Catching Spirit Bear 1
Jul. 10th, 2007 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kippurbirdThis is for Mel.
Mel recently had to read the book, "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen for class. While reading it, she complained mightily about it and asked me to spork it. As a friend I agreed to do it. Now, I can't guarantee that this'll be as interesting as Eragon or anything like that, but I promised Mel I'd do it so here it goes.
Amazon.Com says "Cole Matthews is angry. Angry, defiant, smug--in short, a bully. His anger has taken him too far this time, though. After beating up a ninth-grade classmate to the point of brain damage, Cole is facing a prison sentence. But then a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering an alternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in which victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution. Privately, Cole sneers at the concept, but he's no fool--if it gets him out of prison, he'll do anything. Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled almost to death, Cole awaits his fate and begins the transition from anger to humility."
On the other hand, Mel says that Cole is stupider than Eragon and just as sociopathic.
Right. Now. Onto Chapter One!
Also, before we get started, I reserve the right to make innuendo about the phrase "Touching Spirit Bear" when ever I feel it's appropriate. :D
Now, we're going.
Chapter one introduces us to our protagonist, Cole Matthews. Cole is from Minneapolis and is in Alaska to avoid being sent to jail by spending a year in exile on a small island in the middle of nowhere. Apparently this is apart of something called the Healing Circle of Justice, which sounds like something Sailor Moon would say but is apparently an actual thing. It's a tribal Indian thing where the person who has done something wrong tries to learn how to heal and become a better person by being helped by other members in the community.
The question then becomes, what exactly did Cole do to deserve this? Well, Cole is apparently a juvenile delinquent. He's fifteen and has been in trouble half his life. Which means that he started getting in trouble when he was seven. This is a seriously disturbed kid. He also hates everyone.
Cole thought back to all the people at home who had tried to help him over the years. He hated their fake concern. They didn't really care what happened to him. They were gutless - he could see it in their eyes. They were afraid, glad to be rid of him. They pretended to help only because they didn't know what else to do.
For years "help" had meant sending him to drug counseling and anger therapy sessions. Every few months, Cole found himself being referred to someone else. He discovered early on that "being referred" was the adult term for passing the buck. Already he had seen the inside of a dozen police stations, been through as many counselors, a psychologist, several detention centers, and two residential treatment centers.
Obviously, what we have here is a severely disturbed individual. He's done drugs, though what sort, it's not mentioned. It's just thrown in there with all these other things that he's done. It's probably not even going to be mentioned ever again, just there to show how troubled he is.
In any case, Cole robs a hardware store and trashes it. It's not enough that he robs the place, he has to trash it to. And then in a brilliant maneuver he BRAGS about it at school a week later. This then begs the question why is someone who is such the juvenile delinquent doing in school? Why so he can brag about his exploits. Silly plot holes. So, of course, someone rats on him. And the police don't manage to keep it a secret so that Cole can beat the boy who told on him into a bloody pulp. Because no one crossed him and got away with it.
Poor Peter gets put in to the hospital while Cole gets kicked into jail. When Cole finds out that he might have done Peter permanent damage, he says that Peter deserved it. Lovely chap, isn't he?
Cole hates his parents and thinks they're jerks. Why? Because they don't bail him out of jail like they did all the times before hand. Obviously there is something wrong with them. Apparently Cole's dad thinks that everything is his fault. The fact that Cole's room isn't clean, the garbage wasn't emptied out, the lawn wasn't mowed. All truly horrible things. And the fact that his parents, who are divorced (probably because of him) can't visit him together means that they don't care about him. He ignores them whenever they do visit so eventually they stop. He probably thinks this is their fault too.
Eventually Garvey introduces him to the concept of Circle Justice. It is, to be politically correct, "It's a healing form of justice practiced by native cultures for thousands of years". Garvey calls Cole champ a lot and tells him that if Cole goes with this he could get out of going to jail. Of course, Cole jumps for it.
He acts all innocent, saying that he wants to change and stuff and Garvey falls for it apparently promising to get him into the program. When Garvey leaves, he's denounced a fool by Cole.
Thus we meet Cole, someone who is entirely unlikeable but we're supposed to root for. At least with Eragon, Paolini was trying to make him likable, even if Eragon was a total twat.
