Part I: Bibliographic information
Type: Fiction
Title: Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature
Writer: Robin Brande
Copyright Date: 2007
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
ISBN: 9780375843495
Genre/subgenre: Young adult fiction, Religion/spirituality
Interest Age: 13+
Reading Level: Upper Grades (UG 9-12)
Pages: 268
Awards: Best books for Young Adults, 2008, American Library Association; Kirkus Review recommended for Young Adult Reading Groups
Part I: Reader’s Annotation, Plot Summary, Critical Evaluation
Reader’s Annotation -- High schooler Mena is learning that the values she learned in church can conflict with the lessons she’s being taught in school. A heated debate about evolution versus intelligent design unfolds in her biology classroom pitting Mena’s former church friends against her favorite teacher and herself.
Plot Summary -- Mena is grounded, permanently. Her conservative Christian parents are watching her every move since she did something that got her kicked out of church group. Now her former friends are treating her like an enemy. She shows up to school and low-and-behold she is in biology class with Teresa, her former bff and the leader of the Christian student movement that is opposing the exclusion of intelligent design from science curriculum. Teresa also has a new best friend and a bunch of followers who make a point of harassing Ms. Shepard, the smart and uncompromising biology teacher.
Mena is paired up with the class brainiac for the science project. His name is Casey and he wants to get an ‘A’ on the project so he invites Mena over to study. She knows her parents would never allow her to go to a boy’s house so when they mistakenly think Casey is a girl Mena lets them believe it. Casey seems to have a bit of a crush on Mena -- and, she does not really mind but her focus is on the project and not being in trouble with her parents (and secretly she has reciprocal feelings). The situation gets worse as the class approaches the unit on evolution. The Christian kids make a stand and insist that they also be taught intelligent design. Ms. Shepard refuses on the grounds the later is not science and she will not teach religion in her classroom. But the principle caves in after a heated school board meeting and allow the pastor of Mena's church to make a statement about intelligent design in her class.
Mena’s classmate Casey has a very outspoken sister who reports for the school paper plus maintains a blog and website. She gets very involved in the intelligent design debate as a critic of the theory. Her idea is to recruit Mena as “Bible Grrl” to fact check the Christians biblical reasoning. Mena reluctantly agrees but only anonymously. However, her parents discover the website because it’s all the talk at church, and Mena is forbidden to see Kayla or work with Casey on their class project. In fact, they forbid her to associate with anyone outside of their church or belief system. In the end, Mena comes to terms with her understanding of evolution and creation but along the way we are treated to some thoughtful insights on a controversial, complex topic affecting lots of teens today.
Critical Evaluation -- This is one of the few young adult works of fiction that addresses the issue of evangelical religion in the lives of young people from their perspective. The author crafts most of the characters -- her parents and her old best friend as opposed to her new classmates Casey, his outspoken sister Kayla and her biology teacher Ms. Shepard -- as falling on either side of the debate. Mena, the main character, is caught between these worlds, however. She has grown up attending church and studying the Bible, which she knows well and respects. But she has a falling out from her church when she questions the handling of one young man by her pastor and congregation. This begins a process in which she starts to question some fundamentals of her faith and certain inconsistencies in the Bible. Her parents are strict Christians and do not let her associate with people they don’t know or are non-Christian. As a teenager, she feels totally stifled but also wants to earn her parents trust. She also has a secret crush on Casey that she tries to push down by not thinking about him (except when she is in her yoga class). So while this novel is social issue driven there is also a narrative that most teens can identify with relative to parent determining appropriate and inappropriate activities in their lives.
A religious crisis of this nature is not an uncommon dilemma among young people, and the novel delves into the issue with sufficient depth and balance to give the reader a reason to care about the issue. And the character of Mena, who is basically a good girl but also a thoughtful one who asks questions, is quite likable and one you start cheering for as she finds her voice in the world despite her parents and her church’s attempts to tell her what to say and believe. The contrasting character of Kayla, an outspoken teen who runs the paper and challenges authority almost for fun, both inspires and checks Mena as she decides how to proceed in a world where she no longer fits but is not prepared to be a rebel against. The pastor and Christian body also serve to motivate Mena to think for herself and not follow blindly a faith that she is finding has much room for interpretation. Her coming-of-age is marked by an increasing drive to not only date boys but also to think for herself. This makes for a charming combination that most readers who have some religious trepidation can appreciate.
