A SEPARATE PEACE

Its a review about this product

A Separate Peace (Paperback) I have my eighth-grade English students read a variety of texts throughout the year. If a student says, "I didn't like it," I have no problem with that (taste is subjective, after all), but I do require them to understand it. Often, people will not "like" something because they don't understand it. If they don't indicate they actually understand the text, then their indifference, dislike or detestation is unfounded. When we discuss a book in class, I find that the students who didn't like the book start to understand it, and, a large majority of them at least, start to like it (to varying degrees). A SEPARATE PEACE is the perfect book to prove this idea.

Part of the problem is giving this book to kids too early in their lives. In elementary school, books are plot heavy; in high school, books are heavy on character. If adolescents don't make a proper adjustment from plot- to character-heavy novels, a book like A SEPARATE PEACE feels like a kick in the gut and a punch in the face at the same time. This immensely character-heavy book is torture for people who aren't mentally acclimated to or ready for such depth.

This is a book that requires contemplation and, perhaps, re-reading. I highly recommend that you find a way to discuss this book with someone else. Questions will arise; debate may ensue; thinking will take place. Why did Gene do what he did? Why and how do we compare ourselves to others? Do we tend to remember events accurately or in the way we wish to remember them? How did Gene and Phinney really feel about each other? Why does Phinney not care about winning? What does Leper's meltdown say about character? About war? About peace? What does the title mean? These are not questions that have easy answers, but reveal character in a way that some students may be uncomfortable with.

I highly recommend this book for those who are ready for it. For others, it will be difficult to get through without feeling bored, lost or angry. Perhaps A SEPARATE PEACE says more about the reader than it does about the characters.