The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy

The Book of Ivy * The Revolution of Ivy

Published: 2014
Publisher: Entangled: Teen/Audible
Author's Website
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Series: The Book of Ivy
Narration by: Taylor Meskimen

Introduction

50 years after a nuclear war, survivors in the United States rebuild. Conflict regarding leadership arose between the Lattimers and the Westfalls. The Westfalls were defeated. In their post-apocalyptic world, the two families have "shared" leadership, with the Westfalls as figureheads of goodwill with no power. A major premise of their society is forced marriages between the two sides of town-the "good side" (Lattimers) and the "bad side" (Westfalls). Every year, teenagers (from each side) are paired off with opposition by the government and take on traditional gender roles. Men work, women have babies and clean the house. The Lattimers and Westfalls must marry their children to each other, age and gender permitting. This year, Ivy Westfall must marry Bishop Lattimer, but her father and sister Callie have something more planned for her. To overthrow the government, Ivy is tasked to kill Bishop. It's step one in her father's plan to rid them of their operssive rulers.

Story

The premise of the story is a question: Can Ivy kill Bishop? I assumed the simple answer would be this:

Turns out, it's a little more complicated. First, can she kill anyone? And how can she kill a boy she doesn't know, but is getting to know? The book is a love story, though we've seen it a thousand times.

As the story progresses, there are some interesting twists I didn't see coming. Like most dystopias, the characters come to realize that they had been lied to, to some degree. Ivy questions everything and tries to remain a good person, and the struggle was engaging.

Essay Idea: Government Control & Enforced Gender Stereotypes

Could easily pair this with A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The government makes you marry someone of their choosing. The government is not elected. Men go to work, women have babies. These unions are not always happy or safe. Ivy is keenly aware of the threat of domestic violence.

Dissent is not an option. If you do commit a crime, such as refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, you are put outside of the wall that surrounds their settlement, and you are left alone. Cast out with no water, food, or shelter, you have to fend for yourself in an unknown landscape.

Bishop's Character

I was surprised that I liked Bishop so much. Spoiler alert: he's not like his parents in SO MANY WAYS. Kind, but wow, he's not afraid to dish out punishment when he sees bad things happening. I find a lot of YA men are bland and one dimensional. Time and effort were put into his character, and I appreciate it.

Final Thoughts

I recommend this to teens who like dystopias, gender roles, and oppressive governments. There is only one more book in this series, so it's great for readers who don't want to read seven books to get the ending. There could have been more world-building, but I suspect that the second book will cover that, given the circumstances. 

I have something to say about the ending, so if you haven't read it, skip the rest of the post. 

Ending Spoiler

What did she think Callie would do?! Plus...I don't like how she opted to have herself ejected from society rather than choose a side. At the very least, I thought she'd give Bishop a heads-up (you know, DON'T TRUST CALLIE!) but she didn't. That was anticlimactic.    

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden -- Essay/Discussion Ideas

Published: 1997
Publisher: Vintage Books USA
Author's Facebook
Goodreads Page

Introduction

Sayuri was brought from a small fishing village to become a geisha--an artist who entertains men. Early on, he falls in love with the Chairman. Part of being a geisha is not loving at all, but Sayuri is determined to have something with him. As her position in Gion rises with her perseverance, WWII is approaching, threatening everything she has worked for.

Authenticity 

There was much discussion regarding whether or not the book is historically accurate or a truthful description of geisha life. The following post is not going to focus on the truthfulness of this historical fiction/fictional memoir but as a launching point for essay/assignment ideas. When I was in high school taking an AP literature class, a student was tasked with comparing it with another book, and I believe it was Three Cups of Tea, which also has a scandal regarding its authenticity (see Three Cups of Deceit).

Essay Idea: Sexualized Orientalism/Women as Sexual Objects

"Golden treated Japanese culture and geisha as an object to be sexualized, exoticized, and romanticized." Orientalism and the Binary of Fact and Fiction in Memoirs of a Geisha, Kimiko Akita.

