Metaltown (47 page)

“You're staying.” He held her against his body, and when she lifted her face from his neck his mouth found hers, and they both tasted the salty tears as they flowed from her eyes.

“I'm staying,” he said with a smile. “Someone's got to keep the boss honest.”

In the street she could hear Hayak shouting out his final call for dinner. She could hear the bells from Beggar's Square warning its patrons that the Board and Care would soon close its doors. She could hear the hiss and crank of a train pulling out of the station.

And somewhere in the distance, she could hear laughter.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are books that are easy to write (
Article 5
), and books that are hard (
Three
—but honestly, I was pregnant, so keeping my eyes open was hard, too), books that are emotionally wringing (
The Glass Arrow
), and books where you question every little decision you make (
Breaking Point
). And then there are books like
Metaltown,
which are just fun.

When I think of this story, the first thing I feel is lucky, because it was an absolute joy to work on from the first page to the last. Sure, I cried some (okay, that one part? I cried A LOT), and I smacked my palm against my forehead more than a few times, but overall, it was the best experience. I fell in love with Colin, Lena, and Ty from the very beginning. I thought of little else while writing their story. The words flew from my fingertips every time I sat down to work. It's not always like that, but it was for
Metaltown,
and I thank you, reader, so very much for giving it a chance. I hope you love this story as much as I do.

As always, it takes a village to raise a baby book. This never would have been possible without one of my favorite people in the world, Melissa Frain, sassiest editor in New York (I'm convinced), or her assistant, Amy Stapp, who just makes everything work (including the pranks I pull on The Frain). My agent, Joanna MacKenzie, is one of the coolest chicks ever, and I'm so fortunate to have Danielle and Abby from Browne and Miller on my side as well. Huge hugs, as always, to the team at Tor Teen (say that ten times fast!): my wonderful publicist, Alexis Saarela; Seth Lerner, who nailed it again with this cover; Christopher Gibbs, whose artwork has blown my mind again; and of course, Kathleen Doherty, the publisher who continues to make my dreams come true. I am grateful for you all.

A special thank-you to Adelynne, who was one of the first people to preorder
The Glass Arrow
, for generally just being made of awesome. If we ever meet, Adelynne, expect hugs. There's just no way around it.

Thank you to my friends, who make it possible for me to be me. Deanna, who keeps me sane (HAHA. YEAH RIGHT. Who allows for my crazy, is more like it!); Katie McGarry, who can always laugh us out of our worst moments; Jenny Z, I adore you, you know that; Kendare Blake, for your support of Ty and of me; the ladies at Jazzercise (UPTOWN FUNK GONNA GIVE IT TO YOU); and obviously Sara Raasch, for basically just being my everything.

Thank you so much to the people who were kind enough to write early reviews for the book: Cori Smith, Caitlin Fletcher, and Rachel Strolle, the best booksellers out there, I'm convinced; Jaime Arkin from Fiction Fare and Meg Caristi from Swoony Boys, I am forever glad that Chase (and Sean) brought us together; and Kristie Hofelich Ennis and Gwen Wethington, who fight on the front lines for literacy every day by placing books in the hands of their students. All of you make such a difference in the world. I hope you know you've made a huge difference in mine.

And as always, thank you to my family. My mom, who will never forgive me for how things went down with Brax, and my dad, who thinks every book is my best. I hope I can be the kind of parents you are. Thank you also to Lisa, Lindsay, Steve, and Elizabeth for your constant warmth and love.

Finally, thank you to Jason and Ren, who make me want to be better, and stronger, and more, every single day. There are times I swear I feel my heart stretching with the love I have for you both.

 

Tor Teen Reading & Activity Guide to

METALTOWN

by
Kristen Simmons

Ages 13–17; Grades 8–12

About This Guide

The Common Core State Standards–aligned questions and activities that follow are intended to enhance your reading of
Metaltown.
Please feel free to adapt this content to suit the needs and interests of your students or reading group participants.

