Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The House of the Scorpion is set in a future where drug barons have their own country between Mexico and the United States. The House of the Scorpion follows Matt, the young clone of a drug lord, through his life. Clones are seen by society as less than human and have no rights but Matt's "father" sees Matt as himself and has Matt live with his family where Matt is treated as the heir. What is Matt's purpose and will he ever have a life off the the plantation? The homestead is a vast and beautiful place with crops tended by humans who are treated like animals...they are not clones so who are they?
Matt has some allies in the household: his nanny/mother who is the family cook, one of his "father's" bodygaurds, and his young cousin whom he loves.
What does it mean to be a human being and what does it mean to be a genetically engineered or cloned person?
What can a few people do against great evil? And how did that evil get so great in the first place?
I recommended this book to a 12 year old girl who had read Nancy Farmer's book The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm. This is not a book to be read in a vacuum; discussion about drug enforcement and cloning and genetic engineering as it applies to human beings and their rights should be part of the experience. I would recommend this book to a Jr. High teacher, a high school librarian, and a college teacher who teaches a Modern Ethics class.
Another book that addresses some of the same questions but from a different perspective is Star Split by Kathryn Lasky. Star Split brings up different thoughts and arguments about cloning and genetic enhancement and what they could mean to the future of human beings. I haven't read this book this year.
Matt has some allies in the household: his nanny/mother who is the family cook, one of his "father's" bodygaurds, and his young cousin whom he loves.
What does it mean to be a human being and what does it mean to be a genetically engineered or cloned person?
What can a few people do against great evil? And how did that evil get so great in the first place?
I recommended this book to a 12 year old girl who had read Nancy Farmer's book The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm. This is not a book to be read in a vacuum; discussion about drug enforcement and cloning and genetic engineering as it applies to human beings and their rights should be part of the experience. I would recommend this book to a Jr. High teacher, a high school librarian, and a college teacher who teaches a Modern Ethics class.
Another book that addresses some of the same questions but from a different perspective is Star Split by Kathryn Lasky. Star Split brings up different thoughts and arguments about cloning and genetic enhancement and what they could mean to the future of human beings. I haven't read this book this year.
# posted by JJ @ 8:45 AM 
