The Lemming Condition

Bubber #1

by Alan Arkin

Academy Award-winning actor and author Alan Arkin tells a brilliant tale in this young-adult novel, The Lemming Condition. The story is an allegory on conformity, as Bubber, a lemming, is faced with following his entire race to self-induced extinction. Bubber struggles to decide if he should participate in what appears to be an insane death walk, only to constantly be told by family and friends that this is just the way things are. The story provides a superb lesson on conformity, free thinking and personal accountability.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Read For School, Juvenile, Fantasy, School

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Alan Arkin was an American actor, director, author, and screenwriter.
In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for six Emmy Awards.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most influential books of my early childhood. I recently found it amongst various sentimental items that I had stored away in boxes. I just reread it and was somewhat proud of my younger self for having absorbed the powerful message at such a young age. I'm looking forward to passing this book on to my kids.

No one... not our friends, not even our own beloved parents and siblings can dictate our choices. A great way to introduce the idea of free will and personal accountability and responsibility to kids. The Lemming Condition takes the advanced adult philosophy of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and simplifies it to an applicable level for kids.

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a lemming anymore.

I read this book after seeing reviews describing it as "disturbing children's book", and... well, I was not disappointed! With a simple yet engaging style, occasionally multi-layered beyond its target audience, The Lemming Condition is a tale of finding yourself and your values, while building on a debunked legend.
I guess we've all heard about lemmings committing suicide when their numbers are too high to guarantee the survival of the species, but did you know that good old Disney helped solidify this misconception with its "documentary" White Wilderness? (You can find still find the segment I'm talking about here on YouTube) The film aired in 1958 and the book was written in the 70s, so we're dealing with ignorance enabled by a lack of internet, and yet the misinformation rubbed me the wrong way. I don't understand if the myth was exploited to convey the message, or if the author was (understandably) ignorant.
I'm not sure if I would read something else from the author, or even finish this series (spoiler alert - I probably will) because of it, but it was a nice reading experience. Was it really disturbing? Yes and no. The only recurring disturbing part is the lemmings discussing mass suicide until they act on it. But to me, that alone isn’t enough to classify the book as disturbing, even for a young audience. I'm just not sure I would pass it down to my imaginary children - sorry kids, you will get disturbing books, but I'll put my foot down on the bullshit.
Cute drawings, though.

Rating: ⭐⭐½

[Brent Braaten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book. It was lying on the sidewalk. I saved it from my dog who seemed to want to take a leak onto it. I read it that afternoon. In my head I used Alan Arkin's voice for all the characters.

[Mark Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese, I think you'll love The Lemming Condition. Similar in its brevity (Lemming is a 20-30 minute read), Alan Arkin's nifty story is an allegory on conformity. Starring a confused Lemming named Bubber, who can't figure out why his race is so eager to storm off of a cliff and fall to their death, the protagonist spends the entire story questioning his fate and the motives of his mammal race.

As the death march approaches, Bubber considers the varying opinions he's received and decides to join the crowd. Or does he?

The Lemming Condition delivers a subtle lesson that all children should learn and all adults should reconsider. This is fantastic book for 6th grade and up and would make a marvelous read aloud and open class discussion piece.

Anyone with a half hour to spare should grab this gem.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book as the most disturbing children's book--so of course I was intrigued. Basically, your cute and furry creature is a lemming named Blubber, who must decide between taking the plunge or saving his inner child. I found this book hilarious and disturbing in one sitting. This book would pair well with the classic White Wilderness lemming debacle (see the snopes link) and a glass of cabernet.

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/le...

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. NOT FOR KIDS. But a great book about making your own choices and not just following the crowd.

Also it is really SHORT, because it is cataloged in the juvenile section.

There is swearing, really mild and not much, but a little.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book prompted me to find out the real reason why lemmings jump off cliffs.

[AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites from childhood. But very disturbing. May not be suitable for very young children.

[Lafcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely in my top-ten list of lemming-based fiction.

[Vel Veeter]

“Sunlight streamed into the burrow, landed on the floor, worked its way slowly up the wall, and came to rest on Bubber’s face.”

Apparently Alan Arkin wrote some children’s books, like this one. You can guess from the title perhaps the general idea for the book here. A young lemming learns about the upcoming mass drowning called I think “The Big Swim” (I know I know, I have also read Snopes about it), and starts to question it. No one in his immediate surrounding seems to understand why he is and he keeps looking for answers to the basic question of “why?” And only when he meets an older lemming who apparently himself has avoided ever participating does he realize it’s possible to resist, or more so, just not be involved. And so he does, and when everything is over, he notices several other lemmings left over, having apparently slept through the event, and now that they’ve missed it, they’re bummed. The book leaves with the idea that these survivors will carry on the mythos of the next big swim.