Supports Common Core State Standards: W.8.3, W.9-10.3, W.11-12.3; and SL.8.1, SL.9-10.1, SL.11-12.1

Developing Reading & Discussion Skills

  1.  
Metaltown
is told from three characters' viewpoints. Have you read other novels told from multiple points of view? What might be some reasons an author would choose to structure a novel in this way?

  2.  As the novel begins, what are your impressions of Colin and Ty? What is their relationship to each other? What does it mean for a person to “have your back” in
Metaltown
?

  3.  How does Ty feel when Jed Schultz asks Colin to run an errand on behalf of the Brotherhood? How do the intended recipients react when Colin tries to deliver Jed's gift?

  4.  In Chapter 3, readers meet the third narrator. How do Lena's lifestyle, education, and understanding of her country's political and economic situation different from Colin's and Ty's? Whom do you think sees the situation most clearly?

  5.  Compare and contrast the power dynamics between Jed Schultz, the Brotherhood, and Metaltown; McNulty and Bakerstown; and Hampton Industries and the River District.

  6.  
Here
, Colin is tempted to hit a kid before thinking, “What did picking on a kid prove? That he was Minnick, that's what.” How does this speak to a larger sense of the morality on the streets of Metaltown? Cite other examples from the story in your answer.

  7.  Describe Lena's relationships with her tutor, Darcy; her brother, Otto; and her father. Compare the ways in which Lena is vulnerable or trapped in her circumstances to the ways in which this is the case for Ty and for Colin.

  8.  Who is Hayden? How might Hayden's choices and actions be seen as a representation of many who feel powerless in Metaltown? What pressure does Hayden's situation put on Colin?

  9.  What is corn flu? How did it become the scourge of the nation? What other risks are part of daily life in Metaltown and even over the Beltway in the richer areas?

10.  How does Lena first meet Colin? What problems with Hampton Industries does she begin to uncover as she reviews Otto's management reports?

11.  What new tragedy befalls Ty when she is sent to help at the Stamping Mill, and how does Lena subsequently make Ty's situation worse? Compare this to the way Lena's father treats Aja and Darcy. Do these comparisons affect your views on where to assign blame in the novel, or where to place the responsibility for trying to bring about change?

12.  How is Lena's Chapter 21 reunion with her old nanny a pivotal moment for her character and for the direction of the story? Cite quotes from the novel in your answer.

13.  What is a “press”? As you consider the history of “presses” in Metaltown, do you feel that Colin is right or wrong to want to attempt a press by the Small Parts workers? Why or why not?

14.  What action does Jed Schultz take when Colin refuses to join the Brotherhood? What threat does this cause to Cherish and the rest of Colin's family? How does it change Lena's understanding of what Colin wants to do in Small Parts?

15.  What secret of Ty's identity is revealed in Chapter 29? What truth about Darcy's past is shared in Chapter 30? How do these revelations change the power dynamic between Metaltown and Bakerstown? How do they change Lena's view of her father's empire?

16.  Where is Colin imprisoned? How does he escape? What secondary characters rise to the occasion during Colin's escape?

17.  
Here
, just before chasing after Lena, Colin tells Ty, “You're still my best man, you know that?” How does Ty react to these words and why?

18.  What is the truth about Lena's hands? Does learning it change your understanding of Lena? Does telling him this truth change Lena's view of Colin? If so, in what ways?

19.  How does the author use objects of clothing as physical representations of Lena's, Ty's, and other characters' emotional states throughout the story?

20.  How does Ty bring muscle to Colin's side as the press morphs into a battle? What alliances and loathings are revealed in Chapters 36 through 38? How does Lena bring the fighting to an end?

21.  What is Rosie's? Why is it important? Who invented it? Why can't it be real?

22.  War is a distant threat in the lives of the citizens in the book, while disease is a daily menace. Can you think of analogous menaces (near and far) in today's world? How do these threats affect your thoughts and behaviors?

23.  
Here
, Lena notes that her father viewed the war as a conflict between “need” and “entitlement.” Do other characters see the situation in the same way? How might this notion be viewed as a critical theme of the novel?

