Literary Feast Invite: Ship Breaker by Paolo Baca...Bacigad...Bacigalupi (One thing is certain: If I had to memorize the spelling of his last name to pass Kindergarten, I'd still be *in* Kindergarten.)

Having felt like we've encountered a few books that we were less than enthused about during our literary feasts in the past, Monica and I have decided to try and play it a little safe for our first literature circle book of 2011.

We've decided to read and discuss the National Book Award Finalist, Ship Breaker.  Our reasons for choosing the book are varied:

1.  We've heard good things about it.
2.  I saw Paolo speak about the book a few months ago and made immediate plans to sit down and read the book.
3.  I read Paolo's portion of The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction Debate for The New York Times (but let's be honest NYT, a "debate" usually involves more...back and forth...arguments, you know, a debate.) and remembered my no-longer-not-quite-exactly "immediate" plans to read Ship Breaker.
3.  Sometimes being terrified that the world is going to end in a dystopian oily mess may give us the motivation to be planet savers instead of planet haters or planet lazy-ers.
4.  The cover is pretty.  (Sure it's supposed to be the graffitied hull of a rusted, oil tanker-detritus, but the designer managed to add a bit of sparkle to it:

Shiny.

This cautionary dystopia is set in the Gulf Coast, where Nailer scavenges among the oil tankers for copper wiring.  When he "discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life:  Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life...."

Our first literary feast/literature circle discussion will occur on...*draws a random date out of the air like a fake-psychic* on Thurs...day...Friday-ish?  So, check back at some point around ThursFriday, and I'm sure Monica and my thoughts about the first six chapters of Ship Breaker will be posted.  Be ready to share your own thoughts in the comments section.  Cool beans?