars
Last fall I raced through City of Ember and really enjoyed the world and the characters. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger per se, but it really left me wondering what would happen next...so much so that I raced out and bought the next book. Sadly, life got busy and it took me another 4 months to finally read the continuation.
In Sparks there are some rather significant changes to the plot dynamics which allow for some intriguing new commentary on humanity and social interactions. We're given a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity is trying to recover and rebuild. This high level genre is compounded by being seen primarily through the eyes of children and also by making the Emberites ignorant of the disasters that befell humanity or even of human history at all. In fact, through the entire first book, they had no knowledge of any other human culture at all and thought their microcosm to be the extent of humanity.
The main new dynamic in the book acted as a commentary on the interactions between people in strained situations and the passions which lead to prejudice, anger, and eventually to war. The plot separated for a time the two main characters from Ember, Lina and Doon.
Lina acts as the reader's guide to understanding the history of this new world and how humanity fell into war as well as understanding the current geography and social structure. She undertakes a journey to one of the old cities in the hopes of finding something akin to the drawing she made in the first book. Instead, she finds disaster and learns about war, disease and destruction.
Doon serves as the reader's guide to watching two struggling groups of people dealing with hardships and sacrifices as the Emberites are taught about life in the new world and how to survive above ground. He feels the sting of hostility as the people of Sparks grow resentful of the Emberites consuming their food and other resources. That resentment grows into mistrust and eventually sparks begin to fly (pardon the pun).
As tensions grow between the people, one of the Emberites named Tick Hassler (an antagonistic name if ever I saw one *grin*) grows hungry for a fight and begins riling up the people of Ember to prepare for battle. Doon feels conflicted throughout and Lina (once she returns) has new found knowledge into the near-destruction of humanity. Unfortunately, by then, things are spiraling out of control and it's difficult to see a viable resolution.
I really enjoyed the character dynamics DuPrau set up in this novel. With very few exceptions, all of the players were honestly trying to do good. She set up some great conflicts which resulted in each group of people trying to do what was good, and yet that "good" was conflicting and causing tension. It's the old adage "you can't please everyone all the time." There are always self-interests of individuals and even of groups which will collide with other individuals and groups. This book presented great examples of how people interact and shows motivation for making compromises and looking at the situation from the point of view of the other person.
It's difficult to compare to Ember and say which I liked better. I think I preferred Sparks because the plot and dynamic was more interesting to think about. Still, they are each presenting such different concepts, that it's hard to pit one against the other. They are great stories with a lot of thoughtful concepts to ponder. It's actually quite thought provoking, especially when considering the fact that it's a children's book. Children and youth will enjoy the vivid characters and the action. Adults can still enjoy it with its fluid writing and its deeper themes.
****
4 stars (out of 5)