I barely survived Lord of the Flies by William Golding

[@grabsgranite3188]

Definitely a top 3 book of all-time for me. I reread it every 4 or 5 years. Great review.

[@fithfath3615]

I enjoyed my re-read of this in October. I originally read it in school many, many years ago and it still holds up now. William Golding was apparently unimpressed with the way kids were portrayed in a lot of children's books and decided to write a story with children behaving like real children and Lord Of The Flies was the result.

[@ToriTalks2]

I think people often forget that children have this capacity as well, especially without guidance and positive reinforcement from the mentors and peers around them. I'm glad the reread held up for you!

[@ARE.eads_e-Books]

I've read this a few times. Love it.

[@Montie-Adkins]

This was my first real attention to symbolism. I had some vague idea about Darth Vader as also "the Black Knight". As a microcosm of group dynamics/society, Jack is glaring as the bully who must take over because that's what they do. If there is no Jack, there is peace.

[@ToriTalks2]

It's so fascinating! And you're right, Jack is definitely the lynchpin.

[@mattkean1128]

I have a book on my tbr that's said to be a big influence on this. A High Wind in Jamaica about children who after a hurricane wipes out plantations in Jamaica, their parents put them on a ship back to England that gets taken by pirates.

[@ToriTalks2]

Oh interesting! I'll check it out.

[@lacys340]

Definitely a book I've never forgotten after reading it as a teen.

[@ToriTalks2]

I can see why!

[@keithmcgrath687]

The Simon inner dialogue is what made me go Woah! In the book. The parallel with the island and an actual real war being fought is genius too. I think about all the themes and I want ro re-read. I knew most of the plot from the film, but the Simon scene in the book is what really grabbed me. My TBR is massive, but maybe I can squeeze this short book in for 2025 for a re-read. This video is a good review too. ✌😎

[@ToriTalks2]

Thank you so much! I agree with you, I actually think Simon was the most interesting character in the story. I’d love to reread and do a specific analysis on his character arc. I want to see the film soon too!

[@keithmcgrath687]

@ToriTalks2 I thought of the scene just now, and went to the Wiki page. That particular scene is mentioned and talked about in depth. It's interesting and different of how I imagined the scene upon reading.

[@MagusMarquillin]

I had to read this in grade 7 and it drew me back to read again 20 years later, just as compellingly as to Kill a Mockingbird did. That scene with Simon and the boar's head was a very chilling early horror experience that stayed with me. And what an amazing final sentence! I quite like the 1990 movie too, though it changes a few things around - the score to that is _haunting._

[@ToriTalks2]

That scene is SO chilling, and so well written. Simon might be the most intriguing character in the story for me. I'm going to check out the movie soon as well. I haven't read To Kill A Mockingbird yet!

[@MagusMarquillin]

@@ToriTalks2 😲🧐! Curious what books your school did push on you. Even here in Ontario the elementary school curriculum was those 2, Catcher in the Rye (which I really disliked) and one called Dreamspeaker which is a very sad (sometimes inspiring) boyhood/mental health/Native American story (by Cam Hubert, a white woman who won some Canada award). I remember loving it, maybe still worth a read - Mockingbird most certainly is! And not sure if you do movie reviews, but I'll be curious what you think of Lord of the Flies.

[@ToriTalks2]

@@MagusMarquillin I was homeschooled all the way through until I started college, so my "required reading" was a lot different, and I had more control over my own book choices.

[@MagusMarquillin]

@@ToriTalks2 Ah, reading freedom! And now you can go read these institutional classics by choice, cool.

[@ToriTalks2]

@@MagusMarquillin Exactly! I'm having a great time.

[@Tim_with_Tomes_and_Tales]

Been meaning to read this one myself. Thanks for the review, Tori. Happy reading.

[@ToriTalks2]

Thanks Tim! I hope you have a good experience with it when you pick it up.

[@robertunijat8299]

I remember reading this when my kids were still small (some 15-ish years ago). I remember there was a period when I was especially sensitive to anything to do with kids. And oh boy this book... I had such a lump in my throat reading this, the tragic event and the ending almost made me cry. Man this is a very powerful book and I hope to fiind a time to re-read it soon. A must read if I ever saw one!

[@ToriTalks2]

Oof, yeah this is a tough one to read in any case, especially when you're sensitive to stories with children in peril. I hope you enjoy it on the reread!

[@angelamccollister]

I have a funny story about this book. Read it in an AP English class in high school. The teacher had us circle our desks to discuss whether the author believed people are inherently good or inherently evil. At first, the class was split pretty evenly until we kept discussing. It came down to everyone saying inherently good, and I was the only holdout. I was the holdout because I remembered the original question. What did we believe were the *author's* own beliefs. I wouldn't back down, and no one would listen when I reminded them we were supposed to be discussing the author's beliefs and not ours. After the bell rang I had classmates coming up to me tje rest of the day calling me evil. Lol. Maybe it sounds weird but this is a favorite memory of mine. Did it lead to more bullying? Sure, but at least the bullying was for something I said in class and not just because of who I was. The bullying started before elementary so this type of bullying was almost nice. 🤔 I've never reread the book partly because I don't want to influence my "good" experience whrn I read it in high school. 😂

[@ToriTalks2]

Well, I wouldn't disagree with you in this instance. I don't believe that people are inherently good. I think we all have the capacity for good and evil, and there are a lot of factors that will push us past either line. I hope you have a good experience again if you ever do decide to reread it!

