My group's YA novel, Every Day by David Leviathan, provides the unique perspective of a 16 year old, named A, who wakes up in the body of a different 16 year old everyday. This lifestyle is all that A has ever known and he has learned to accept all of the difficulties and loneliness that come along with it. A is forced to constantly live in the present, taking on the role of the life he is given day to day. Because of his situation, A doesn't really have a chance to make any strong social connections or develop a sense of identity for himself, apart from the many identities that he has to take on.
This book's unique concept provides great insight into the importance of social interaction for adolescents in creating a form of self. Since A is constantly moving around, it is impossible for him to create any lasting personal connections in his life. Even if he were to make a good connection with someone, the next day he would be in a new town with a new face that this old friend would never be able to recognize. Until he meets Rhiannon, A is completely alone. After meeting Rhiannon, A starts to experience first hand the importance of quality relationships. He starts to realize the quality of life that he is missing out on. Through his relationship with Rhiannon, and by the end of the book, A discovers himself and ultimately builds the confidence to flee everything he's known thus far in his life.
In the take-home readings that we had on adolescent development, the author talked about how important social interactions are to the development of the brain. Without building lasting social connections, teens wouldn't be able to develop a sense of self or successfully make the transition into adult life. It is known evolutionarily that teens develop social connections with peers as a means of gaining enough confidence in the world to leave their homes and families and start a life of their own. Before A decided to leave his comfort zone and make new connections, he was hindering the progression of his mental development.
This book's unique concept provides great insight into the importance of social interaction for adolescents in creating a form of self. Since A is constantly moving around, it is impossible for him to create any lasting personal connections in his life. Even if he were to make a good connection with someone, the next day he would be in a new town with a new face that this old friend would never be able to recognize. Until he meets Rhiannon, A is completely alone. After meeting Rhiannon, A starts to experience first hand the importance of quality relationships. He starts to realize the quality of life that he is missing out on. Through his relationship with Rhiannon, and by the end of the book, A discovers himself and ultimately builds the confidence to flee everything he's known thus far in his life.
In the take-home readings that we had on adolescent development, the author talked about how important social interactions are to the development of the brain. Without building lasting social connections, teens wouldn't be able to develop a sense of self or successfully make the transition into adult life. It is known evolutionarily that teens develop social connections with peers as a means of gaining enough confidence in the world to leave their homes and families and start a life of their own. Before A decided to leave his comfort zone and make new connections, he was hindering the progression of his mental development.
The YA book you decided to read sounds so interesting! I think social situations are something adolescents regularly stress about. This situation is obviously an extreme, but it may replicate feelings adolescents have anyways which is good for them to read about. You mentioned the impact of being alone and what it does to the character. I think you articulated the importance of making connections very well. This seems to be a key idea in the text. Loved the post!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very exciting book! I can't help but think A's situation has some similarities to students who move around a lot. Although no one moves everyday, it can be hard for students who change schools consistently to develop meaningful relationships with their peers and teachers. It seems like these relationships play a large roll in your book and offer great insight to how students in similar situations may feel! Sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like it has a very unique perspective on adolescent life! It makes you think about how physically waking up in a new body can impact somebody mentally and emotionally. Although extreme, this could be a hyperbole for adolescents as they try and figure out who they are and what they value. Middle and high schoolers are always changing and adjusting to new people; the importance of finding people to consistently be around is magnified here. No, our students won't be hopping from body to body, but it is important for future educators to understand how important relationships are for developing adolescents.
ReplyDeleteYou have done a great job of pulling out and analyzing one of the central issues in this text! I have heard a lot about this book but haven't read it yet. Now I really want to find out how it ends up for A. If we see this issue as a very real one for adolescents, what does this mean for those of us working with teens, who are likely experiencing a more realistic version of this story. Nice entry!
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