Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Reviewed by Lori
Delirium
Title: Delirium

Series: Delirium Trilogy

Author: Lauren Oliver

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 48617

Description: Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Rubric Rating: Level 2: Like It.

Why I Read it: I've been reading a lot of dystopian trilogies and this one fit that category.  This cover didn't appeal to me at all.

Lori's Notes:  I've read so many dystopian novels now that I've had to categorize them based on theme.  This particular novel I would classify as a "romance dystopian".  The theory is that all unhealthy behaviour and feelings are caused by love and if we can just cure society of this "disease" we can all live happy, healthy and productive lives.  Love is blamed for depression, eating disorders, suicide and the theory for these ideas are based on the Book of Shh which is referenced within the novel.  Lena is raised by her aunt and uncle because the "cure" didn't work for her mother.  Lena has been raised to believe that her mother's cure didn't "take" and that is why she ended up committing suicide.  This is a blight on Lena's family and Lena is looking forward to the day when she can be cured and put the past behind her.  However, Lena's friend Hana isn't quite as sure she wants to be cured and talks to Lena about her feelings.  The two girls attend a house party - a forbidden excursion as this could incite feelings before their procedure.  And indeed, Lena meets a boy, Alex, who intrigues her and makes her think that perhaps love isn't a disease after all.  Perhaps escaping society into the "wilds" is the only thing she can do.  Lena begins to question whether those in power are truly doing the best thing for society by insisting on the cure.  If the government just wants the people to be happy then why can't they choose?  An interesting read.  At first I didn't think it would be the type of book that I would like as romance doesn't top my list of favoured genres but I liked the direction the book pointed toward.  I can sense a bigger political dystopian at play here.  I'm interested to see where the author takes us.

Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and Up.  This book will likely appeal more to girls than to boys because of it's primary theme.

Themes: Dystopian, Love, Illness, Government, Population, Control, Feelings, Mental Health and Mental Illness, Religion, Partners, Youth, Coming-of-Age, Resistance, Orphans

Cross-Genre Links: 
Music: Just about any love song.
Music: I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues performed by Elton John
Websearch: Project MKUltra
Movie: Extreme Measures (1996)

Post-Reading Discussion Questions and Activities:

  • What is the cure and what does it do?
  • Why do some people want the cure and others rebel against it?
  • Create a chart listing the pros and cons of love and being in love.
  • Do you think the procedure is just to cure citizens of love?  What else could it be used for?
  • Discuss the relationship between Lena and Hana.  How are they similar and how are they different?  
  • Hold a class debate.  Have one team debate for the cure and one team debate against it.  Hold a vote before and after the debate to see which side was the most persuasive.  

Other Books in this Series:

Book 1: Delirium
Book 2: Pandemonium
Book 3: Requiem



Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Author:  Matt Phelan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 138305 Description:    Henry bonds with a young Buster Keaton over games of baseball while the latter summers locally with a troupe of vaudeville performers. Rubric Rating:   Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:  A growing interest in Graphic novels and a fascination with silent films. Notes:   I really liked this graphic novel.  The images are soft – softly coloured and softly focused.  This is the story of Henry Harrison and the summers that Buster Keaton and the Vaudeville troop come and stay at Bluffton.  While Henry is a fictional character Buster Keaton is not and the novel is based on his autobiography. The arrival of Buster brings excitement to Henry’s life.  They fill their summer days with baseball, pratfalls, and pranks. When Buster leaves for the show, Henry’s life returns to normal, helping his father at the har...
Read more

Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Cardturner Author: Louis Sachar Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 43908 Description: When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks seventeen-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative.  Includes appendix by Syd Fox with information about bridge. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I really enjoyed the novel Holes and this book is by the same author. Lori's Notes: Alton's rich uncle, a champion bridge player, is blind and needs a cardturner for him to play.  A fantastic story about families and relationships, it weaves together the storylines of Alton and his uncle and first loves.  It does delve a little into the paranormal/ghostly but it wasn't distracting to the overall sense of the novel.  It also touches on the idea of how relationships change and change us.  I'm not a bridge player at all and had no idea how the game was p...
Read more

Finding Reading a Challenge During a Pandemic

Reviewed by Lori
Image
I love reading.  I have always loved reading.  But reading during a pandemic has been more than a little bit challenging.   Between worries and distractions my mind is constantly somewhere else.  I've found that I can't sustain my focus for more than a chapter or two.  I pick up a book, I put it down.  Then I struggle to remember what I just read, so I have to start all over again.  I've tried new books, old favourites, audio books, and ebooks.  The result is always the same, another book added to the "to be finished" pile.  And it isn't like I don't have the time to read, I have scads of it.  But then I'm never alone and the moment I pick up a book to try again, someone and/or something needs my attention and whatever little time I had to myself has now blown away like dandelion seeds in a stiff breeze.   You'd think given the situation, with multiple lockdowns and unending time at home, I would use reading as an escape -...
Read more