by Ernest Cline - Berwyn Public Library

2701 S. Harlem Ave
Berwyn, IL 60402
708.795.8000
berwynlibrary.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 somewhere 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
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.
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 phenomenon. 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.
NOT E: 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 themselves, 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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?
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?
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?
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?
How does public school in the OASIS compare to your experience in
school? Has author Ernest Cline created a solution to classroom overcrowding, student apathy, and school violence?
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.
8.
9.
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?
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?
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
Even More
Coming of Age Stories
Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
Girl in Landscape
by Jonathan Lethem
Arcadia by Lauren Groff
Redshirts by John Scalzi
The Coldest Night
by Robert Olmstead
Read-Alikes for ages 9-12
The Age of Miracles
by Karen Thompson Walker
Dystopian Reads
The Windup Girl
by Paolo Bacigalupi
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
For the Win by Cory Doctorow
Dystopias
The Unwanteds
by Lisa McMann (Grades 4-7)
Among the Hidden
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
(Grades 5-8)
Flashback by Dan Simmons
The Limit
by Kristin Landon (Grades 6-10)
Seed by Rob Ziegler
Video Games
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
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
Halliday’s Holy Trilogies:
1980s Pop
by Bob Brunning (Grades 5-8)
Star Wars
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
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 Ave
Berwyn, IL 60402
708.795.8000
berwynlibrary.org