24.  As the story concludes, Lena “… mused about how ignorant she'd once been to all that went on inside the factory, and how fearful she'd been of all that existed outside. She knew better now.…” (
here
) How might
Metaltown
be read as a warning about the dangers of ignorance—or of closing one's eyes to others' suffering and corruption?

Supports Common Core State Standards: RL.8.1-4, 8.6; RL.9-10.1-5; RL.11-12.1-6; and SL.8.1, 3, 4; SL.9-10.1, 3; SL.11-12.1, 3.

Developing Research & Writing Skills

Building a Story: Setting, Language, Plot, Character

*
WORLD-BUILT HISTORY.
The action of
Metaltown
takes place in the context of dramatic past events—famine, war, disease, strikes. In dystopian and science fiction literature, incorporating such background is part of the writing process of world-building. Use information from the text to write a short history of the world of
Metaltown
to present to friends or classmates. Discuss what questions you imagine the author may have asked herself to develop the world of the story.

*
A METAL LEXICON
. From slang like “green,” “nitro,” and “Metalheads,” to phrases like “the truth settled over both of them, cruel and cold as the Metaltown night” (
here
), the author uses powerful, specific language to script her story's world. Make a
Metaltown
dictionary, listing and defining at least twelve words or phrases to share with readers of the novel.

*
CREATED CRISES
. Over the course of the novel, Lena pieces together the terrible truth about Hampton Industries. Imagine you are a newspaper reporter who has the opportunity to interview Lena (and other characters, if desired) at the end of the story. Write an exposé article on Josef Hampton and the transgressions committed by his company.

*
MOTHERS AND FATHERS
. From the cruel Josef Hampton to the dying Cherish, the novel explores the positive and negative roles played by fathers and mothers and the ways their children embrace or reject the identities given to them by their parents. In the character of a parent from the novel, write a letter to your child which includes an element of praise, an apology, and a piece of advice.

*
FINDING FAMILY
. Is family made of people you can trust, those you must protect, and/or those who will love you? Create a chart comparing the way Colin, Ty, and Lena each define family in the early chapters of the book and toward its end. Note how each character's family circle evolves over the course of the story, and how this affects their actions and views of the world. If desired, write a poem, song, or essay entitled, “Family is…”

*
WHAT HAVE WE CREATED?
Here
, Lena reflects that, “Otto had not been born this way, he'd been made this way, a product of her father's worst qualities. Even if he applied himself … the bar would be raised just as it came in reach, and Otto would find himself lacking over and over again. She was not the only Hampton with bruises.” Is Otto a human manifestation of the state of the
Metaltown
nation, politically, economically, industrially, and even medically? Might Lena's reflection be applied to dangerous people in our real world—is she explaining how they reach the point of committing acts of terrorism or violence? Write a 2–3 page response to one of these questions.

Beyond the Covers: Themes, Concepts, and World Narrative

*
UNITED
. Former AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R. Donahue once said, “The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor.” Do you agree or disagree? Divide into groups to research the history the American labor union movement. Then, debate Donahue's statement, referencing quotes from
Metaltown
and information from your research.

*
REALITY BITES
. From the risks of corn flu to the job of “taster,” food is a dangerous thing in the
Metaltown
world. Assign each student a character from the story. From these viewpoints, have character pairs such as Darcy and Lena OR Josef and Otto Hampton OR Jed Schultz and McNulty OR Hayak and Colin role-play a dialogue in which they unravel and discuss how finding nourishment has become such a perilous activity. Compare and contrast the outcomes of the dialogues.

*
REALITY RELATES
. Could a toxic food scenario happen in America? Are we putting the food supply at risk through industrial farming and genetic modification? Go to the library or online to research your answer. (Hint: Resources could include
Food, Inc.
by Peter Pringle,
Foodopoly
by Wenonah Hauter, and websites maintained by the Food and Drug Administration at
www.fda.gov/food/
and the Center for Food Safety at
www.centerforfoodsafety.org
). Organize your research on at least fifteen fact cards (index cards). Then use your research to write a newspaper editorial or a letter to a state representatives sharing your thoughts about the potential for a toxic food scenario.