Nothing+by+Janne+Teller+Fall+2012

//Do You Really Know What Matters In Life?//

 * Janne Teller. Nothing. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000.**

//"Nothing Matters," he announced.// //"I've known that for a long time.// //"So nothing's worth doing.// //"I just realized that."//

After asserting this, 13 year old Pierre Anthon walked out of class, leaving the narrator, Agnes, and the rest of her classmates to struggle with Pierre's lingering words. The 7th graders initially brushed off Pierre's nihilistic statement, yet they found it impossible to ignore for long. Every day on their way to school, the students walked by the plum tree Pierre had been perched in ever since his declaration of nothingness while he hurled challenges at what they perceived to be meaning. His shouts that, "Everything begins only to end. The moment you were born you began to die" drives Agnes and her classmates to action. They must prove to Pierre that live does indeed have meaning.

To do this, the students decide to gather everything that has meaning to them, which they then place in a pile in an abandoned sawmill. They begin with things which are innocent enough: a Beatles tape, an ivory comb, a book of hymns and a rose from a bride's bouquet to name a few. Yet they know this won't be enough. No - they decide that the stakes must be driven higher. As they search for things with deeper and deeper meaning, they must come to terms with questions about how far they're willing to go in order to //prove// that life has meaning while still struggling with self-doubt in their own beliefs. Before long, the students find that they have no chance to object to the things that they are called to sacrifice. This ever-escalating quest to find and demonstrate meaning, in turn, drives the students to take inhumane and sociopathic actions.

This highly philosophical book engages deeply existential questions without providing answers, thus forcing the reader to engage them on their own even after they have finished the novel. The novel also looks at peer pressure through group dynamics. This is accomplished through the ever-escalating demands to sacrifice their most precious things the classmates place on each other. Ultimately, by writing //Nothing//, Janne Teller has created a book that takes themes found in //Lord of the Flies// and repackages them in a relevant, post-modern book. By using a first-person narrator, Teller is able to dialogue directly with readers through the thoughts of Agnes. This forces the reader to be introspective while engaging the novel and its challenges.

//Nothing// is an insightful and valuable book, and it is narrated by a girl in secondary school in the Netherlands. Because of its subject matter is not deemed appropriate for audiences any younger than those in high school. While the story is keeping the readers entertained, Teller does an impeccable job of introducing students to the world of peer pressure, self -doubt and coming of age. It forces students to initiate themselves into a deeper thinking process especially over the main subject of the book; what is the meaning of life, and what is important to you? One can argue that as a parent or even a teacher, it is a good idea to present these ideas to students and have a conversation about them since many students are likely to run into at least one of these. //Nothing// can also be taught beside the famous book //Lord of the Flies//, which explores similar themes and ideas. Both explore important themes, in similar ways, therefore allowing them to be read and discussed during the same unit. However, please be mindful of the subject matter. It does incorporate some gruesome and inappropriate scenes. It includes scenes of sexual intercourse, dismemberment, and loss of life. Needless to say, Janne Teller's //Nothing// has a few difficult scenes, but the possibilities of rich discussion are endless; perfect for a high school classroom.
 * Recommendations for Teachers**

Janne Teller was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Austrian and German parents. Janne gained her first degree in 1988 from the University of Copenhagen with a degree in Political Economy. After college she focused on world development by traveling and living in many underdeveloped nations in the world. Some examples of places she has been are: Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Mozambique. She had a short career with the United Nations where she was able to continue her humanitarian work. In 1995, Teller became fully indulged in her writing career. Her literature includes essays, short stories, young adult novels as well as adult novels. Her debut saga //Ordin's Island// (1999) was highly acclaimed and it explored major themes such as social responsibility, religious and political fanaticism. Many more of her books were published in the Netherlands years after //Ordin's Island.// However, her books were censored in many countries and even banned in Scandinavia. //Nothing// was banned simply because of the controversy that it caused. Since then, Teller has often participated in public debate concerning the issues brought about in her book. Even though her books are constantly under the eyes of scrutiny otherwise known as critics, Teller has won numerous amount of awards for this book. American awards include: the Pritz Honor Book, the ALA Best Book for Young Adults and the Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book. She also won the prestigious Le Prix Libbylit in 2008. According to[| Teller's website], years after the book released in 2010, Nothing, had sold 200,000 copies in Germany and was released to 22 different countries world wide. Today she mostly spends her time in New York, but she also spends time in Virginia and Copenhagen.
 * About Janne Teller**


 * Multimedia (Video or Audio)**

Below is an acceptance speech by Janne Teller for the Le Prix Libbylit awards. She explains how she got the idea write the book //Nothing//, her inspirations and how she became a young adult writer. Also below, are fan made trailers to the book. Warning, they are both a bit gloomy. media type="youtube" key="qq8nJ3CyNLU" height="315" width="560" []

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 * Additional Resources:**

[] - Janne Teller’s official website. Contains contact information as well as biographical text. Great for providing a more in depth background of the author and her work. [|http://books.google.com/books?id=LyjkIeS-f2wC&pg=PA175&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false] – //Google Books// preview of //Nothing//. Contains a large portion of the original text, and gives the reader access to reviews and other information regarding the book and the author. [] - A review website that can be useful in provoking discussion with regard to the text. It also can be used to teach a lesson on how to properly write reviews. [] – A video review of the text. Also, a useful tool in provoking discussion and providing a creative way to use multi-media technology in the review process. [] – Another video review of the text that can be used as a starting point for discussion. [] - A blogger’s review of //Nothing//. [] - Janne Teller’s //Twitter// account. This can be an interesting way to provoke student’s interest in the author; making her more relevant and relatable. [] – This link is not related specifically to Teller’s text; but it deals with the issues of teaching controversial books in the classroom. It is a long read, and requires the user to download the text, but it may be a useful tool when teaching a “bad” book. [] - A University of Michigan website that provides additional links and ideas regarding discussion-based teaching of controversial subjects in a classroom setting. [] - The official publisher’s page for Janne Teller. It contains interviews with the author, in addition to being a website where students can gain access to other texts written by the author (a great tool for students who enjoyed reading //Nothing//). [] - A website devoted to nihilism. It is at times a bit inappropriate, but an interesting site devoted to a major theme within Teller's novel. [] - A link to the full movie //Lord of the Flies// on Youtube. //Nothing// is quite frequently compared to this novel, and it would provide an interesting discussion if the two are taught together. [] – A //Tumblr// website dedicated to //Nothing//. This is a great way to use modern technology in the classroom; capturing student’s interest and making the text and author more relatable. This is also a great way to engage discussion.

--//Peter Walblay.// --//Paul Westdale//. --//Kelli Andrascik//. Other Reviews: The Book Thief