Years ago a friend of mine brought me a book and said that it’s a must-read.
It was a science-fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card, titled “Ender’s
game”. Although I was never an avid reader of this genre, I gave it a chance.
The book was published in 1985 and during the same year it received a
Nebula Award. Furthermore, in 1986 it also got a Hugo Award and a nomination
for the Locus Award. Science-fiction lovers will know what that means about the
novel.
The plot is quite simple but interesting. The Government needs to save
an endangered world and the only hope is a brilliant kid. The situation is a
real challenge not only for him.
The main protagonist must take obligatory military training, which is
very demanding. Ender Wiggin is a well-created convincing person, with weak and
strong features. Readers can observe that from one adventure to another he
becomes more mature and responsible, as well as learning to deal with problems,
making decisions and managing people.
In such company I discovered the rules of the planning process and
building strategy, which often required the determination and total devotion of
other people, especially kids, involved in the project.
Was this aspect really crucial for me then? It unexpectedly opened my
eyes to new important possibilities, which I still appreciate. I also gained
some insight into human behaviour and ways of
thinking as well as dealing with emotions in difficult situations.
Needless to say, the book turned out to be well-written, very absorbing
and unputdownable. It was a pleasure to feel immersed in reading it. I highly
recommend this book, especially to teenagers and young adults.
by Justyna Komar