Basically The Hunger Games, But Not Really

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    The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a dystopian young adult novel that anyone of us would have enjoyed in middle school when we were going through our Hunger Games and Divergent phases. The protagonist Cia is a sixteen-year-old girl from the Five Lakes Colony who has spent her entire life studying and working hard to be chosen by the United Commonwealth for The Testing. Once selected for The Testing, Cia is required to complete four stages of rigorous testing to secure her spot in the United Commonwealth's University. The Testing turns out to be more than just your regular multiple-choice questions (think SAT/ACT but once you get done taking it you have to survive in the wilderness, travel 700 miles, and avoid getting murdered). Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, Cia is able to trust and create alliances that help her throughout her four stages. She even manages to find love in the midst of life-threatening testing, with one of her fellow Five Lakes Colony Testing candidates, Tomas. Over the course of the novel, Cia struggles with remaining true to herself and not giving into the immoral temptations (aka murder) of the test. I really don't want to give away too many details because I seriously think if you guys gave the novel a read you would enjoy it, especially if you were like me and was obsessed with dystopian young adult literature like eight years ago. 

    Along with an adolescent protagonist, The Testing's plot is driven by adolescent issues. For example, a driving factor in Cia's will and determination to pass the four stages of testing is the ability to make her family proud. Cia does not want to disappoint her father, who was also a Testing candidate and graduated from University. Cia states "Dad has always expected me to fall short of his achievements. That I will disappoint-no matter what" (Charbonneau, 7). Cia can feel her father expects her to never live up to his standards and accomplishments and Cia spends her entire life working to prove him wrong. This is a relatable issue that most adolescents can identify with, the fear of disappointing their family or not living up to their standards. Little does Cia know that her father does not fear disappointment in her abilities to live up to his standards but rather fears the consequences of living up to his standards. 

    Another adolescent issue that is a driving factor in the plot development is young love. What is a good dystopian young adult novel without a good ole fashion "it's us against the world" love story? Cia and Tomas find love in the unlikeliest of places, The Testing. Combining their allotted resources, intelligence, and skills they work as teammates and find ways to survive the four stages of testing. I would compare their relationship to that of Katniess and Peeta from The Hunger Games but more authentic. While in the Five Lakes Colony Cia and Tomas kept a crushing eye on each other but never enacted upon their feelings for one another until The Testing. This is an issue that most adolescents can identify with. Young adults begin to experiment with romantic feelings and begin to build relationships with others their age. Young adults may not be physically fighting for their lives to get a spot in university with their significant other but they can relate to the ups and downs that romantic relationships bring. 

    Another adolescent issue that is a driving factor in the plot development is self-identification. The Testing challenges Cia in more ways than she could ever imagine. The test not only tests her physically but also test her emotionally and mentally. Cia loses the bright optimistic girl that she once was through the harsh realities of the test. Cia states "I'm no longer the girl who left Five Lakes Colony, who believed that Graduation Day actually made a child into an adult... I'm forced to admit I don't know exactly who I am" (298). The realization that the government she once looked up to is actually corrupt and immoral changes her perspective on everything, including herself. This is an issue that a lot of adolescents can identify with. With adolescents comes a lot of changes, some for the better and some for the worst. Most adolescents can relate to changes in who they are. During adolescents, young people grow into the adults they want to be. Self-identification can be confusing during adolescents as young people are going through a lot of changes and do not always understand exactly who they are or where they fit in. 

    This book would be considered adolescent literature because it focuses on an adolescent protagonist and has relatable adolescent issues that drive the plot. On top of focusing on issues that adolescents can identify with the novel is written on a reading level most high schoolers and even middle schoolers should be able to read. Adolescents should read this book because in a lot of ways it correlates to the issues they are facing. Adolescents in real life may not be literally killing each other to make it college but they are working their butts off to set themselves up for success in life after high school. Despite all of that hard work though some people do play the college admissions game unfairly by "donating" large amounts of money to the school or using connections to get into schools they haven't fairly been accepted into (queue the college admissions scandal from a few years ago). Along with the real-life struggle of getting into college, adolescents have to learn to juggle family relationships, friendships, and relationships just like in the novel. Not to mention that adolescents can defiantly identify with the struggle of self-identification as they attempt to navigate the kind of person they want to be.

   

 Once again I definitely recommend The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau if you ever went through a Hunger Games or Divergent phase in middle school or high school. You will not be disappointed.  

Comments

  1. Todd WhittakerOctober 16, 2020 at 8:15 PM

    This does sound like The Hunger Games! I like how you emphasized adolescent issues, particularly rising to standards set by parents or others adolescents admire. Cia's dad holding her to his achievements is a lot of pressure on anyone, but especially and adolescent. I'm going to have to read this book!

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