There's always time for a book -

Username:	Password:
Forgot your password?	Remember Me

I still feel like I haven't got a routine going over here, which is I think the reason I've been so slack at mid-week posting. And why I'll probably post three entries today. Sigh. Anyway, here's a book I gobbled down last weekend, Evolution, me and other freaks of nature by Robin Brande.

I thought I would Evolution, me and other freaks of nature before I bought it. I’m a fan of Robin Brande’s blog where she has revealed herself to be a woman who enjoys stimulating discussions in a kind, honest and balanced manner. Which are the perfect qualities for telling a story with a contentious issue like evolution and religion.

At the start of the book Mena has gone from being a good girl to one without friends, who isn’t welcome at church and whose parents barely speak to her. But the division from her church means that she has the chance to make new friends and to be open when the evolution versus creationism debate starts in her science class.

Despite the serious sounding story Evolution, me and other freaks of nature is great fun to read. Mena is an entertaining commentator. I loved the passionate science teacher who believes in God, the parents who seemed so horrible and strict yet turned out to have a human side and the high powered Kayla who isn’t without self-interest as she encourages Mena’s newfound independence. Actually most of the characters were nicely human and rounded (except maybe for the power seeking pastor, but then again I can think of some RL people who make it hard to see any redeeming features).

There’s also romance and a pile of cute puppies, which of course never hurt a book.

I think Evolution, me and other freaks of nature does a good job of separating the whole science and religion thing about teaching evolution, but as a relative outsider to this debate (it’s really not a big issue in Australia) it would be good to read a review from someone who has a more intimate knowledge of trying to reconcile the two positions. To help fill this gap I would have liked to have seen more information from Mena about how she reached her beliefs on evolution. But maybe there was detail in the story and I skipped over it in my eager reading – guess it’s a good reason to go back and re-read it again!

Tags: books, brande, young adult

	From: breathingbooks	Date: October 28th, 2007 02:31 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I read it this past week on lady_schrapnell's rec. I devoured it with great enjoyment in one sitting, but the more I thought about it the more reservations I had.

To help fill this gap I would have liked to have seen more information from Mena about how she reached her beliefs on evolution.

The book pretty much ignored that, which is a shame because it's a very interesting thing and, especially considering the title, deserved at least a few pages here and there. Given that it's implied that Mena's a literal creationist at the beginning of the book, I had a hard time believing in her gradual acceptance of evolution since the book never showed her struggling with it or having "aha" moments. That was quibble 1. Quibble 2 was her part on the blob and the disproportionate interest it generated. Quibble 3 was her lack of interaction with anyone but the love interest and the evils in school. Quibble 4 was her parents. I have a few friends whose parents totter on the fundamentalist line, and I thought Brande missed an opportunity with the parents and in doing so made them the worst characters in the book. Quibble 5 was the occasional authorial preaching (the too big house that the main character rightly feels uncomfortable with!).

	From: emmaco	Date: October 28th, 2007 04:56 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I was just going to ask you to elaborate on 4 but then found your entry. And all the squees that I agree with, especially the t-shirts and LotR love :)

So you're saying you think the fundamentalist parents should have been more loving? Because I just kind of saw them as distant parents, as some parents are (fundamentalist or not).

	From: breathingbooks	Date: October 28th, 2007 05:53 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I don't think they must in a perfect book have been more loving, but in a book that strove for shades of grey it did seem like a bit of a story flaw that the parents are not just extremely strict fundamentalists, etc, but also very distant parents. As you said, they are distinct characteristics, but since there already exists a tendency to make fundamentalists out to be not-so-nice.... It's sort of like making a villain anti-Semitic when it has nothing to do with the story.

The personal reason is that all the religiously strict parents I've known have been so out of a deep, loving, and close concern for their children. They have a lot of flaws, but not seeming to care a whole lot about their children's persons and not just morals isn't one of them. I also didn't find them that believable as fundamentalists, but obviously I haven't had experiences with all shades of particular religious beliefs.

I hope that was somewhat clear. :)

	From: emmaco	Date: October 28th, 2007 06:40 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I think I might have actually viewed them more as distant parents keen to have a good daughter (which means following a set of religious rules in their case), perhaps as a reflection on them as parents, rather than as fundamentalists. But yeah, I get what you're saying, and will undoubtedly continue to ponder this point :)

	From: liliwilkinson	Date: October 28th, 2007 11:59 pm (UTC)		(Link)

it's funny you should say it's not really an issue in Australia - there was an article in The Age on the weekend about the guy from the Liberal Party who's running for Julia Gillard's seat. He's a pastor who thinks that gay people are "an abomination" (but he'd be TOTALLY okay with representing them in parliament), and that intelligent design should be taught in science class in public schools.

He doesn't have a chance...

	From: emmaco	Date: October 29th, 2007 07:45 am (UTC)		(Link)

Ah ha, but this doesn't really happen that often. Mostly around election madness time.

You have no idea how much more relaxing the election is when you can escape the loony candidates and just check out key newspaper articles.

	From: checkers65477	Date: October 29th, 2007 12:40 am (UTC)		(Link)

Huh, I have not even heard of this book (one of those upper-level YA books that I don't get a chance to hear about through work, I suppose) but it's going on the TBR list.

	From: emmaco	Date: October 29th, 2007 07:46 am (UTC)		(Link)

It's worth getting, it might even be good for your older students as I think the main character is around 15 (too lazy to go check...)

User:

emmaco

	July 2008
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31