I
AM THE MESSENGER
by
Markus Zusak
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Zusak, Markus. (2002). I AM THE MESSENGER. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN
0-375-83099-5.
Zusak, Markus. (2002). I AM THE MESSENGER. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN
0-375-83099-5.
PLOT
SUMMARY:
Ed Kennedy is
a 19-year-old slacker who drives a cab for a living and doesn’t have ambition
for much else. He lives in a modest home with his odiferous, coffee-drinking
dog the Doorman. His free time is spent hanging out and playing cards with his
best friends Marv, Ritchie, and Audrey (who he is desperately in love with).
His life changes forever when he gets entangled in a bank robbery and becomes a
local hero. That’s when playing cards start arriving in the mail with names,
addresses, and other cryptic messages that he has to figure out. Ordinary Ed
becomes Extraordinary when he impacts other people’s lives in positive ways.
This book is a great testament to the power of helping one another and to how
ordinary people can transform their lives and the lives of others.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS:
The author is from Australia and there are many cultural markers present in the novel to indicate the setting of the novel. On page 11, the narrator mentions “. . .it’s the most pathetic car in the Southern Hemisphere.” The novel is also populated with terms that are unique to other English-speaking countries other than the United States, such as: lad, best mate, bloke, arse, buggery, flog, bloody, whinger, bludger, and kilo. Another indication is that the big community game, called the Annual Sledge Game, is soccer. Other than these instances of specific language, this novel is universal in its themes of love, forgiveness, acceptance, living life to its fullest, family, and helping our fellow humans. What makes this novel so wonderful is its laugh-out-loud humor concerning a far from perfect protagonist. Although worlds apart, it gave me the same feeling as when I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Both main characters rise above their situations and achieve something far greater than what life has planned for them. Plus, I don’t recall ever reading a novel where the protagonist talks to a smart-aleck dog, and the dog talks back! Ed is given a series of tasks to accomplish or messages to deliver, all written on playing cards. With the ace of diamonds, he changes the lives of three women: a lonely old woman waiting for her handsome soldier to return from the war; a teenage track runner who lacks confidence; and a woman and her daughter who suffer at the hands of an abusive husband. With the ace of clubs, he is directed to “say a prayer at the stones of home.” In these three cases he helps families to heal: he fills Father Thomas O’Reilly’s church and reconciles him to his brother Tony; the three children of Angie Carusso gain some understanding and concern for their mother; and the tough Rose brothers stand with each other instead of fight against one another. The ace of spades forces Ed to dig for the information he needs in the books of Graham Greene, Sylvia Plath, and Morris West. Once he uncovers the clues, he is able to bring Christmas joy to a struggling family; understand his own mother’s life and choices; and give joy to an old man running an empty movie theater. The last card, the ace of hearts, is the most personal. The people who need him are his own friends. He is able to reunite Marv with his long lost love; let Audrey truly give and receive love; and help Ritchie find motivation and meaning in his life. But wait, there’s one more card, the joker. And it has the messenger’s address on it. Change starts within.
