I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger

by Markus Zusak

Image Credit: I Am the Messenger at penguinrandomhouse.com

1.      Bibliography

Zusak, Markus. I Am the Messenger. Penguin Random House. New York: 2002. ISBN 0375836675.

2.      Plot Summary

Nineteen-year-old Ed Kennedy is a loser, an underage taxi driver who lives in a rundown shack with a seventeen-year-old coffee-drinking dog.  There isn’t much of a future for Ed until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery and is hailed a hero by a local newspaper.  Then, he begins receiving playing cards in the mail.  His instincts tell him that the words on the cards are clues to a larger message.  He is led to a lonely old lady, and poses as her deceased husband; he gives a barefoot runner the courage to race without shoes; he saves a woman from being abused by her husband; and, he fills Father O’Reilly’s church.  In all, Ed delivers twelve messages.  Some are easier than others.  The final clue, and maybe the most difficult of all, is Ed’s address. (From Random House)

3.      Critical Analysis

Ed and his environment are well drawn.  Ed is a realistic character and it is rewarding to watch him grow personally as he assists others.  His friends are all emotionally stunted in some regard but through Ed’s assistance they all change and grow.  You know that Ed has a heart from the beginning by the way he loves and cares for his dog Doorman.  There is a good balance between good and evil.  The unseen character that delivers the cards (missions) seems to do bad things for the ultimate good.  And, the evil delivery men are funnier than they are dangerous.

The Australian setting comes through mostly through the dialog.  Zusak uses words and phrases that remind the reader that the characters are not in/from the United States.  However, the area in which Ed lives, ‘the bad part of town’, many readers will be able to relate to.  The author provides enough detail for the reader to feel the filth and grime of Ed’s surroundings.

The situations in which Ed finds himself invite the reading audience to reflect, analyze and discuss.  Each ‘mission’ that Ed is sent on prompts the reader to reflect on whether his response is the appropriate reaction.

4.      Review Experts

~ Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year for Children (2005)

~ Honour Book, Michael L. Printz Award (2006)^[

~Common Sense Media (February 2006): “When it's good, it's very good; this award-winning novel about a slacker whose life is altered when he starts receiving mysterious playing cards in the mail has glimpses of brilliance. Aussie author Markus Zusak has that down-under way of being relaxed and hard-edged at the same time, allowing him to deal with some serious subject matter in a way that's both light and powerful. He also has a way of making his slacker characters so intelligent and appealing that it makes the reader wonder just what exactly is wrong with a life lived small and free of ambition. The resolution to the big mystery of who is sending the cards reads as if Zusak just couldn't figure out how to get out of the hole he'd dug for himself, so he just slapped this on. But if you can ignore the last 10 pages, this is a terrific, at times moving, and thought-provoking story that can lead readers to look at their own worlds in a slightly different way.”

~Kirkus Reviews (May 2010): " Kennedy slouches through life driving a taxi, playing poker with his buddies, and hanging out with his personable dog, Doorman. The girl he loves just wants to be friends, and his mother constantly insults him, both of which make Ed, an engaging, warm-hearted narrator, feel like a loser. But he starts to overcome his low self-esteem when he foils a bank robbery and then receives a series of messages that lead him to do good deeds. He buys Christmas lights for a poor family, helps a local priest, and forces a rapist out of town. With each act, he feels better about himself and builds a community of friends. The openly sentimental elements are balanced by swearing, some drinking and violence, and edgy friendships. Suspense builds about who is sending the messages, but readers hoping for a satisfying solution to that mystery will be disappointed. Those, however, who like to speculate about the nature of fiction, might enjoy the unlikely, even gimmicky, conclusion."

5.      Connections

~ Would be a good book for a book discussion.  How would the reader solve each mission on which Ed is sent?

~Read with other books by Markus Zusak

          Bridge of Clay, ISBN 0375845593

          The Book Thief, ISBN 0375842209

          Underdogs, ISBN 0545542596

          Getting the Girl, ISBN 0439389496

~Use with other books with a similar theme:

     Lowery, Lois. The Giver. ISBN 0544336267

     Lowery, Lois. Messenger. ISBN 0385732538

     Lowery, Lois. Gathering Blue. ISBN 0547904142
     Sachar, Louis. Small Steps. ISBN 0385733151