Module 8

Module 8

Ender's Game

Summary
A boy named Ender is bred and groomed to be the leader of a war with an alien invader race.  Ender is sent to training school and advances quickly through the ranks even though he is younger than many of the other trainees and is put through severe stress and problems.  Ender thinks he is playing a game when the real battle breaks out only to find out after the victory that it was real.  Ender feels bad for his enemy and finds a pupa to start the species over.  He spends many years going from planet to planet looking for a place to start the buggers species again.

Citation
Card, Orson Scott. (1977). Ender's Game.  New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Impressions
I did not read this book until I knew that there was a movie coming out based on it.  I enjoyed the book but it was a little bit sad reading about how the powers used Ender.   I felt much compassion for Ender and his friends because they were treated like objects and not humans.  I liked the twist of having Ender feel empathy for his foes and want to get to know them.  I think this must have been popular at the time with Star Wars being fresh and science fiction enjoying popularity.  The story is timeless though and I think the audience would be any sci-fi fan. 

Review
Cassada, Jackie. (1985). Library Journal Vol 110 (3). p182. Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 4 Dec. 2013.
Chosen as a six-year-old for his potential military genius, Ender Wiggin spends his childhood in outer space at the Battle School of the Belt.  Severed from his family, isolated from his peers, and rigorously tested and trained, Ender pours all his talent into the war games that will one day repel the coming alien invasion.  Card's latest novel is both a gripping tale of adventure in space and a scathing indictment of the militaristic mind.  Recommended for adult and YA sf collection. --JC

Uses
Video game night to go with the games that Ender played.  Games would have to be age appropriate and students would get a set amount of time to play.  Consoles could be borrowed.