Part III: Author Info
“A true believer in multi-tasking, Robin Brande is or has been various combinations of the following: writer, black belt, trial attorney, entrepreneur, Girl Scout leader, community college instructor, yoga instructor, outdoor adventurer, Wilderness First Responder, and state spelling bee finals judge. Robin is the author of Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature (2007), Fat Cat (2009), Doggirl(2011), the Parallelogram series (2011-2013), the Secret Security Squad series (2012-2013), and Replay (2012). She also writes adult fiction under the names Elizabeth Ruston (romance and contemporary fiction) and Beanie Fletcher (very odd short stories)” (Brande, R., 2013).
The Random House website provides some interesting background about the author in her own words (Brande, n.d.). She is a former trial lawyer who was raised in an evangelical Baptist family. She “loved my religious upbringing”, according to the author. However, she also got herself banished from the church as one point in her youth -- a story she does not delve into in detail. In preparation for writing this novel, she says that she went back to high school and sat in on a biology class -- as well as spend the summer reading Darwin’s Origin of Species and other background material to write this novel.
Part IV: Curriculum Ties, Diversity, Booktalk Ideas, Challenge Issues
Curriculum Ties, if any -- A biology class could discuss this work and benefit from discussing the topic of intelligent design. The reasons behind the debate relate to sciences fundamental principle that supernatural explanations are not considered valid. A discussion of the subject can benefit one all involved as it gives voice to those that feel intelligent design has merits but also discusses why it has been ruled not to be appropriate for public education classrooms based on the constitution considerations about separation of church and state.
Diversity of Cultures -- American culture has a strong tradition of Christianity. However, there is an equally strong contingent of people who believe in the separation of church and state. Additionally, more and more religious perspectives are part of our increasingly diverse American population. This diversity is important to recognize and discuss. What are the implications of allowing the dominant culture to dictate school curriculum? Are the school boards becoming infiltrated by narrow minded people opposed to scientific principles in favor of creationist thinking? Is Darwinism the only theory of biological diversity that should be taught in science classes? These are difficult questions answer differently by various cultures. Brande does a good job representing the various sides in this debate and portraying the heated nature of the debate as it reaches the classrooms level.
Booktalking Ideas -- Not many people understand what is meant by Intelligent Design. How is it defined? What are the origins of the theory? What do its supporters suggest is wrong about Darwin’s theory of evolution? These questions could be discussed to help young people put the debate within this work into a context they can understand.
Challenge Issues -- Clearly, this book takes a hard and critical look at the Christian communities attempt to influence school curriculum. It might be offensive to Christian’s who feel they have a right to do just that. It might also offend some non-Christians who feel they book leaves out other possible explanations of the universe beside intelligent design and evolution. This book really only touches on these two possibilities.
Part V: Reasons chosen
This novel puts the abstraction that is the debate about the scientific viability of Darwin’s theories into a context we can all understand. A public high school biology class is pressured the setting -- and that’s exactly where this battle is being wage. Conservatives have made it a priority to become involved in school boards where they are in a position to promote certain policies and practices that are more favorable to their pet peeves. Intelligent design is certainly one of “the Christian body’s” concerns. Brande does a good job at presenting the perspectives on the issue from various sides -- the preacher, the teacher, the parents, the Christian students and the rest of the class who are bystanders in this ongoing philosophical and legal battle. Brande does a brilliant job at making us think about the origins of this difference of opinion by examining the sides through a literary context. I do feel that I understand the debate more now than before I came across this gem of YA novel on the subject. Certainly, it’s worth inclusion in any list of YA social issue novels that are both entertaining and engaging of issues faced by society and teens today.
Part VI: Citations
Brande, R. 2013. About Robin [webpage]. Retrieved from http://robinbrande.com/about
Brande, R. (n.d.). Robin Brande: In her own words. Teens@Random [website]. Retrieved from http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/authors/author.pperl?authorid=74022%23#
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