[@ZOMGfantasy]

Oh man, this takes me way back. Awesome review and analysis, Tori!

[@ToriTalks2]

Thanks Zammar! I’m catching up with all the school kid reads 😂

[@MacScarfield]

I think a common misconception about this novel is that it is about children or mankind in general: It is specifically targeting the myths of the British School System producing “Impeccable & Brave World Civilizing Boy Scouts with Stiff-Upper Lips” found in many adventure books of the time. Golding breaks open the realities of the real system: The never ending bullying and hazing, the immense individual and group rivalries, the borderline occult rituals of “group bonding” (read: collateral dirt on you if you ever steep out line or stop scratching our backs), all hidden behind the veneer of “Civilized Society, Manners & Education”, which Golding strips away with his Deserted Island Setting….

[@shawnlinnehan7349]

That’s all well and good, but it is also literally what would happen if you stuck a bunch of boys on an island regardless of their nationality or schooling background. It does describe basic humanity.

[@ToriTalks2]

I think there are a lot of themes that can be drawn from this book, and it's going to be unique to each reader to some degree as well. I can see the relation to the time period when it was written, but the reason it's a classic is because it has overarching themes that can be applied to any era of human history.

[@esmayrosalyne]

It's funny how I knew OF this book but I actually had zero clue what it was truly about lol. Consider me 1000% sold, I am kicking myself for not having read this sooner! Beautiful to hear how this resonated so deeply with you 🤩

[@ToriTalks2]

READ IT. XD I'd be super curious to hear your thoughts.

[@jlodomauthor]

Somehow I never was assigned this, but know the story in detail because I've heard it talked about so much. I've been leery of it because my perception that it was pure, soulless cynicism with no redeeming elements, but I know it's a classic for a reason, and you make a good pitch. I was really struck by what you said about his sparse prose packing an emotional punch; the author who does that for me has always been Chaim Potok, but his books are pretty dark too (w/ pinpricks of light, though).

[@ToriTalks2]

It's odd, because the cynicism is definitely there, but I don't feel like it exists purely for that cause. The redeeming elements I think are found in the lessons learned by the protagonist and how each of the other boys on the island leave an impact on him for the rest of his life.

[@joshramirez7]

This is one of my favorite books of all time.

[@ToriTalks2]

I can see why, there’s so much here!

[@krzysamm7095]

It’s wonderful that you read this book and was able to get so much out of it. There are times that I wished I hadn’t had to read this book for English class in high school. It was one of the few books that we did a deep dive through and had to read reports to the class about it. It’s been 30 plus years since I have read it and I still have no desire to read it again. Just curious will you be watching the movie?

[@ToriTalks2]

That's absolutely fair, I don't blame you! I do want to try watching the movie, yes! Have you seen it?

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

Great review

[@ToriTalks2]

Thank you, Penny! 💜

[@thegreatwaugh]

Good book. I enjoyed it in high school. Along with Animal Farm and Watership Down.

[@ToriTalks2]

I haven’t read those!

[@RhinoViper]

Great book. Great Review.

[@ToriTalks2]

Thanks so much!

[@juliuscesar4176]

This is actually an adult novel, camouflaged as YA.

[@ToriTalks2]

Oh absolutely. It’s very dark. That’s why I didn’t mark it as YA.

[@ireallyamjomarch]

Might be time to reread. I read it in high school and really didn’t like it. At the time I felt like the point of the book is that people are terrible and even in my emo high school days I couldn’t buy into that. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Hatchet. I did like that one but, again, it’s been a while. This video comes at an interesting time. I’m finishing up a nonfiction about the Donner party and in some ways it’s a real life Lord of the Flies.

[@ToriTalks2]

I think the discussion around Lord of the Flies is more nuanced than "people are horrible" - even though that is definitely the vibe you could pick up from it. I found the thread of redemption in the lessons that Ralph carries with him into the next chapter of his life from the boys who impacted him through this story. People go through horrible things in life, and it's up to them how they carry those experiences into the future. I did really enjoy Hatchet, I think it's a brilliant middle grade. What is the title of the non-fiction you are reading?

[@ireallyamjomarch]

I definitely agree. I’m realizing my feelings are probably because the teacher just didn’t do a great job at leading a discussion around the book beyond “nature vs nurture.” You’ve sold me on giving it another shot. Just makes me realize how many people are kind of set up to not enjoy reading in high school because they pick books the vast majority aren’t even going to understand much less enjoy. The book is called The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown. I finished it last week and would definitely recommend it although I was also glad to be done with it because it’s pretty bleak.