Averyl Cobb, 2016 Level 2, Honorable Mention

Dear Lois Lowry,

Before reading Messenger I never thought about immigration or poverty in other countries. I knew it was happening but I never gave it much thought. Before reading this book I never paid attention to the news when it talked about refugees, or the people that turned their backs on them. I never paid attention to the way people talk about immigration, or people from other countries. It didn’t peak my interest when I heard someone say things like “This is our America.” Your book changed that for me, I suddenly started to care more about the people we turned away. I became angry at people who didn’t think we should help them, but most of all your book made me fear what humans can be like much more.

It wasn’t for a long time after reading Messenger as well as Son that I realized Matty’s village was a metaphor for The United States, and countries like it. Only once I realized this, did I understand how terrible it is when human beings are denied the right to live in peace and safety. But it is even worse and hypocritical when people who were once refugees themselves are the ones denying this freedom. Much like Lord of the Flies It gave me a better look at the human heart and how easily it can become dark, twisted, angry, and irrational when faced with fear. I finally saw an example of what happens when people gain wealth and possessions fast enough they forget what it was like when they were the ones in need.

Of course like much art, Matty’s journey didn’t only reveal darkness in the human heart to me. It also showed some light as well. After walking away from these words I wasn’t only angry about the hypocrisy of denying people safety, or how easily it is to corrupt others. But when Matty sacrificed himself to save everyone he knew and cared about realized that only when we are willing to lose everything, will we be able to change anything. So I became hopeful, hopeful that no matter how terrible things are, as long as one person tries to change things there is still hope and good can prevail.

When I finished the story I felt hollow, because Matty’s journey was over and he was gone. Because even though evil had lost there really was never a monster to fight. There was no big bad dragon, or space alien there was only people and their fears and desires. Before reading your work of fiction I never thought about racial prejudice, immigration or the hypocrisy of the United States turning them away. You somehow managed to write a book with deep political messages that kids could understand. Half way through your book, I thought that there was mostly darkness and tragedy in our future. But by the end I had more of a belief that if at least one person tries to change something we can all change something. So I thank you Lois Lowry for all of your works, but this one in particular because it showed me that even though humans are extremely flawed creatures, some of us will always try to be better.

Sincerely,

Averyl Cobb