sad shad

I think Ender’s Game should be part of the ‘governmental literacy’ high school reading list, with Animal Farm and 1984. The way it frames patriotism and military overreach is really important for teens who are developing a relationship with their country and government.

But also, like Frodo, Ender breaks. And unlike Frodo, he is broken for something that isn’t noble. He breaks, and the thing he accomplishes is ugly. He breaks, and the thing he accomplishes might have been necessary, but it isn’t good. Really, it might not even have been necessary!

Walking teens through how the military deliberately kills their soldiers’ empathy, dehumanizes the enemy, and leaves damaged humans on both sides who can’t easily reintegrate back into society - that’s important! The way the story uses gore (the giant will haunt me forever) and then hides the cost of life, at different times, is really meaningful.