2701 S. Harlem AveBerwyn, IL 60402708.795.8000berwynlibrary.org

by Ernest Cline

RESOURCE GUIDE AUTUMN 2013

LIbRARy DIRECTOR’S LETTER TO bERwyN

Dear Residents,

Starting in September the Berwyn Public Library will host the city’s third One Book, One Community initiative.

Berwyn Reads is a city-wide reading and discussion program that encourages all our residents to read the same book at the same time. The library will promote the joy of reading, literacy and life-long learning by making available hundreds of copies of the chosen novel, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, in both English and Spanish.

The library has partnered with Morton High School and select classes will read Ready Player One in September to concur with the program. Through Berwyn Reads, the Berwyn Public Library challenges Morton West High School students to examine important subjects and build community around significant thematic issues. The 16th Street Theater will coordinate to have professional teaching artists work with the high school students and, as a wrap-up to the program, the students will present a dramatic performance based on broad thematic elements of the novel.

All community members are invited to join their neighbors and friends for book discussions and special events presented during the months of September, October and November. We will kick off Berwyn Reads at Berwyn’s Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 21st in the Depot District.

Take part in Berwyn Reads by visiting the library to borrow a copy of Ready Player One. It is our hope that as the novel leads its readers into a globally networked virtual world with references to video games and 80s pop-culture; it will also act as a vehicle to build community by connecting people to literature.

Tammy Clausen

LIbRARy DIRECTOR

READy PLAyER ONE bOOk DESCRIPTION

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For some-where inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune–and remarkable power–to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved–that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching and thousands of competitors join the hunt–among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life–and love–in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.

A quest for the ultimate prize.

Are you ready?

2012 PROMEThEUS AwARD wINNER 2012 ALEx AwARD wINNER

MEET ThE AUThOR

ERNEST CLINE hAS wORkED AS A ShORT -ORDER COOk, fISh GUTTER, PLASMA DONOR,

ELITIST vIDEO STORE CLERk, AND TECh SUPPORT DRONE.

His primary occupation, however, has always been geeking out, and he eventually threw aside those other promising career paths to express his love of pop culture fulltime as a spoken word artist and screenwriter. His 2009 film Fanboys, much to his surprise, became a cult phe-nomenon. These days Ernie lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, their daughter, and a large collection of classic video games. Ready Player One is his first novel.

COMMUNITy SUPPORT

ThE LIbRARy wOULD LIkE TO ThANk ALL Of OUR PARTNERS ThAT hELPED MAkE bERwyN

READS POSSIbLE. wE wOULD ESPECIALLy LIkE TO ThANk OUR DONORS:

The American Legion, Post 422 The Friends of the Berwyn Public Library The George Veverka Bequest Fund

ThE ADAPTATION wAS MADE POSSIbLE by

ThE fOLLOwING PRODUCTION PARTNERS:

Morton West High School 16th Street Theater

AND wAS fUNDED by AN ILLINOIS PUbLIC LIbRARy

PER CAPITA GRANT

ThANkS TO ThE bERwyN PARk DISTRICT

fOR hOSTING ThE 80S fAMILy PROM.

NOTE: kEEP yOUR EyE ON

ThE bERwyN PUbLIC LIbRARy

wEbSITE fOR AN INTERvIEw

wITh ThE AUThOR!

www.berwynpubliclibrary.org

MESSAGE fROM ThE AUThOR

The reception my novel Ready Player One has received has been, quite simply, beyond any debut author’s wildest dreams. Much to my amazement, the book spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, showed up on several Best of 2011 lists, and is even in development as a big-budget movie with Warner Bros.

But the facet of Ready Player One’s success I’ve found the most surprising–and gratifying–is how much younger readers love the book. More precisely, they seem to be enjoying it not just as a big dumb adventure story. They’re actually thinking about the chewier issues I was thinking about as I wrote it.

You see, Ready Player One is in part a love letter to the books, video games, movies, TV shows, and music

of my childhood. Although I knew these artifacts would resonate with readers of my generation, I was never sure how today’s students (with no memory of the Big Hair Decade) would respond to them, or if they would respond to them at all.

But since last August, I’ve found dozens of wonderful messages in my inbox from teenage readers who tell me Ready Player One is their new favorite book. I’ve been equally thrilled to hear that Ready Player One is a 2012 Alex Award winner.

I have a confession to make here: while I never thought it would actually happen, I did always secretly hope that younger readers would get Ready Player One. I wrote it as the kind of classic good-vs-evil, underdog-triumphs-over-all adventure story that I loved reading as a teen. And–also in emulation of my favorite books–I tried to make it touch on some more serious themes too. In short, I tried to write the kind of book I wish I’d been assigned back when I was wearing pegged acid-washed jeans–a book that picks you up and grabs you with spaceships or wizards, with great action or an amazing love story, but sneakily manages to leave you with something more meaningful to chew on as well.

