ARTICLE 5 LIVEBLOG #2

READING: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
PROGRESS:  Chapter 3

COMMENTS:
Interestingly, the author doesn’t give you much time to get to know Ember, her friends, or her world before tearing it away. Immediately Ember and her mother are arrested for an Article 5 violation - Ember’s mother had her out of wedlock. No marriage, no freedom. During a very lengthy arrest scene Ember’s old childhood sweetheart Chase shows up and very much plays the part of the good government soldier. So far the romance angle seems pretty dry and stereotypical but we’ll see where it goes…

The book moves pretty fast. After the arrest Ember is carted off to a girl’s reformatory school along with an old classmate, Rosa, who was taken away because she was living with her cousin in violation of nuclear family laws. The school is apparently meant to turn all the girls into docile things and teach them to be real, delicate ladies. Immediately upon arrival the girls are assigned roommates and then sent off to “class.” Ember’s roommate  Rebecca comes off as a stereotypical Jesus freak but when Rosa tries to take off in an ill advised attempt at freedom her roommate’s subtle attempt to stop Ember from getting involved potentially hinted at a bit more.