Young Adult Book Club discussion

1.
I think Cinder was reckless. How many times does the doctor need to tell her to stay away from the palace before she listens?? She fixed up the car without testing it apparently; how was she going to run away if she couldn't make it to the palace? However, I think she was brave in her own way, and she cared about people.

2. --

3.
I've never been very good at symbolism.
Glass slipper- Cinder's 11-year-old foot
Pumpkin carriage- the old orange car, her escape to a new life
The ball- still a ball that she wasn't allowed to attend
Fairy Godmother- the tech on Luna that encourages her to go to the ball to warn Kai (who, with the description of her long tangled hair, made me think of Rapunzel)

4.
For Cinder to be human, I believe she needs a regular human brain that processes situations and emotions the way humans do. While I understood she had several mechanical parts and a few human parts, I never could tell if she still had her original brain. If she has a computer chip for a brain, then I don't feel like she's the same person anymore-- she's not Selena. Having a computer chip for a brain makes a being a robot. She wouldn't be an advanced Iko made from a human corpse :/

However, if Cinder's brain is still intact then I believe she IS human (well, she would be if she wasn't Lunar). Cyborgs in the Earthen society are no less human than people with prosthetic legs. Their technology is so advanced, and computers such an intricate part of the Cyborg, that I can understand the Earthens' fear and disregard towards the Cyborgs. They never know if the being has a human brain or a robotic one. Robots like Iko are cute and everything, but I hope we never see robots so human like.

And then there are the Lunars, Moon people evolved from a human colony. I don't believe they're 'human' anymore. Though still human-like, they're a different species with unique abilities that allow them to control emotions , actions, what people do. I think they are similar to human-like aliens.

5.
Who else feels like Cinder is a combination of Snow White and Cinderella?
Also, what could the doctor have done differently to find Cinder? Besides killing off all the other Cyborgs?? That was awful.

1. I enjoyed seeing the aspects of Cinderella in Cinder. She was a servant and attractive to the prince and bonded with creatures considered annoying to others (Iko).
2. My favorite part of Cinder was when she realized she was Princess Selene.
3. Cinderella and Cinder both have a mean stepmother and stepsisters and a dead, nice father and a Prince Charming. The glass slipper is her robotic foot. The carriage is the orange car. The ball is the party that Prince Kai hosts. I think Cinder is her own fairy godmother. She fixes the broken car into her "carriage," finds Peony's dress to wear and works for the money to get a better foot. You could also argue that Iko, the Lunar girl, or Dr. Erland were the fairy godmothers.
4. A human is someone with a certain amount of intelligence, creativity, ability to communicate through language, creation and appreciation of art and creation of complex tools. People were afraid of what something with robotic elements in their brain that gave them unlimited access to the internet and people's profiles and the ability to know if they are lying, so they decided to make their status and what they had to say be seen as unimportant. The same thing goes for Lunars, once they developed the ability to control people and hide true appearances. In our world, this is similar to how people are unsure of people that are different from them such as slavery, racism, sexism, homophobia, and other discrimination and putting down on ethnicity and religion.
5. Yes! I have already read Scarlet and Cress and cannot wait to read Winter!
6. No.

@Robin: I just finished Scarlet. I thought it was even better than Cinder! Can't wait for the next one, Cess, to become available at my library.