Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

On the Island, by Tracey Garvis-Graves

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.

Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

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Mary and I are planning an impromptu “buddy read” on this one sometime during the week of June 24 - 30. Exact date to be determined.

This is tagged a “Young Adult-Mature.”

All are welcome. Just stop by to say “Hi!” or to answer some or all of the Discussion Questions (DQs). Or lurk! Whatever, but...

EXPECT SPOILERS!

Participants
Mary
Tasheana
Laura
Lisa Kay

Lurkers
Sashana
Lisarenee

Chapter breakdown. (Hyperlinks to posted DQs.)

Date		Chapters		PPDQs*
June 26		Chp. 1 – 11		Lisa Kay
June 27		Chp. 12 – 22		Lisa Kay
June 28		Chp. 23 – 38		Mary
June 29		Chp. 39 – 55		Laura
June 30		Chp. 55 – Epilogue	Lisa Kay

*PPDQ = Person Posting Discussion Questions

GLOSSARY: (from Wiki)

archipelago: sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. Archipelagos may be found isolated in bodies of water or neighboring a large land mass.

atoll: a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.

Malhosmadulhu Atoll seen from space.
"Fasdutere" and Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll can be seen in this picture.

estuary: is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.

lagoon: a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands or reefs. Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons. They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries. Lagoons are common coastal features around the world.

Maldives: Officially Republic of Maldives, also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep Islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south-west of Sri Lankaand 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India.

The Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of the cultures reflecting the peoples who settled on the islands, reinforced by religion and language. The earliest settlers were probably from southern India and Sri Lanka. They are linguistically and ethnically related to the people in the Indian subcontinent. They are ethnically known as Dhivehis.

Malé: capital of the Maldives.

Pictures from area:












White sand beaches.

Reserved.

Reserved.

Ohh I'm in! I've been wanting to read this one on a friends rec forever! I'm excited :)

Great, Tasheana! Sounds fun.

I am in for this one since I couldn't get a copy of that other book.

Awesome, Tasheana and Laura! Can't wait to read this.

Lisa Kay, I wish I could loan you my copy while still being able to read it.

There are quite a few Kindle Lending boards on the web, LK, maybe you can try one of them.

I have someone who has offered it to me. I just need to contact her. Thanks, though, everyone.

This one's going to be made into a movie.

It is!?! Neat. Do you know who is starring in it, Lisarenee?

They just bought the rights a week or so ago.

I love it when self published authors make it big.

May 4, 2012 – “I received some fantastic news yesterday and I'm beyond thrilled to announce that On the Island has been optioned for a feature film by MGM."

I just read the blurb (I usually avoid reading them). A romance between a 17 year old and a 30 year old?! *faints*

I'm a little surprised by this one too. I've been debating on whether to read it. I only noticed Mary was requesting someone to buddy read Grave Mercy. I didn't notice this one till Lisa Kay said she'd be interested in reading it. With all the talk about teacher-student relationships this one has the potential to be an extremely controversial read.

Lisarenee wrote: "I'm a little surprised by this one too. I've been debating on whether to read it. I only noticed Mary was requesting someone to buddy read Grave Mercy. I didn't notice this one till Lisa Kay said s..."

And movie! I can already hear the protests.

I sure hope he turns eighteen in time.

The blurb says he's almost 17 so he's 16 in the book. Obviously I can't judge before I read but it sounds pretty unethical to me. Even if he were 17 going on 18 it would still be wrong.

Put me down as a lurker, LK. This one sounds really, really interesting!

It does seem very scandalous! I am looking forward to reading it. I agree with the unethical bit Sashana, but I am still gonna read it.

I sincerely doubt it. I think it says he starts out as 16 about to turn 17. But here's food for thought--I don't think all states declare 18 as the age of consent. Some go as low as 16 while other have 17.

Laura wrote: "It does seem very scandalous! I am looking forward to reading it. I agree with the unethical bit Sashana, but I am still gonna read it."

I don't blame you. The best books are often controversial.

I just looked on Wikipedia and about half the US has 16 as the age of consent.

Lisarenee wrote: "I sincerely doubt it. I think it says he starts out as 16 about to turn 17. But here's food for thought--I don't think all states declare 18 as the age of consent. Some go as low as 16 while other ..."

I don't think this extends teachers (I'm just guessing, I have no proof). I would assume that teachers have a code of conduct in many states and this would be on the "not to do" list.