Despite trying to pound into the reader that geisha are not prostitutes, the sexualization and exchange of money are hard to ignore. They are educated young women, and still, their bodies are treated as marketable. Portions of the book are focused on how much flesh can be displayed to whom, and when. The end game of some geisha is to become a wealthy man's mistress (which can be seen as a prostitute attached to only one man). Hatsumomo's downfall accumulated with her probably becoming a prostitute, which is portrayed as negative. The conflicting ideology is tough to swallow. The label of prostitute is the absolute worst, yet the height of their careers is when they can exchange sex for money. A geisha's sale of her virginity is probably the highlight of her career, and people remember the sums they bring in.

The book depicts children/women as a burden. They are sold and whisked away to the city, where they become geisha or prostitutes (in the book, there's no mention of other possibilities, such as factory work, maids, etc.). When they do not earn as much as they used to, they are no longer valued and are seen as another mouth to feed (Hatsumomo). Hatsumomo and Pumpkin can be viewed as the outcome of such a life of exploitation. 

See more here.

http://www.worldhistoria.com/oiran-vs-geisha_topic124658.html

Essay Idea: Book VS Film

The film, in my opinion, focused too much on the scenery than on being a good film (but it was a gorgeous film!). Characters aren't introduced properly, and I'd wouldn't be surprised if viewers were confused. In the book, Sayuri pursues men of her own choosing (aside from the constant pursuit of the Chairman). In the film, she does not pursue men other than the Chairman (which can be read as predatory, as he was a married adult when he met her, and she was 12). There are a plethora of differences that can be discussed.

Essay Idea: Truth of the Geisha, Golden VS Iwasaki

This book was written by an American. He does have some impressive credentials, including a degree in art history (specializing in Japanese art) from Harvard, and a M.A. from Columbia University in Japanese history. He had to ask some geisha to break their secrecy for this novel, and apparently, Mineko Iwasaki asked to not be named...which he did. In the back of the book, he thanked her, which cause a scandal in the current geisha world. She has since released her own memoir (Geisha, a Life), as it is contested by many that Memoirs of a Geisha has a lot of misinformation. A compare and contrast of the books' geisha would be interesting (as of writing, I have not read Iwasaki's book, I am waiting for it to arrive).

It has been purposed that perhaps he conflated oiran with geisha. They were in the pleasure districts and it seems that Golden's geisha are a mixture of oiran and geisha.

http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Hatsumomo

Essay Idea: Changing Japan

The book gives some details about how Japan was changing before, during, and after WWII. If you like history, you can write about the Great Depression and the American Occupation. How were they affected in Gion, or were they sheltered? What about the traditions they held on to, or tried to hold on to?

Essay Idea: Female Characters & Identity

This book is full of women, both good and bad. Ultimately, they all seem to scheme, one way or another, to survive in their world. Who survives by being strong and independent, and who submits to the oppressive system to get by? Why doesn't Hatsumomo make it?

(In the reverse, it seems that all men are creeps, even, IMO, the Chairman. What does that say in the narrative, as it relates to the women?)

Also, the concept of identity is interesting in this book. The female geisha characters are born with one name (Chiyo), and when they become geisha, they get a name that usually connects them with their mentor (Sayuri). If they are adopted by their okiya, they get the family name (Nitta) as well. Sayuri narrates her life, and her older persona seems to have a new identity as well, detached from her former selves. Geisha have elaborate hair and makeup, masking them, shielding them, making them a fantasy. Their kimono give them an unnatural cylinder shape that is difficult to walk in. The obi of their kimono have to be tied by men. With the help of men, and for men, they have to shift their identities. (Unless men are adopted for business reasons, they never change their name.)

Perhaps shifting identities is the only way for these women to survive their society. Perhaps they needed it because just being a regular woman in society was a dangerous feat.   

 

Essay Idea: The Translator's Note?

The beginning of the novel starts with a translator's note, which is just Golden framing the narrative. What does this add? Authenticity, especially when the book's truthfulness is questioned? A buffer for misconceptions? The book isn't really a memoir either.

And this is all I have come up with. Please let me know if any of this was helpful! This blog gets hits but I rarely get comments anymore, so I feel like I am screaming into the void here.