Ender’s military training begins before most of us are ready
to give up playing with dolls or building forts in the back yard with our
friends. In Ender’s world such childish things are not made for children.
Children are made to defend Earth from a pending attack. Military training is
comprised of games that the tiny soldiers play to hone their strategic thinking
and reasoning. Ender soon realizes that the teachers at his military school
have more than basic training in mind.
This book strikes a chord with the reader, not because the
reader has been in a similar situation, but because Ender’s struggle is one
that is universal. How do we judge between right and wrong when those around us
live in the gray? Are we still culpable for our actions when we are not aware
of the outcomes they produce? How can we rectify the wrongs that we have committed
and still continue to live productive lives? We may ask these questions as
adults, but Ender must come to terms with these same questions as a young boy.
The plot, at times repetitive and predictable, is not the redeeming
piece of this novel. What makes this story so compelling is its ability to
stimulate deeper thinking in regards to the responsibility we hold for our own
decisions and their ultimate consequence regardless of our intentions.
There are more books related to the Ender story and I will definitely
be adding them to my ‘To Read’ list.
