From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 13:33:54 -0600

Thanks, Dean and Olgy, for your incredibly insightful comments about "Feed" and "The House of the Scorpion." Olgy, I think most of the things that bothered you about
"Feed" were just the feelings the author was trying to get across as we slide down the slippery slope of information overload and cultural emptyness. I think we are supposed to feel bombarded, just as the characters are and, while I was hoping that Titus would develop more empathy for Violet, I thought it was realistic that he didn't.

I really enjoyed the invented teen slang (and the fact that the old fogey grownups talked llike kids today do). With its invented slang and sense of hopelessness, it reminded me most of "A Clockwork Orange," as Dean pointed out.

I agree with you both that there is a far greater sense of hope in "The House of the Scorpion," but it's itneresting to me that many people I've talked to about Scorpion have said they feel the book falls apart at the end. I don't feel that it does but for those of you out there who do, can you say why you think this is? Is it possibly because the hopefulness for the future that's introduced at the end?

KTH




Kathleen T. Horning, Acting Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706

horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608&3721 Fax: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Fri 17 Jan 2003 01:33:54 PM CST