The Living
The Living
By Matt De La Pena
Reading Level
Lexile: 700
Length
336 pages
Representation
The main character of The Living is a young Mexican-American man who has taken a summer job on a cruise ship to support his family. His coworkers on the ship are a diverse group. Much of the interpersonal conflict throughout the story is based in racism and classism.
Appropriate Content
The Living is, at its heart, an action/survival book and the level of violence in the book reflects the type of story it is. There is some kissing, but no sex. The publisher (Random House) recommends the book for students age 14+. Common Sense Media recommends it for students age 15+. You can read the Common Sense Media review here.
Engagement
Of all the books we've read for book club in Care and Treatment, The Living is the closest we've come to reading a fun summer action story. The book opens with a mystery and quickly becomes an action/survival story. You can read an excerpt from the book (though not from the beginning) on the NPR website.
Substance
The Living does not have the depth or complexity of some of the other books we've read for book club, but there's still plenty to talk about. Issues of race, class and power run throughout the story and Shy has to make many difficult ethical decisions.
Summary
Summary provided by the author:
Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he’ll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy’s only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it’s a fight to survive for those left living.
Book Club Materials
The Living: Introductory Presentation
This presentation was designed to get students excited about the novel and to introduce a little background knowledge about cruise ships, the setting for the beginning of the book.
The Living: Promotional Poster
The Living: Sign Up Poster
The Living: Bookmark
The Living: Discussion Question Slips
Students were encouraged to submit questions they were interested in discussing in advance of the book club. This allowed staff to check in and see how much students had read and was a public way to keep the community engaged in reading.
The Living: Book Club Agenda
The Living: Roll and Retell Game
The Living: Reading Group Guide (from Random House)
The Living: Discussion Questions
The Living: Thematic Snacks
For their book club at Headway S., Retha Kraay created an amazing spread of snacks that fit the themes and motifs of the novel. Contact her for more information (rkraay@district287.org)
Materials For The Hunted (Sequel to The Living)
The Hunted: Request Slip
The Hunted: Sign Up Poster
The Hunted: Brief Book Club Agenda