It’s a book about conformity, but not really about resisting, not in the traditional way. The culture that includes this huge death drive can be escaped from, but not stopped. The book ends up being a little less like a dystopian novel, and just a little exploration of the Allegory of the Cave. You can have the knowledge, but don’t expect anyone to care.

[Amber Siler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and what a treat! I am reordering copies for all my friend’s children! Especially now that we are living in a time where #groupthink and media propaganda and fear mongering are par for the course globally and politically, this book provides children with an age-appropriate and uniquely important reminder to think critically for themselves despite what others are doing around you. I read this book out loud to my adult child so that we could do voices and stuff, and it’s a great book for that kind of ‘bringing text to life’ theatrical character dialogue as well. Most importantly, core themes and lessons from this short book evoke hope for the future that is maintained by connecting the characters with the sacred value of life and choice, exploring and making friends different from yourself, shifting perspectives and expanding vantage points, and authentic empowerment that comes from truth, natural observations, asking questions, making informed choices AND identifying appropriate reasonable course of actions. A Treasure in the children’s literature especially for #giftedchildren or existentially questioning children or children who identify as #outliers in traditional or social-emotional settings.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a vividly written story about a young lemming who is coming to terms with the gulf between his developing ideas and that of his community. It eschews any easy or happy solutions - it's brutally honest about how difficult it can be to make the choice to think for one's self and do what one knows is right, regardless of what is popular or received truth. Asking hard questions, grappling with the line between tradition and independence - the lessons here would resonate with a wide range of younger and older readers. Plus, there is a critical-thinking and wise Crow character, which is very fun.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this quick little allegory in one sitting when I woke up too early, and had finished before I noticed it was penned by Alan Arkin. It's really quite an essential read, I'm surprised it was never assigned in my schooling. The premise is simple-- one little Lemming, prompted by a friend's provoking question-- "Can you swim?"-- begins to question the mass behavior of his community in their preparations to make the big, unknown leap. He is relentless in his inquiry and independent in his thought.

[Raphael Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's story is pretty interesting because in the story the characters were talking about going west into the ocean. At first I thought that they were going to swim or something, but then when I got to the end it turned out that they were all suiciding by jumping into ocean, but leaving a few babies behind to start their civilization all over again, which I thought was very queer. Also, the main character, Bubber, was too full of fear that he didn't suicide like all the others.

[Melainebooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je sais que c'est sur la liste de recommandations de l'Education Nationale mais je n'ai pas vraiment aimé ma lecture même si j'ai très bien compris le message véhiculé par le roman. C'est un peu trop fouillis et l'action trop courte. Dommage.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lemming Condition is a great allegory for the effects of conforming. The protagonist is the only character who questions his fellow lemmings on why they jump into the ocean. In a time when people tend to follow the crowd, this is a great story on the importance of being an independent thinker.

[Ødegård Solveig · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Would love to perform this story as a stageplay! Funny, witty and taunting.

[Owen Demers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book when I was a kid. Messed me up good.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting ..i loved it. It was a relaxing but poignant tale of identity searching and i liked to know more about new living species: Lemmings 💚

[Forked Radish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely fable. Arkin is a genuine Brooklynese Aesop.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my gosh. This is quite possibly my least favorite book of all time! (besides Twilight. Maybe)

Basically, it's about an adorable little animal.

Then, All of his friends jump off a cliff. But he doesn't.

That's it. Now, I understand this is probably supposed to be for younger kids, and about peer pressure and stuff, but it's almost disturbing. I read this when I was 11 for an assignment, and I hated it.

Basically, if you have a choice, don't read it.

[Letticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was read to me in elementary school and I remember really loving it, so I bought it now. I really remember the story being so much longer but that must be because I was a child. I still really love this story about the nonconformist lemming. This is a great story to read to your children as it will teach them to question everything and think for themselves.

[CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK PHD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that reads with the kind of urgency and intensity of a dystopian sci-fi, where the author is warning us of something terrible in the near future. It's a far deeper and more disturbing book than people give it credit for. It deserves to be up there with The Giver in terms of mind-expanding fiction for wide audiences.

[Adelissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very confused that this was on a 4th grade reading list. Strong language, and extremely dark. I would say no younger than 6th grade but maybe I grew up sheltered. I don't think most kids would understand all the nuance and philosophical discussions that could stem from this book. I did enjoy it but definitely not for the elementary crowd imo.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder what Bubber will do? The book was ok, but the idea was sad about the Lemmings. I think Bubber did a great choice! He really is a brave lemming. I like that all of the lemmings didn't die, that some didn't jump off the cliff and die. It was kind of sad.

[manatee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This engaging but depressing book ends with a very forlorn and troubling scene. Our hero is all alone in the world and really there is little hope.

[Arielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with this book and it's always nice to give it a re-read. Go Bubber, go!

[Tressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!! Fabulous insights to making choices. Quick, short, read.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be a lemming!!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read, a great life lesson, simple & true