Mel recently had to read the book, "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen for class. While reading it, she complained mightily about it and asked me to spork it. As a friend I agreed to do it. Now, I can't guarantee that this'll be as interesting as Eragon or anything like that, but I promised Mel I'd do it so here it goes.
Amazon.Com says "Cole Matthews is angry. Angry, defiant, smug--in short, a bully. His anger has taken him too far this time, though. After beating up a ninth-grade classmate to the point of brain damage, Cole is facing a prison sentence. But then a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering an alternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in which victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution. Privately, Cole sneers at the concept, but he's no fool--if it gets him out of prison, he'll do anything. Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled almost to death, Cole awaits his fate and begins the transition from anger to humility."
On the other hand, Mel says that Cole is stupider than Eragon and just as sociopathic.
Right. Now. Onto Chapter One!
Also, before we get started, I reserve the right to make innuendo about the phrase "Touching Spirit Bear" when ever I feel it's appropriate. :D
Now, we're going.
Chapter one introduces us to our protagonist, Cole Matthews. Cole is from Minneapolis and is in Alaska to avoid being sent to jail by spending a year in exile on a small island in the middle of nowhere. Apparently this is apart of something called the Healing Circle of Justice, which sounds like something Sailor Moon would say but is apparently an actual thing. It's a tribal Indian thing where the person who has done something wrong tries to learn how to heal and become a better person by being helped by other members in the community.
The question then becomes, what exactly did Cole do to deserve this? Well, Cole is apparently a juvenile delinquent. He's fifteen and has been in trouble half his life. Which means that he started getting in trouble when he was seven. This is a seriously disturbed kid. He also hates everyone.
Cole thought back to all the people at home who had tried to help him over the years. He hated their fake concern. They didn't really care what happened to him. They were gutless - he could see it in their eyes. They were afraid, glad to be rid of him. They pretended to help only because they didn't know what else to do.
For years "help" had meant sending him to drug counseling and anger therapy sessions. Every few months, Cole found himself being referred to someone else. He discovered early on that "being referred" was the adult term for passing the buck. Already he had seen the inside of a dozen police stations, been through as many counselors, a psychologist, several detention centers, and two residential treatment centers.
Obviously, what we have here is a severely disturbed individual. He's done drugs, though what sort, it's not mentioned. It's just thrown in there with all these other things that he's done. It's probably not even going to be mentioned ever again, just there to show how troubled he is.
In any case, Cole robs a hardware store and trashes it. It's not enough that he robs the place, he has to trash it to. And then in a brilliant maneuver he BRAGS about it at school a week later. This then begs the question why is someone who is such the juvenile delinquent doing in school? Why so he can brag about his exploits. Silly plot holes. So, of course, someone rats on him. And the police don't manage to keep it a secret so that Cole can beat the boy who told on him into a bloody pulp. Because no one crossed him and got away with it.
Poor Peter gets put in to the hospital while Cole gets kicked into jail. When Cole finds out that he might have done Peter permanent damage, he says that Peter deserved it. Lovely chap, isn't he?
Cole hates his parents and thinks they're jerks. Why? Because they don't bail him out of jail like they did all the times before hand. Obviously there is something wrong with them. Apparently Cole's dad thinks that everything is his fault. The fact that Cole's room isn't clean, the garbage wasn't emptied out, the lawn wasn't mowed. All truly horrible things. And the fact that his parents, who are divorced (probably because of him) can't visit him together means that they don't care about him. He ignores them whenever they do visit so eventually they stop. He probably thinks this is their fault too.
Eventually Garvey introduces him to the concept of Circle Justice. It is, to be politically correct, "It's a healing form of justice practiced by native cultures for thousands of years". Garvey calls Cole champ a lot and tells him that if Cole goes with this he could get out of going to jail. Of course, Cole jumps for it.
He acts all innocent, saying that he wants to change and stuff and Garvey falls for it apparently promising to get him into the program. When Garvey leaves, he's denounced a fool by Cole.
Thus we meet Cole, someone who is entirely unlikeable but we're supposed to root for. At least with Eragon, Paolini was trying to make him likable, even if Eragon was a total twat.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:28 pm (UTC)... I wonder if Cole and Spirit Bear also like meat.'
