Is When She Woke AP English Worthy?

Is When She Woke worthy of being considered for an AP English class? My answer is yes. Now, you may be thinking, Isabel, you’re just saying that because your teacher allowed you to read the book for your AP class, so surely it has plenty of “literary merit.” Admittedly, that was a thought that ran through my head, but disregarding that fact, there are still plenty of reasons for why When She Woke deserves to be considered a possible AP English novel.

Hillary Jordan is a skilled writer, best known for her novel, Mudbound. Mudbound was her first novel and it won the 2006 Bellwether prize for fiction, the 2009 Alex award from the American Library Association, and it was the 2008 NAIBA fiction book of the year. Mudbound was also a New York Times bestseller. When She Woke is the second book that Jordan wrote and it also received quite a bit of praise, such as being nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Science Fiction novel. All of these awards clearly show that Hillary Jordan writes books that people enjoy, but still makes sure that they are well written. Also, because Jordan is a more modern author the language in her works is less complex. I think this helps many people with their understanding of the novels, and I do not think that it lessens the merit of the books at all. As long as a book has underlying meanings, themes, and/or important messages, I do not think it matter if the words aren't like Shakespeare’s. Jordan’s words are engaging and fitting for the stories that she writes. When She Woke takes place in the future, and the language and slang terms have evolved as the society has evolved. The reader needs to be able to learn the terms in the novel that are unique to the story if they want to interpret the meaning correctly. These story includes words like “melachrome,” “reds,” “blues." These words are all vital to the story and your understanding. If you were to come across a sentence like “There is a Chrome center in Garland”(86) you would not have any idea what that meant if you did not know the words. I think this gives the Jordan’s writing a special level of authenticity that makes it fun to read.

I believe there are a few different criteria that a book has to meet for it to be considered to be of an AP level. A book of “literary merit” should not lay all of its meaning right on the surface for anyone to find. I believe that the reader should have to dig around a little for a deeper significance. The reader of the novel should have to analyze and think about the book before totally understanding everything that is going on. I think that an AP book should also contain a variety of skilled literary devices and well developed themes and characters. When She Woke contains all of these things. The flashbacks in the beginning of the book help add to our understanding of the novel. There are similes sprinkled throughout, such as the quote “The effect was surreal, like a box of crayons missing the cool part of the spectrum”(87), and there are a variety of quotes continuing good imagery like “She saw a perky blonde news anchor - the annoying type still trying, at forty, to be adorable”(337). The last important part of a book of literary merit is that is should comment on society or history in some way. I think that a novel that causes people to actually question the world and society that they live in is very valuable. When She Woke does this. It touches on abortion, the criminal system, and even racism, which can be seen when Hannah begins questioning, “how many nonwhite members did they actually have? And how many black, Hispanic or Asian families had ever been invited to her house for supper? The answers were troubling: relatively few, and none”(94). After looking at all of my criteria for a novel of “literary merit” I think it is safe to say that When She Woke is one of them. When She Woke has underlying meaning and connections. This can be found with all of the connections to The Scarlet Letter. There are also allusions to other people and books throughout when She Woke. The first is to Ella Fitzgerald in the quote “‘After the First Lady of Song, of course… You telling me you never heard of Ella Fitzgerald’”(187). “An image came to her from ‘Beauty and the Beast’”(325). The reader has to be able to recognize these allusions and have had to previously read or look up information about The Scarlet Letter to understand what the novel is trying to say with these ties. The novel also contains a variety of other literary devices such as flashbacks, symbolism, imagery and motifs. The use of all of these devices greatly enhances the work and it’s themes as a whole. As I talked about in my last post there are a variety of different interpretations of themes that we could discuss. The characters in When She Woke are also very strong and important to the value of the story. They go through changes and discoveries and are not at all boring dull. When She Woke also relates to a variety of important events that are going on in the world today. It talks about God, religion, and people’s beliefs. In the novel we learn how people see things differently and Hannah’s friend Simone describes how to her “‘God is He and She, straight and gay, black and white and red - yes, even that’”(303). I also spoke about this in my last post, but to review abortion, crime, and a few other topics are discussed throughout the novel. Clearly, When She Woke is very deserving of being called a book of “literary merit” and being studied in an AP English class. It makes people think, reflect, and ultimately learn about themselves and society. I think that getting people to think about the world around them is one of the most important parts of reading a book.

Often, one of the constants that I find when I’m reading AP English novels is that there are words that I don’t know. This can be a good thing because when you discover and look up these new words you are learning. The more words you know the more likely you are to understand whatever you are reading for the AP test. When She Woke can be very helpful in this way and help you expand your vocabulary. I found a quite few words such as “ubiquitous” and “ebullient” throughout the novel. Another key part of When She Woke is its variety of themes. Themes and main ideas are a vital part of the essay section of the AP exam. It is best to know as many different themes as possible so that you can answer any question the AP people throw your way. The main ideas in When She Woke revolve around the need for a human connection, which we see with Hannah continuing to meet Aidan even when they will  “never be able to love each other openly”(63). Another theme is the idea that in every oppressive society there will be people who stand up for what they deserve. Hannah leaves everything that she knows and loves for “a different world, one with no melachroming, no disease, no violence or hate”(339). When She Woke would also be helpful in the multiple-choice section of the test because it contains a variety of literary devices such as imagery and motifs. Whenever you are exposed to any of these devices you become more aware of them and how they are used. This will help you be able to identify different literary devices and perhaps understand their meaning while taking the test. One example of an allusion in the novel would be Hannah stating “this is my daughter, Pearl’”(131). This is the name of Hester Prynne's daughter in The Scarlet Letter. Also, having the book having such a strong connection to The Scarlet Letter would make a very interesting essay where you could draw the lines between the two and explain how they enhance the meaning in When She Woke. Clearly, When She Woke is full to the brim with different themes, literary devices, and vocabulary that would be helpful for the exam. People always say “practice makes perfect,” and reading When She Woke would be the practice you need to do perfect on your exam.

I strongly believe that When She Woke should be considered an AP English book, but I am not sure if it should be added to our class’s curriculum. All of the books that I have read in my AP English class so far this year are different. They each contain relatively unique themes and literary devices. This is important because the differences allow us as test takers to have a wide range of themes and topics to discuss in the essay portion of the exam. It is important that we are prepared to have a book to use for any question that is thrown at us. We only have so much time in a school year to read and understand all the books in our English class, and adding When She Woke into the curriculum would mean kicking another book out of the lineup. I found that the novel The Handmaid’s Tale is relatively similar to When She Woke, and they share many themes and literary devices. They both talk about abortion, oppressive societies for women, and they both have an important red motif. As a result of these similarities the decision on whether or not we should put When She Woke into the curriculum came down to these two books. What really mattered was which book would be most helpful for the AP exam. I’ve thought about it and decided that I think The Handmaid’s Tale should be kept in the curriculum, but this is not to say that When She Woke is not worthy, because it most definitely is. The main reason why I think we should keep The Handmaid’s Tale is because I think everyone should read a Margaret Atwood book at least once. Her writing is so unique, and she is a very renowned and awarded writer. That being said, if there is enough time to add another novel into the mix next year, I definitely think that When She Woke should get that spot.