Gaby Ruiz
Mrs. Arnold
English 10
25 February 2015
Matched
For this marking period's independent reading project, I decided to read Matched by Ally Condie, since many peers had recommended it and mentioned it was an interesting read. In the past, I enjoyed dystopian young adult novels, therefore I knew this book would be something I enjoy.
The plot of Matched is something I found very intriguing. Cassia is a seventeen year old girl living in a futuristic world in which the government is in charge of whom you love, what you do, and when you die, better said they control every aspect of your life. When an individual reaches a certain age, they must make the decision if whether or not they want to live their lives being single or be paired with their "perfect match". At the matching ceremony, Cassia discovers that she is matched with her best friend Xander, whom she has known her entire life. Everyone around Cassia says she is extremely lucky to have her closest companion as her match, taking into consideration that no one else was that fortunate. Cassia and Xander are happy as can be when the come to the realization that they will spending their lives together. What happens when an image of another boy appears on the screen, although Cassia has already been matched?
Out of all the possible themes that could be appropriate for this novel, courage and love are definitely the most suitable. Since the government believes each individual is destined to have a perfect pair based on what is most beneficial for future offspring, then one person must only be matched to one person. In Cassia's case, this situation is not that simple. In the blink of an eye, she must learn to have courage and be able to endure all the obstacles placed in her path. Throughout Cassia's struggles, love is an important element that helps her gain courage, whether it comes from her family or Xander.
While reading this book, it made me realize how lucky we are to live in a time in which, for the most part, we have the freedom to love whoever we choose to love. In addition, individuals can pursue any career that interests them instead of having people make those choices for them.
Overall, I concluded that my favorite character out of the many that were introduced, is Xander. He makes me think about how I would love to have a childhood friend from very early on and a relationship that feels so true and I could always rely on that person for absolutely anything. The main reason I became such a fan of Xander was that he just seems like such an honest person and someone that will stand with you through thick and thin.
Ally Condie, the author, in my opinion did a very good job in writing this novel. First of all, there were details after details and that aspect for me, made it that much easier for me to understand everything that was written. Also, the story did not feel as if it was hard to get into or boring. I consider myself a person that gets distracted and bored fairly easy, fortunately, the story line kept me intrigued the entire time. For all these same reasons, I definitely recommend this book and it is worth your time. I would most of all recommend it to anyone that likes a book with adventure, love, a dysfunctional society, and just a good book in general.
Media:
www.ramporter.srsd.net
www.youtube.com
Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjB5cIDeueI
This has been a wicked popular teen book over the past few years. I've heard a lot about it. Does it seem in anyway ironic or stereotypical with regards to teens? Such as, sappy, stupid love or over emotional females (specifically)? Honestly, turn-offs for me in a book, but otherwise, sounds like a solid read for someone into young-adult fiction, romance, utopian /dystopian fiction.
ReplyDeleteI read this book and found it very boring and much like other teen dystopian novels. It almost seemed like an afterthought to the giver or something. I wonder if you find this book as unoriginal as me. I really liked your summary and Xander was also my favourite character.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! I really liked The Giver and Divergent and this sounds kind of like a mix of both. I also agree with you and think that we are very lucky to live in a place where we are pretty much free to make our own choices. I am not much of a reader, but this sounds like a book that would keep me intrigued, because of all the YA themes.
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