![]() ![]() From Peter’s use of empathy as a weapon, to Valentine’s uncontrollable sympathy for those around her, to Ender’s devastating tension between the two. Every aspect of the novel revolves around a nuanced exploration of what empathy really is and why it matters. I have an almost infinite number of books that I recommend people to read at one point or another, but Ender’s Game is on that very short list of novels that I feel is truly universal. And that’s the key to why these characters, of Ender and Peter and Valentine, still pop off the page almost thirty years later. ![]() Card blew those tropes out of the water with children who fight, die, bond, and think, while still retaining the vestiges of childhood that render their decisions often inexplicable to adults. In stories, children tend to be presented as either miniature adults, or some sort of mentally disabled version of human beings. This was an author that not only understood children, but understood smart children. ![]() When I was twelve years old, I read Ender’s Game and had my mind blown. This piece originally appeared on Pajiba. ![]()
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