?How does the rest of the world see things? Sometimes as Christians we get so caught up in our world and worldview; we forget that others see things differently. Hoping to open my eyes and see the world objectively from a different point of view, I selected The List at the Cranberry Library. I enjoyed how the book came at the reader from many different points of view. It helped me see into all of the different characters’ minds and hearts. The public school setting was familiar but different from Eden, a small Christian school. All of the different types of people, the labels and, the pressure, I could relate to; however, the crowds and the bluntness of the labels is unheard of at Eden. The intriguing author draws the unsuspecting reader along- on a string of amazing and compelling storylines- making them not want to put the refreshing and striking book down for a second. It is continuously interesting- so many things happen to every girl throughout the story. I think that this book would be a great read for any earnest and shrewd teenage girl. Any girl could find one of the main characters to relate too and feel their pain.
The book seems like a normal drama at first, but as it unfolds it reveals the intricately woven threads of the theme-labels- throughout the story line. “It is exactly what Margo had hoped for…. Her moment….Principle Colby puts the tiara on Margo’s head. She’s surprised by the weight. Obviously the rhinestones wouldn’t be diamonds, but Margo had always assumed the tiara would be metal. It isn’t. It is plastic” (Vivian 332). The homecoming crown was what Margo thought she deserved. She was already the Homecoming Queen being the “prettiest” girl in the 12th grade; that was hers without a question, she deserved it. She cared more about that piece of plastic than her friends, and it ending up being just worthless and breakable plastic. That is just one of the many stories this book holds. I related more to Danielle, the “ugly” sporty freshman, Lauren the “pretty” new girl sophomore, and Sarah the “ugly” rebel junior. I felt their pain, while at the same time realized that I categorize people too. This book causes its readers to realize how wrong labeling is and how much it harms others. It’s not a harmless game; we really hurt people with our words and thoughts if we are not careful. This book told an amazing story while silently teaching a valuable and intriguing lesson that could change the way we look at others.
The whole point of the book is to show how labels are plastic- fake and worthless- but, deadly if you hand your life over to them. Even the ecstatic girls that were the “prettiest” in their grade took the label to heart and it became their downfall. The book may seem like just another teen girls’ drama, with break-ups and homecoming queens, but it is about something much more important. The alluring book is made to catch the teenage girls’ attention with its drama and pretty cover, but it leaves its unsuspecting but pleased readers with the undeniable fact that labels are killers to the girls that possess them. I am overjoyed that I went out of my comfort zone and decided upon this book- I couldn’t put it down.
I give this book 9 out of 10 because I’m a perfectionist and there were a couple loose ends they did not tie up, maybe there will be a second book.