This week I had the pleasure of reading & reviewing two pretty outstanding books, Defending Jacob by William Landay and Helpless by Daniel Palmer. The storyline, the plot, the characters weren’t the only things that made these books outstanding. What I really found rewarding about these books in particular is the discussion they sparked, provoked, with my twelve-year-old son.
Both are fairly different books, but the similar string in both is the inability or difficulty in protecting one’s child from the outside world. In Defending Jacob the parents protect the child they thought they knew after he is accused of murdering a classmate. In Helpless, a father must protect his daughter and an entire small town from the dangers of sexting. This book really hit home, not because this is an issue that I have to deal with my son, but because we often have to worry about the dangers of the physical world. Now we have to protect our children from the dangers of the cyber-world.
These two books in particular opened a week-long conversation with my son about bullying, how to react to bullying, safety in the cyber-world and much more. This discussion encouraged me to think of other books that generated this sort of conversation. Books spark discussion for various reasons. It can be the topic matter, the characters, the outcome, or the readers overall opinion of a book. When I find myself absolutely falling for a book, I feel the need to tell the world, to shout it from the rooftops. Oddly, I have the same urge when I read a book I do not like; I feel the need to warn other readers.
What are some books that sparked discussion with you? With whom did you discuss this/these book(s) and what about the book provoked this discussion?
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