21st Century Breakdown by Green Day (Music CD)

21st Century Breakdown. Artist: Green Day. ASIN: B001SAQVDQ. Label: Reprise Records. Release Date: May 15, 2009.

Description:

21st Century Breakdown is Green Day’s latest album and the first they’ve released in five years. It’s written in the rock opera style much like their previous album, American Idiot. It’s divided into three acts: “Heroes and Cons,” “Charlatans and Saints,” and “Horseshoes and Handgrenades.” When played from start to finish, the album tells the story of a young couple named Christian and Gloria who are dealing with life in America post-Bush’s presidency. They encounter a repressive government and manipulative social culture. The story isn’t a set narrative, but rather loosely connected. The songs touch on themes such as religion, disconnect, nihilism, idealism, and hope. Many of the songs also include references to Billie Joe Armstrong’s own life; the band has claimed that this is the most personal of the albums he’s written. The album includes four singles: "Know Your Enemy," "21 Guns," "East Jesus Nowhere," and "21st Century Breakdown."

Critical Evaluation:

21st Century Breakdown is the perfect complement to American Idiot. It continues the story that Green Day presented in the previous album, focusing on the problems with trying to survive in modern American society. As Green Day’s sound changes, their ability to touch on social and political issues also improves. More liberal-leaning, politically savvy teenagers will appreciate the substance in the lyrics, while those who are less interested in the message can enjoy the band’s experimentation with combining genres. Traditionally, Green Day had a more mainstream punk sound. In the last few years they’ve added more pop elements, but 21st Century Breakdown is also heavily influenced by classic rock. It has a very grandiose sound appropriate for the rock opera format. They’re bold in their style, choosing an almost bigger is better approach to sound, which really works with the counter-culture attitude in many of their songs. Armstrong has always been a clever lyricist, but his writing has matured. He’s no longer the angry kid of the band’s early days, but he still maintains his fearless ability to call out society for all its perceived wrongdoings. This attitude, coupled with their pop punk rock sound, makes this a great album for any teenager looking to loudly express their dissatisfaction.

Annotation:

Green Day's latest album is a politically charge rock opera in the style of their previous album.

Artist Information:

Green day was formed in 1986 by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt when both were 14. The band was originally known as Sweet Children, but the name was change to Green Day in 1989 with the addition of drummer John Kiffmeyer. Kiffmeyer left the band in 1990 to attend college and was replaced by current drummer Tré Cool.

In 1989 they signed with independent label Lookout! who, in 1990, released their first full length album, 39/Smooth. They released one more album with Lookout! before signing with Reprise Records. They’ve released six studio albums with Reprise Records, as well as five live albums and two compilation albums.

Genre:

Pop Punk Rock

Curriculum Ties:

Political Science: Forms of Protest
Music

Booktalking Ideas:

N/A

Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Profanity
References to violence
Anti-religion
Anti-government
Drug references

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

Green Day's career has spanned more than 20 years, making it a band that can appeal to teenagers as well as their older relatives.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Press, 2008. 384 pages. ISBN-10: 0439023483. ISBN-13: 978-0439023481.

Plot:

In the future, North America has become a country known as Panem, consisting of a capitol and 12 surrounding districts. Years before, the districts launched a rebellion against The Capitol, but they were defeated. As punishment, each year the districts must send one boy and one girl to fight to the death on television. These tributes, as they’re called, are drawn at random in a ceremony known as The Reaping. When sixteen-year-old Katniss’s younger sister is chosen to be a tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She, the male tribute Peeta, and their alcoholic mentor Haymitch are sent to The Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games. While there, Katniss and Peeta are encouraged to play up to the crowd in hopes that it will give them an advantage. Katniss soon learns that this includes pretending to have a doomed relationship with Peeta. She and Peeta are thrown together in the arena to play out their love affair, but Katniss knows that only one of them can survive. What she doesn’t know is that Haymitch, Peeta and The Capitol all have a plan for her.

Critical Evaluation:

In The Hunger Games, Collins has written a book that can appeal not only to teenage audiences but adults, as well. The plot is complex and the characters are universally appealing. Though the writing style is often conversational, it only serves to personalize the story. It is a compelling narrative and one which the reader will be unable to put down. The fast pace and exciting description of the actual Hunger Games are juxtaposed nicely with the sweeter moments between Katniss and the other characters. Katniss is an engaging narrator and the reader is immediately on her side. The Capitol serves well as a terrifying and anger inducing villain.

Equal to the entertaining plot and characters are the ethical aspects of the story. This is most certainly a book that will make the reader think and question the situation. One of the most important questions the book raises is that of whether or not it is right to do what is necessary for survival. Collins doesn’t provide the readers with the answers, but instead allows them to decide for themselves. This book would excellent for both pleasure reading and using in a classroom. However, because there is quite a lot of violence, it would be wise for a parent or teacher to consider the age and temperament of a teen before recommending it.

