Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.
- Napoleon

Friday, January 26, 2007

Speak of the Devil

Just yesterday (or was it this morning? I forget) I mentioned what I believe to be a truly horrid YA book - Bridge to Terabithia.

Tonight, I saw an ad for a movie based on this book.

I only have one thing to say:

WTF? (Which is internet for What the F***?)

I am constantly amazed by the utter crap that not only gets published (and wins the Newberry Medal, btw), but by what gets made into movies. If people really believe that book is good, we're doomed. My daughter saw the commercial, too. She reminded me that the commercial looks nothing like the book, so there's a bit of hope for the film. Still, if the film makes more kids read the book, that really sucks.

And if anyone reading this blog loves the book in question, I'm truly sorry. (Not for my comments, but for the twisted psyche that would make a man like that book. I blame the culture.)

Nuff said.

2 comments:

chumly said...

I did not read it. Why do you disapprove of it? I like to read and I don't see a lot of book reviews anymore. A lot of movie reviews but book reviews seem to have slipped off.

B.E. Sanderson said...

I don't do book reviews, but it's an honest question. Here's a brief plot summary:

Honest hard-working young boy meets interesting hippie-chick new girl in his 8th grade class. They become friends, and discover an island in the river where they can let their imaginations run wild. She learns a bit of the value of effort; he learns a bit of the value of relaxing. One day they have a squabble because the boy has been invited to go somewhere with his teacher and the girl doesn't want him to go. This place he goes to is very special to him. (I wish I could remember where it was, but it had something to do with his goals for the future.) He goes, and while he's gone, the girl decides to go to their special place alone--but there's been a storm and the river is a raging torrent. She slips and drowns. He comes home to find she's dead, and feels tremendous guilt that he went to do something without her.

That's pretty much the end. The only thing that could be gleaned from that is the lesson 'don't do anything for yourself because bad things happen when you do.'

I can't condone that kind of thinking. I especially can't condone that kind of thinking being spread to impressionable young minds. Life doesn't suck, and it's not futile. And just because you do something to make yourself happy and further your own goals doesn't make it bad.