Georgia Supreme Court says Teachers can Legally have Sex with Students

That's just disturbing.

This is what I'm thinking using my handy-dandy critical thinking skills: Yes the consensual age may be 16 but if teachers agree to sign a contract with the school board saying that it is forbidden to date students and they agree to the terms and conditions then they can be prosecuted in the court of law (state laws be damned) because they breached a contract. That's how I would go about it if I were in Education Administration.

I'm from oklahoma, and as a senior in hs I witnessed a teacher fired and sent to prison for having sexual relations with more than one 16+ student. It was quite the scandal.

We just had a coach at the high school in the school district I work for get fired for having relations with one of his athletes.

This should be very interesting. I am so NOT into "Mrs. Robinson" stories (I know I have a bookshelf entitled that, but the author has to tread lightly.) I also think the age of consent should be 18. Maybe 17 for boys... but I'm not sure.

However, there is so much involved here. They are alone on an island for months and months. Just look at Survivor to see that you get LONELY out there. You're scared, you're worried you'll never see civilization again, you grow closer and closer to the one you are with... Yeah, this issue looks complicated.

We've had 2 such scandals where I live. One at our neighborhood high School and the second at a local middle school I often drive by where I believe the student was well under age. The last one made the national news. Deborah LeVey. She didn't do any jail time because her lawyer argued, "She's too pretty to go to jail." Gah!

Wow. Bc genetics now play a part in whether criminals are put behind bars.. (casey anthony).*smh..

Lisarenee wrote: "We've had 2 such scandals where I live. One at our neighborhood high School and the second at a local middle school I often drive by where I believe the student was well under age. The last one mad..."

Ha! Her lawyer must have been a genius to use that arguement and win.

Sashana wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "We've had 2 such scandals where I live. One at our neighborhood high School and the second at a local middle school I often drive by where I believe the student was well under age..."

Wow! I didn't realize people were that stupid (oops, did I just say that). I mean the stupidity just boggles the mind. Who were those jurors? I might need them the next time I commit a crime, LOL.

Lisa Kay wrote: "However, there is so much involved here. They are alone on an island for months and months. Just look at Survivor to see that you get LONELY out there. You're scared, you're worried you'll never see civilization again, you grow closer and closer to the one you are with... Yeah, this issue looks complicated. "

And what will happen when they get rescued and brought back to society? If they're together at the end of this, that is? Yes, this'll be very interesting.

It sounds a little like that one movie The Blue Lagoon although the two shipwrecked people were adolescents around the same age. I can't remember how old they were when they got stranded in that movie.

Okay, last night I got an invite for a 13 year-old boy to be his friend. Is this a coincidence or because I have been posting in this thread? I have NEVER received an invite from a young boy before. I rarely even get any male friend-invites, since most of my reading consists of romance books. He has 79 books, no friends, and I am the ONLY one he is following.

Why do I picture a law enforcement officer sitting at a computer with a beer belly and a hot cup of coffee?

You always have to wonder...

I have received a request for friendship of a young boy, but I'm pretty sure I helped him answer a homework question about The Book Thief. I declined the invitation.

Lisarenee wrote: "You always have to wonder..."

Yes, you do! He also sent me a PM. He liked my Gone With the Wind review; said I seemed "nice." I really want to tell him to find some friends his own age, but I don't even know what groups to suggest.

It seems suspect to me.

Laura wrote: "It seems suspect to me."

Thanks, Laura. Didn't know if I was just paranoid.

Lisa Kay, did you manage to get your hands on a copy of this?

No, I'll go ask now. Thanks for the reminder, Mary. ☺

I can't remember who said they would lean it to me... or maybe I'm confusing it with another book. Anywayzzz... I just used part of my Amazon Gift Card. Mine doesn't look like it is lendable, so I'm taking that note down. Hope this one is a keeper.

I'm sorry that you had to buy it! Although, on the bright side, it is cheaper than most ebooks out there. Hoping this one is a keeper, too.

Let me know what day you want to start this one.

Okay, I posted the chapter breakdown above. I have a guy coming out to do an estimate on some work at my house this afternoon. I don't know how low it will take or when they can start working, so I'll keep you posted if things change. This is about 20% of the book a day. Okay?

Looks good, Lisa Kay!

Okay, then tomorrow it is?

Yep! :)