Reader's Annotation:

In Panem, where teenagers are forced to fight to the death on television to pay for the rebellion, Katniss must survive after volunteering to take her younger sister's place.

Author Information:

Growing up, Suzanne Collins’s father was in the Air Force, so she moved all around the country. She has said that doing so made her aware of what it felt like to be a stranger somewhere, much like the main character in The Underland Chronicles. She attended New York University and received an M.F.A in dramatic writing. She spent 16 years living in New York, but now resides in Connecticut with her husband and children.

Before becoming an author, she worked as a writer for children’s television. She’s written for shows on Nickleodeon and Kids’ WB as well as several specials. After working in television for 12 years, she published her first novel for young adults, Gregor the Overlander, the first of The Underland Chronicles series. Since then she has published 8 more novels. Her books have won numerous awards and topped the New York Times Bestseller list. She was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Government: Totalitarian Government, Fascism
Mythology: Comparison to Theseus
English: Plot Development, Symbolism, Character Development

Booktalking Ideas:

• Compare her relationships with Gale and Peeta.
• Talk about Katniss's decision to take her sister's place.
• Discuss where the idea of The Hunger Games originated and why.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence
Anti-government

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This was a required reading for the class. It is a book that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. It's also one of my favorites.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. Tor Teen, 2008. 384 pages. ISBN-10: 0765319853. ISBN-13: 978-0765319852.

Plot:

17-year-old Marcus and his friends decide to skip school to participate in an online scavenger hunt, which results in them being on the streets of San Francisco when a terrorist group attacks. As they look for help for his friend Darryl who was stabbed in the melee, they’re all taken captive by the Department of Homeland Security. They spend days in a detention facility where Marcus is interrogated, tortured, and threatened into silence before they are finally released, without Darryl. They then discover that San Francisco has turned into a police state. Marcus and his friends decide they’re going to take on the DHS for what they did to them and Darryl.

Marcus uses technology to organize a group of teenagers to fight back against the DHS and the tracking tools they’re using. As he does this, his relationship with his friends becomes more and more strained until they become too afraid to continue helping him. Marcus is left with only the help of his new girlfriend Ange and the army of faceless teenagers who are quickly getting out of control. As the DHS closes in, Marcus decides that he’s unable to handle it all alone anymore and reveals what happened to his parents and a journalist. This only serves to further anger the DHS and Marcus soon learns that he has nowhere else to hide. He can only hope that telling his story can help him before it’s too late.

Critical Evaluation:

I hadn’t expected to enjoy this book as much as I did. I went into it biased because of the description and subject matter, but found myself reading it voraciously after the first chapter. Doctorow manages to weave together an interesting story, descriptions of a large amount of technology, and a political message in such a way that each only serves to enhance each aspect. Marcus could have easily been written as a cipher or fallen flat, but instead he’s a deep and complex character. He’s also a character to which many readers can relate, whether they have the same rebellious and righteous streak that he does or not. Doctorow gives him foolhardy fearlessness that comes with youth and believing in your cause, but also a vulnerability that adds tension to the reading.

The inclusion of descriptions a vast number of technologies is another area where the book could easily have become dry and unreadable, but instead Doctorow explains them in a way that is both easy to understand and incredibly interesting. In fact, I found some of the technology so fascinating that I was inspired to do more research on the subject myself. It’s a great way to introduce the reader to many of the technological options that are in use today or could be in use in the near future.

Reader's Annotation:

When Marcus and his friends decided to skip school, they had no idea they would end up being interrogated and tortured by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Now Marcus is mad and he’s going to make the DHS pay for what they did.

Author Information:

Corey Doctorow was born July 17, 1971 in Toronto, Canada. His parents were very active in many causes and Doctorow inherited that passion. As a child he campaigned for Green Peace and was involved in the movement for nuclear disarmament. He also volunteered with the Youth Challenge International. As an adult, Doctorow is a big proponent of intellectual freedom and the loosening of copyright laws.

He has written over 20 novels, anthologies, and non-fiction books many of which are licensed under Creative Commons. Technology, intellectual freedom, digital rights management, and post-scarcity economics are common themes in his books. He offers several of his books, including Little Brother, as free downloads on his website. He encourages his readers to remix his books through their Creative Commons licenses and send him the results to post.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Computer Science: Technology
Government: Terrorism, Freedom and Rights, Torture and Interrogation Tactics
English: Character Development, Plot Development

Booktalking Ideas:

• Introduce each of the characters using their online personas.
• Focus on the scene where they’re picked up by the DHS.
• Discuss Marcus’s idea of freedom vs. safety.
• Focus on some of the technology mentioned in the book.
  

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Sexual content
Profanity
Anti-government sentiment
Violence
Positive view of hacking

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

It was a required reading for the class. It has also now become one of my new favorites.