Huzzah for another sporking!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:49 pm (UTC)The answers and explanations (and plenty of flashback things) are littered around the book. So you have to keep reading if you want an explanation.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 01:58 pm (UTC)Trust me here.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 02:29 pm (UTC)Apparently this is apart of something called the Healing Circle of Justice, which sounds like something Sailor Moon would say but is apparently an actual thing. It's a tribal Indian thing where the person who has done something wrong tries to learn how to heal and become a better person by being helped by other members in the community.
This sounds like just another way of saying 'he's not bad, just misunderstood!', which makes me laugh (though slightly hysterically, with an eyebrow twitching) every time. What do you bet he'll do an inexplicable one-eighty brought on by some spiritual realization (or something that sounds mystical and indian-ish) and suddenly realizes 'OH NOES I WAS A MEANIE BUT I'M A BETTER PERSON NOW!1!!'.
Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled almost to death, Cole awaits his fate and begins the transition from anger to humility.
This made me laugh so hard. It's like the person who wrote this was either dreadfully serious and saw nothing amusing about this, or purposely went out of their way to make it sound all theaterical trailer-ish and silly. And, because I can't resist...'learning through pain' indeed, eh? XD
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 03:47 pm (UTC)You differently have a gift at finding flaws in people’s work and stating it in a humours way.
You should try doing it with original fiction online. Lord knows there’s enough of it out there.
-NK
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 04:55 pm (UTC)Personally, I think Cole is going to learn to like touching his spirit bear. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 04:57 pm (UTC)No one lives on the Island in Alaska that he's going to. As for the second part, I call PLOT HOLE.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:00 pm (UTC)According to Mel, that's EXACTLY what happens. :D Doesn't that sound like FUN?!
And, because I can't resist...'learning through pain' indeed, eh? XD
That's how they do it at the fan fiction universities. Though, I think they do it with style.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:03 pm (UTC)Me: o_O What the...? In a school-picked book?
Classmates: Green Bird, Green Bird! Tell us!
Me: There's a gay sex scene.
Classmates: ... Ewww... *look around* Um... What page?
Me: ... 2**
Classmates: *open books* Ewww... *keep reading*
Well, you know what Disney taught us. Spirits are usually milky white. And sometimes they leave goo behind.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:04 pm (UTC)The summary of this book is enough to get me irritated. Circle justice doesn't banish the offender anywhere the whole point is keeping it in the community and keeping the victim and offender together to work things out together with others helping out. It's always great to see banish renamed. As for the spirit bears, I'm betting that the author is talking about Kermode bears which are not know for mauling people indiscrimantly (although with Cole's whining they might have been driven to it for self-protection) and they are supposed to be fairly gentle unless really provoked (standard leave it alone and the it will leave you alone wildlife).
I don't see why Cole is so bad; it sounds like the book is going to be lots of telling but not a lot of showing his delinquency. The passage you quoted sounds a lot like bragging and something from a really bad young adult moral tale (there was a huge series of these things in the 90s with b&w illustrations I wish I could remember the names/series).
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 05:19 pm (UTC)Yes.
I'm sad now.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:04 pm (UTC)I know, always with the jerkass protagonists. Here's my guess as to why those books in particular; the school board, or the hippy-headed school staff, believes that ill-behaved students will become better if they see a character they can relate to.
That's what really pissed my off about school, always wanting to fucking make a difference with lost causes and never mind about the kids who're actually smart.
(Hope I didn't offend anyone, but my hippocampus needed to get that out.)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:14 pm (UTC)Classmate: Green Bird...
Me: Mhm?
Classmate: ... Why does [Jade Peony Character] have a pair of knitting needles stuffed... there? Was she attacked?
Me: ...
Classmate: *radiates honest-to-god innocence*
Me: She tried to induce an abortion.
Classmate: D: Lies!
I swear, those kids were dense. And they gave me a look like I ate babies for breakfast if I had any knowledge whatsoever related to abortion or homosexuality. *facepalm* Any surprise that I gave up answering questions?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:20 pm (UTC)I'd be suspicious if you didn't.
Apparently this is a part of something called the Healing Circle of Justice, which sounds like something Sailor Moon would say but is apparently an actual thing.
Knowing Usagi, it'd probably be something she'd recommend too. Rei would tell Usagi she's being an idiot, while strongly being for putting the thug in prison. Makoto would prefer the simpler solution of a back-alley beating, Minako would be musing about possible sex scenes in prison, and Ami would correct Minako, saying Cole's much more likely to be abused by the guards than the inmates.
