Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

For years I've had students tell me "you've gotta read Enders Game" Now, I understand why. 

Ender Wiggin, the title character, is both heartbreaking and heroic. His journey from "Third" (a term given to third children in this futuristic society where families are only allowed two) to commander-in-training of the most powerful army on the planet shapes the content of this story. Yet, while this book is full of action, heroic battles and underdog victory, the heart of this story is the evolution of little Ender and the people closest to him that struggle to accept his fate. The book is futuristic, yet, like most well-written dystopian literature, very current and human. Ender is forced to follow a fate dictated to him not by choice, but by need. He feels a pressure beyond his years and a disconnect from those around him because of his unique position. I think this is much like our students today. They are often times forced to follow a path (school, college, career, marriage, children--best in everything) and we often times ignore their true needs, focusing instead on pushing them tp the finish line of this Race to Nowhere. And like Ender, our students are isolated--they're bullied, they're afraid and they can feel utterly alone even in the chaos of our modern media. If you think about it, our kids are being pushed to be come like Ender--brilliant, adaptable to change and new situations, thriving in an environment of competition, winners and losers, and most importantly, rapidly losing a childhood that they are struggling to keep hold of.

On the flip side of this story though, what feels like the "other" story, is the adventure of preparing to fight for freedom and to conquer an enemy so fearsome that it unites the entire planet under an umbrella of cooperation. The political and military story of this novel are just as enthralling as the characterization and journey of Ender. The world is united because of a threat--the threat of a hostile, alien race overtaking all of Earth's resources and killing all humankind. The approach to the defeat of this race is manipulated by characters in the book in rather unexpected ways, particularly Ender's brother and sister, Peter and Valentine. The training sequences and battle practices, the conversations of commanders and politicians, build into a climactic and surprising twist that I didn't even see coming. 

In the world of popular stories like Hunger Games and Harry Potter, Ender needs to reclaim it's place as one of the first, a YA book that breaches the adult world and has relevant lessons for both kid and adult alike. This is what makes Ender's Game a worthwhile read and a YA classic! 

An Interview with the Author: A Commentary on Ender