About a year ago Todd and I sat down over coffee and talked about what else, books. He related that a book stood out to him that he read as a youngster. That book being The Plant People by Dale Carlson. Always trusting Todd's instincts on books, I immediately went looking for a copy. I placed on my wishlist at Paperbackswap and about a year later this shows up in my mailbox. I actually wasn't sure what to expect, Todd gave only a brief synopsis, but was looking forward to it nontheless. This book is written for the young teen in mind and I spent all of about 20 minutes finishing it. Originally published in 1977, this book came across (too my adult mind) as more of a propaganda piece for the environmental movement than a book meant to entertain. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained for those 20 minutes and I tend to overlook most preachy or propagandizing in books, and this was no different.
Get past the "humans are destroying the earth and humanity is now being punished, save for the few true enviromental lovers" message and you have a brief (very brief) diversion and I have no doubt that a young teen or pre-teen would enjoy this one even more. 7/10
2 comments:
I read this book in 3rd grade and strangely enough it's stayed in my mind since 1985. I don't remember everything about it, but bits and pieces. Mostly that the boy was saved because he went out of his way not to step on the flowers on the ground. For months after reading it I wouldn't step on wild-flowers or the grass! I never thought of this book as "propoganda" until you mentioned it here. I can totally see it that way in retrospective, but I suppose I'll have to track down a copy to re-read to see for myself. What I really remember is how much this book creeped me out as a 9 year old!
I read this book in 3rd grade and strangely enough it's stayed in my mind since 1985. I don't remember everything about it, but bits and pieces. Mostly that the boy was saved because he went out of his way not to step on the flowers on the ground. For months after reading it I wouldn't step on wild-flowers or the grass! I never thought of this book as "propoganda" until you mentioned it here. I can totally see it that way in retrospective, but I suppose I'll have to track down a copy to re-read to see for myself. What I really remember is how much this book creeped me out as a 9 year old!
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