Ready Player One takes place in a near future where all-too-plausible social horrors like poverty, disease, and energy crises have run rampant, and I think–or hope–there’s something thought-provoking about seeing our futures portrayed that way. Its hero is a loner who’s pretty much given up on the ugliness he sees in the real world and taken refuge in a virtual one–but by the end of the book, he learns that escapism isn’t the panacea he thinks it is, which is a lesson I figured out the hard way growing up. And at the very center of the story is the role technology plays in our modern lives and how it shapes modern identity. I think that subject in particular really resonates with readers who, in the course of growing up them-selves, are finding their own identities increasingly defined by the virtual worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and the web.

If I had a time-traveling DeLorean, the first thing I’d do with it is head back to 1986 Ohio and give a copy of Ready Player One to my own teenage self, because the truth is, I really wrote it for him. Sadly, the flux capacitor on my DeLorean isn’t operational, so the closest I can come to fulfilling that dream is asking you to consider the book as common reading for the city and students of Berwyn.

bERwyN READS kICkOff

OkTObERfEST, SATURDAy, SEPTEMbER 21ST

Join us in celebrating the kickoff of Berwyn Reads! Stop by the library booth in the Family Pavilion to get your free copy of Ready Player One and a swag bag. Or look for us throughout the festival with our bright orange shirts and 80s gear. Free copies are limited so get there early!

RELATED PROGRAMS

Unless otherwise indicated, please register in advance for all programs by calling Readers’ Advisory at 708-795-8000 x3005 or email ra@berwynlibrary.org

Programs are held in the Community Room. Please give at least one week’s notification if you need ADA accommodations.

CITy-wIDE SCAvENGER hUNT

ON-GOING

Just as Wade Watts must answer riddles and solve clues to win a grand prize–so can you! Pick up your game token at Oktoberfest or at the Library to start your own quest. You will be given riddles that will lead you to various locations around Berwyn. The first participant to finish wins riches beyond their wildest imagination (actually a Google Tablet).

CLASSIC 80S ARCADE

Are you obsessed with Pac-Man? Asteroids? Other 1980s arcade games? Whether you are a kid, a teen, or a kid at heart, we have a video gaming event for you. Join us for open gaming and show off your skills. Munch on snacks, devour ghosts and destroy your opponent!

TUESDAy, OCTObER 1ST AT 4:00 P.M.– CLASSIC 80S ARCADE fOR TEENS (AGES 13-18)

wEDNESDAy, NOvEMbER 6Th AT 7:00 P.M.– fAMILy GAME NIGhT fEATURING CLASSIC

80S ARCADE GAMES (ALL AGES)

wEDNESDAy, NOvEMbER 13Th AT 4:00 P.M.– CLASSIC 80S ARCADE fOR kIDS

(AGES 7-12)

MOvIE NIGhT

ThURSDAy, OCTObER 24Th AT 5:00 P.M.

Films of the 1980s feature heavily in Ready Player One, as Wade Watts knows oh so well! Flashback to two favorites; WarGames and Back to the Future will be shown back-to-back. Come see these classics on a big screen while enjoying popcorn.

ThE fRIENDS Of ThE LIbRARy AND ThE bERwyN PARk DISTRICT PRESENT 1980S fAMILy PROM

SATURDAy, NOvEMbER 16Th AT 7:00 P.M. LIbERTy CULTURAL CENTER

Put on your peach lace and puffy sleeves! Show off your Flock of Seagulls hairdo! Present your best 80s self because a professional photographer will be on hand to capture your family’s special night Then dance the night away to music performed by 1980s cover band The Breakfast Club. It will be fun for the whole family.

16Th STREET ThEATER’S COMMUNITy PROjECT

Throughout the month of October, 16th Street Theater will lead over 200 Morton West High School students in bringing a theatrical adaptation of Ready Player One to the stage. Led by professional teaching artists, students will examine themes and create an original production based on these themes. The culmination of the project is a community performance on Sunday, November 10th at Morton West High School. All Berwyn residents are encouraged to come and share the experience of bringing Berwyn Reads to the stage.

bOOk DISCUSSIONS fOR ADULTS AND TEENS

Come discuss Ready Player One with others from your community. Book Discussions meet in the Board Room on the 2nd floor and are limited to 14 people so please register in advance.

wEDNESDAy, OCTObER 9Th AT 7:00 P.M.

SATURDAy, OCTObER 19Th AT 2:00 P.M.

MONDAy, NOvEMbER 4Th AT 2:00 P.M.