The author is from Australia and there are many cultural markers present in the novel to indicate the setting of the novel. On page 11, the narrator mentions “. . .it’s the most pathetic car in the Southern Hemisphere.” The novel is also populated with terms that are unique to other English-speaking countries other than the United States, such as: lad, best mate, bloke, arse, buggery, flog, bloody, whinger, bludger, and kilo. Another indication is that the big community game, called the Annual Sledge Game, is soccer. Other than these instances of specific language, this novel is universal in its themes of love, forgiveness, acceptance, living life to its fullest, family, and helping our fellow humans. What makes this novel so wonderful is its laugh-out-loud humor concerning a far from perfect protagonist. Although worlds apart, it gave me the same feeling as when I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Both main characters rise above their situations and achieve something far greater than what life has planned for them. Plus, I don’t recall ever reading a novel where the protagonist talks to a smart-aleck dog, and the dog talks back! Ed is given a series of tasks to accomplish or messages to deliver, all written on playing cards. With the ace of diamonds, he changes the lives of three women: a lonely old woman waiting for her handsome soldier to return from the war; a teenage track runner who lacks confidence; and a woman and her daughter who suffer at the hands of an abusive husband. With the ace of clubs, he is directed to “say a prayer at the stones of home.” In these three cases he helps families to heal: he fills Father Thomas O’Reilly’s church and reconciles him to his brother Tony; the three children of Angie Carusso gain some understanding and concern for their mother; and the tough Rose brothers stand with each other instead of fight against one another. The ace of spades forces Ed to dig for the information he needs in the books of Graham Greene, Sylvia Plath, and Morris West. Once he uncovers the clues, he is able to bring Christmas joy to a struggling family; understand his own mother’s life and choices; and give joy to an old man running an empty movie theater. The last card, the ace of hearts, is the most personal. The people who need him are his own friends. He is able to reunite Marv with his long lost love; let Audrey truly give and receive love; and help Ritchie find motivation and meaning in his life. But wait, there’s one more card, the joker. And it has the messenger’s address on it. Change starts within.
AWARDS:
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature 2006 Honor Book
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year for Children 2005
CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 2003
Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature 2003
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature 2006 Honor Book
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year for Children 2005
CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 2003
Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature 2003
REVIEW
EXCERPTS:
Booklist: *Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. “Ed is a 19-year-old loser only marginally connected to the world; he's the son that not even his mother loves. But his life begins to change after he acts heroically during a robbery. Perhaps it's the notoriety he receives that leads to his receiving playing cards in the mail. Ed instinctively understands that the scrawled words on the aces are clues to be followed, which lead him to people he will help (including some he'll have to hurt first). But as much as he changes those who come into his life, he changes himself more. Two particular elements will keep readers enthralled: the panoply of characters who stream in and out of the story, and the mystery of the person sending Ed on the life-altering missions. Concerning the former, Zusak succeeds brilliantly. Ed's voice is assured and unmistakable, and other characters, although seen through Ed's eyes, are realistically and memorably evoked (readers will almost smell Ed's odoriferous dog when it ambles across the pages). As for the ending, however, Zusak is too clever by half. He offers too few nuts-and-bolts details before wrapping things up with an unexpected, somewhat unsatisfying recasting of the narrative. Happily, that doesn't diminish the life-affirming intricacies that come before.” Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Booklist: *Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. “Ed is a 19-year-old loser only marginally connected to the world; he's the son that not even his mother loves. But his life begins to change after he acts heroically during a robbery. Perhaps it's the notoriety he receives that leads to his receiving playing cards in the mail. Ed instinctively understands that the scrawled words on the aces are clues to be followed, which lead him to people he will help (including some he'll have to hurt first). But as much as he changes those who come into his life, he changes himself more. Two particular elements will keep readers enthralled: the panoply of characters who stream in and out of the story, and the mystery of the person sending Ed on the life-altering missions. Concerning the former, Zusak succeeds brilliantly. Ed's voice is assured and unmistakable, and other characters, although seen through Ed's eyes, are realistically and memorably evoked (readers will almost smell Ed's odoriferous dog when it ambles across the pages). As for the ending, however, Zusak is too clever by half. He offers too few nuts-and-bolts details before wrapping things up with an unexpected, somewhat unsatisfying recasting of the narrative. Happily, that doesn't diminish the life-affirming intricacies that come before.” Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Reviews: *Starred
Review* "Elegant, philosophical and moving...Beautiful and
important."
The Horn Book Magazine: *Starred
Review* "Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant
tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a
tour de force to be not just read but inhabited."
Other books by Markus Zusak:
The
Book Thief. ISBN
978-0-375-83100-3
Underdogs. ISBN 978-0545354424
Getting the Girl. ISBN 978-0439389501
Underdogs. ISBN 978-0545354424
Getting the Girl. ISBN 978-0439389501
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