Reached (41 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank:

My husband, who sees beauty in both poetry and equations, and who never fails to believe and build up;

Our four children, who are the how and why of everything I write;

My parents and my brother and sisters;

Dr. Gregory F. Burton, (who generously let me use his Goldilocks/Xanthe analogy in the text, and who helped me with the immunology involved in the story) and Dr. Matthew O. Leavitt (who lent his expertise as a pathologist). Any science that works regarding the Plague, its mutation, and the tablets is due to Dr. Burton and Dr. Leavitt—the fiction is all my fault;

Ashlee Child, R.N., who answered many questions about nursing and patient care;

Dale Hepworth, fisheries biologist, who sent me information and photos of sockeye salmon (the “redfish” Lei tells Xander about in
Reached
);

My cousin Peter Crandall, a commercial airline pilot, who helped me with the flying scenes in the novel, and introduced me to the Osprey, the inspiration for the Pilot’s ship;

My ancestor, Polly Rawson Dinsdale, and the other pioneers who ate sego lily bulbs to survive hard times and inspired the use of that flower in this story;

Josie Lauritsen Lee, Lisa Mangum, and Robison Wells, who waded through early drafts and gave valuable and empowering feedback;

Lizzie Jolley, Mikayla Kirkby, and Mylee Sanders, who were unfailingly patient and kind with my children and with me;

My agent, Jodi Reamer, who piloted this series from beginning to end, guiding always with gusto and good humor back to where we needed to be (and on to places I hadn’t dreamed of);

My editor, Julie Strauss-Gabel, who served as physic and poet, nurturing the manuscript and shaping it with her unparalleled intelligence and perception;

The wonderful team at Writers House, including Alec Shane and Cecilia de la Campa;

The fantastic people at Penguin: Scottie Bowditch, Erin Dempsey, Theresa Evangelista, Felicia Frazier, Erin Gallagher, Anna Jarzab, Liza Kaplan, Lisa Kelly, Eileen Kreit, Rosanne Lauer, Jen Loja, Shanta Newlin, Emily Romero, Irene Vandervoort, and Don Weisberg;

And you, the reader, for taking this journey with Cassia, Ky, and Xander, and with me.

Make the Matched Trilogy your next book club pick!

Questions and Topics for Discussion

MATCHED

• Matched
  is told in first person; how would the story be different if someone besides Cassia were telling it?
  
• The Society only allows citizens to own one object from the past. What can readers learn about Cassia’s world from this rule? If you were asked to select a single item to pass down to another generation, what would it be and why?
  
• What is the purpose of the three emergency tablets each member of the Society is required to carry with them at all times? Why is Cassia encouraged to never take the green tablet? Consider the lack of effectiveness the tablets have on both Xander and Ky. In your opinion, does this put them at an advantage?
  
• Each member of the Society is assigned a job as well as a spouse. Consider your personal strengths. What role might you play in such a community? What problems might arise from being given a job based only on your strengths?
  
• Readers learn that in Cassia’s Society, only one hundred pieces of art, music, and literature are saved from the past as a way to ensure that their world isn’t too cluttered. Do you agree with such a practice? What are some of the other outcomes for the Society by providing such restrictions?
  
• Throughout the course of the novel, Cassia, Xander, and Ky learn that the world as they know it might never be the same. In what ways will it be better or worse for them? Have you had an experience that reshaped your life? In what ways have you changed due to this incident?
  
• On Cassia’s grandfather’s eightieth birthday, he and his family participate in his Final Banquet. What is your opinion of how death is treated by the Society? How does Cassia’s attitude toward this prescribed death sentence change throughout the course of the novel?
  

CROSSED

• Crossed
  opens with Ky performing an informal last rites ceremony for one of the lost as he recites the poem “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. What can readers infer about Ky from his actions? What is it about this particular poem that makes it so special for Ky and others who wish to change Society?
  
• In
  Crossed
  , readers gain a better understanding of the Society’s intent to preserve DNA of Society members in good standing in hopes of overcoming death. Are there any parallels to the preservation tactics in our present society? If you were given a similar opportunity, would you want to participate? Why or why not?
  
• Throughout the novel, the story is told in alternating chapters by Ky and Cassia. In what ways does hearing these diverse perspectives benefit the story?
  
• While considering his compass and the scrap of green silk from Cassia’s gown from the Matching ceremony, Ky states, “Because in the end you can’t always choose what to keep. You can only choose how you let it go.” Explain his statement. In what ways does this speak to the events that transpire through the course of the novel?
  
• Why does Ky seem so reluctant to serve as the Pilot for the Rising? Do you agree with his decision? Why or why not?
  
• Trust is a major theme throughout the novel; offer specific examples where a character’s willingness (or unwillingness) to trust others (or himself) proves advantageous or disastrous.
  

THE MATCHED TRILOGY

Readers will discover that the Matched trilogy draws the reader into a unique world with disturbingly close echoes of our own and one that asks penetrating questions about how we live together in a society. These books challenge readers to consider the following:

• What must we give up, for example, in order to live in peace?
  
• How much should the individual lose of himself or herself for the collective good?
  
• Can we ignore and minimize pain in our lives—both physical and emotional—to live happier existences?
  
• Are we destined to love one person or can our choices influence how and who we love?