Meanwhile, Haruka and Michiru have already killed Cole in his sleep, cut up the body, and fed it to the pigs. (*oink! oink!*)
At least with Eragon, Paolini was trying to make him likable, even if Eragon was a total twat.
Eragon may be a megalomaniacal, bloodthirsty sociopath, but he was no bully.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:29 pm (UTC)And, when you say "school books are weird", do you mean books that have the characters going to school, or books that are assigned by the school?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:33 pm (UTC)It's a white black bear.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:41 pm (UTC)I suppose I can stand a character who is meant to start out like a total jerk and then blossom into a better person (although being forced to do that rather sucks, especially if you really want to deck the person), but that kid doesn't sound enjoyable to read about in any way, shape, or form.
Also, I think that if Cole is still living with his parents and isn't a runaway, it would make sense that he would be "forced" to stay in school. It's kind of dumb, but...um...yes.
The only thing I'm rooting for in this character is that he has a sudden revelation, realizes his life has no meaning and he has nothing left to live for, and throws himself off a cliff with several jagged ice at the bottom. Since it's Alaska and all.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 06:45 pm (UTC)Just keeeeeeep reading the sporkings.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 08:10 pm (UTC)Books assigned by schools. Like The Moor's Last Sigh or Death and the Maiden. And one must never forget Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Fascinating, but bizarre, and not really what you would normally assign to a bunch of sixteen-year-olds.
I don't read many books with characters attending schools; Harry Potter and So You Want To Be A Wizard are the only exceptions I can think of at the moment.
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Date: 2007-07-11 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-11 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 03:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 03:41 am (UTC)Also, I think that if Cole is still living with his parents and isn't a runaway, it would make sense that he would be "forced" to stay in school. It's kind of dumb, but...um...yes.
This is why God invented ditching. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 03:42 am (UTC)You know me so well.
At least with Eragon, Paolini was trying to make him likable, even if Eragon was a total twat.
Eragon may be a megalomaniacal, bloodthirsty sociopath, but he was no bully.
Yeah. He was a total follower, but he wasn't a bully.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 11:45 am (UTC)I also suspect other classes, maybe in the past, read 'Animal Farm' and 'Brave New World'.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 11:55 am (UTC)Soooo... this healing circle thing... it's supposed to help him heal by being helped by members of the community.... so they send him to a place without people at all. I guess in this instance 'help' is defined as 'buy the plane ticket', and it's more about healing the community, since it sounds like ANY place with people is a thousand times better off for not having this Nobel prize winner in it.
At least Eragon was unlikable because Paolini had no idea how to actually make him likable... this guy... is simply insane. I find it hard to believe that ANY rebellious teen is this definitive about the things they hate, or this stupid and conflicted. If he hates it all so much, why doesn't he run away or ditch school and go sell pot on the corner? Because he's as thick as he is antisocial, which puts him at 'Great Wall' thickness.
Please tell me the blurb about the writer doesn't mention anything that would hint they should know anything about kids...
no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-12 07:25 pm (UTC)Soooo... this healing circle thing... it's supposed to help him heal by being helped by members of the community.... so they send him to a place without people at all. I guess in this instance 'help' is defined as 'buy the plane ticket', and it's more about healing the community, since it sounds like ANY place with people is a thousand times better off for not having this Nobel prize winner in it.
Apparently. Though Mel tells me there's a reason for exiling him.
At least Eragon was unlikable because Paolini had no idea how to actually make him likable... this guy... is simply insane. I find it hard to believe that ANY rebellious teen is this definitive about the things they hate, or this stupid and conflicted. If he hates it all so much, why doesn't he run away or ditch school and go sell pot on the corner? Because he's as thick as he is antisocial, which puts him at 'Great Wall' thickness.
We call this a plot hole.
Please tell me the blurb about the writer doesn't mention anything that would hint they should know anything about kids...
They did not.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-13 06:53 am (UTC)I love that "native cultures", as if all "native cultures" did the same practice ...
Doesn't sound like a very fun book. I admire you for having the stomach for books like that ^_^
no subject
Date: 2007-07-14 09:05 pm (UTC)Also, the only way for this kid to learn and be redeemed is by not going to prison. He could never learn the error of his ways by seeing where his behavior will land him.