1. The OASIS becomes a part of daily life for users around the globe. What virtual realms (Google, Facebook, iCloud) do you depend on? What is at stake in the war against IOI, the internet service provider that wants to overturn Halliday’s affordable, open-source approach? Is it dangerous to mix profit and dependence on technology?

2. Explore the question of identity raised in the novel. What do the characters’ avatars tell us about their desires and their insecurities? In reality, does our physical appearance give false clues about who we really are? How does Parzival, transformed into a celebrity gunter, become Wade’s true self?

3. With a narrator who vividly captures the human experience, Ready Player One delivers a world that is easy for us to imagine. In the novel, what was at the root of the grim downturn for Earth’s inhabitants? Could your community start looking like the stacks by the year 2044?

4. How does love affect Wade’s rational mind? Would you have given Art3mis the tip about playing on the left side to defeat the lich (page 99, chapter ten) ? Did you predict that she would turn out to be a friend or a foe?

5. How does public school in the OASIS compare to your experience in school? Has author Ernest Cline created a solution to classroom over-crowding, student apathy, and school violence?

6. In his Columbus bunker, Wade puts on so many pounds that he can no longer fit comfortably in his haptic chair. How would you fare in his weight-loss program, described in chapter nineteen, featuring a simulation gym, coaching from Max, and a lockout system that restricts his diet and forces him to exercise?

7. Wade’s OASIS pass phrase is revealed on page 199, at the end of chapter nineteen: “No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful.” What does this philosophy mean to him at that point in his life?

8. How is the novel shaped by the 1980s backdrop, featuring John Hughes films, suburban shows like Family Ties, a techno-beat soundtrack, and of course, a slew of early video games? Did Halliday grow up in a utopia?

9. Discuss Bryce Lynch’s financial situation, rigged so that Wade could infiltrate IOI. When does Wade become willing to “die trying”? How did you react to the image of debtors being forced into indentured servitude?

10. Wade doesn’t depend on religion to make moral decisions or overcome life-threatening challenges. What does the novel say about humanity’s relationship to religion? What sort of god is Halliday, creator of the OASIS universe?

11. Despite their introverted nature, the book’s characters thrive on friend-ship. Discuss the level of trust enjoyed by Halliday and Og, and among Wade, Aech, Art3mis, Daito, and Shoto. How is true power achieved in Ready Player One?

12. In the closing scenes, Halliday’s reward proves to be greater than mere wealth. What is Halliday’s ultimate prize? How did the rules of Halliday’s game help him determine the type of player who would likely win?

13. In his quest for the three keys, Wade is required to inhabit many imaginary worlds, including movies, video games, and a simulation of Halliday’s childhood home. Which of these virtual realities appealed to you the most? What sort of virtual reality is provided by a novel?

READy PLAyER ONE READ-ALIkES

COMING Of AGE STORIES

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Arcadia by Lauren Groff

The Coldest Night by Robert Olmstead

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

DySTOPIAN READS

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Flashback by Dan Simmons

Seed by Rob Ziegler

NON-fICTION

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell

Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life, Universal Consciousness, and the Dawn of the Virtual Age by Jim Blascovich

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf

EvEN MORE

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Girl in Landscape by Jonathan Lethem

Redshirts by John Scalzi

READ-ALIkES fOR AGES 9-12

DySTOPIAS

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (Grades 4-7)

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Grades 5-8)

The Limit by Kristin Landon (Grades 6-10)

vIDEO GAMES

Only You Can Save Mankind: If Not You, Who Else? by Terry Pratchett (Grades 5-8)

Brainboy and the Deathmaster by Tor Seidler (Grades 4-7)

QUESTS

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Grades 5-9)

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (Grades 4-6)

ThE 1980S

1980s Pop by Bob Brunning (Grades 5-8)

The 1980s Decade in Photos: The Triumph of Democracy by Jim Corrigan (Grades 4-8)

Fabulous Fashions of the 1980s by Felicia Lowenstein Niven (Grades 5-8)

hALLIDAy’S fAvORITE fILMS

Heathers

WarGames

Ghostbusters

Real Genius

Better Off Dead

Revenge of the Nerds

Real Genius

Blade Runner

Hard Boiled

Excalibur (John Boorman)

Explorers (1985, Joe Dante)

Big Trouble Little China

Short Circuit

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

hALLIDAy’S hOLy TRILOGIES:

Star Wars

Lord of the Rings

The Matrix

Mad Max

Back to the Future

Indiana Jones (“Halliday once said he preferred to pretend the other Indiana Jones films, from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull onward, didn’t exist.”)

2701 S. Harlem AveBerwyn, IL 60402708.795.8000berwynlibrary.org