' BMEG R OSOFF’s ——~ —~ |. “Ptagical and wtterty Glaultioss.” PASS PUDOON ator of Tee Corwen beac of tte Deg @ te Magte Tree HOW | LIVE NOW A NOVEL npr.com A Laura Mooney Arts Editor | ote-arts@unbc.ca he dystopian novel trend in young adult novels continues to hold strong, with what seems like the weekly release of a new novel involving a female teen in the not so far off future battling for her freedom. But before The Hunger Games, there was a small unassuming novel called How I Live Now that puts other dystopian books to shame, and features a passionate, albeit rather unorthodox love story that is the perfect read just before Valentine’s Day. How I Live Now tells the story of Elizabeth, or as she prefers, “Daisy,” as she is sent from America to live with her cousins (Edmond, Isaac, and Piper) who she has never met, in England at their secluded country farm. Unfortunately, the entirety of Britain is at war with an unnamed enemy, and Daisy must learn to not only cope with her new surroundings in a war-ravaged country, but also maneuver her way through the trials of being a teenager. Meg Rosoff’s 2004 short novel is read through the eyes of Daisy in a stream of consciousness. Not much is given about anyone’s background, or even the current setting of the story. It is through Daisy that the reader learns of the horrors that Britain is going through, as well as Daisy’s own personal horrors, which the reader discovers is the reason why she was sent away. The entire novel reads so subtly that some sentences must be read a couple times over just to retain the small clues that Daisy leaves the reader about the novel’s environment, such as an atomic bomb being dropped on London. As mentioned, although How I Live Now is marketed as a dystopian novel, once having read it, it is undeniably a love story. Although the love story is not the typical tale one is accustomed to hearing around Valentine’s Day, it is nonetheless a beautiful tale of young love. Admittedly, after having read the moment where Daisy and Edmond share their first kiss, this reader had to go back to double check the facts laid out by our protagonist. What I discovered was yes, Daisy and Edmond were indeed cousins. After the initial ick factor had subsided the context of their unique relationship began to set in. Here was this pair of young teenagers who had never met before in their lives, thrown together unexpectedly in the shadows of a once great country, and are now just trying to find some sort of solace. Of course, nothing remains perfect. The story that follows is Daisy’s heart wrenching attempts to find her way back to her cousins, and Edmond, as she is taken by soldiers to live in a separate foster home far away from the farm. How I Live Now is exciting, heartbreaking, and horrifying all in one, and the ending is beautifully simple, yet will leave you with tears of happiness in your eyes. The novel is a great read for anyone looking for that perfect book to get you in the romantic mood just before Valentine’s Day. The Princess Petition: Give those girls some CURVES! Laura Mooney Arts Editor | ote-arts;@unbc.ca tis a fact; the female body comes in all shapes and sizes. While more mainstream television shows and movies having been adapting to this fact with the inclusion of curvy actresses now appearing in leading roles, one company in particular, has remained consistently unchanged with their model of female beauty; Disney. Throughout the 80-year span of Disney’s feature length animated films, the one major aspect that has been noticeably absent in their films is some diversity with their animated characters, with the most specific one being the Disney princesses. This lack of curves on some of the most famous women in the world has not gone unnoticed, with many groups concerned with women’s self-esteem commenting on this fact before, but now one young woman is determined to get something changed once and for all. Jewel Moore from Virginia started a petition on change.org, urging Disney studios to create a Disney princess that has some curves to her body, in order to reflect a more realistic female body type. The tenacious junior high student, who says she is a plus-sized young woman herself, is using the petition as a means to call out not only Disney, but all those in the media who are responsible for there being a lack of role models for curvy women represented in today's media. When one stops to think about the statement that Jewel is making, one can see that she is not wrong. You could probably count on one hand the number of shows that an overweight woman has appeared on in which she is the main character, and are mostly likely only on shows that have appeared in the past three years, such as Melissa McCarthy in Mike and Molly, and Lena Dunham in Girls. Although Jewel is concerned about the lack of diversity across all mediums, Disney is her main target, since the princesses tend to be the first role models young girls have as children. Jewel states in her petition’s manifesto, “if Disney could make a plus-sized female protagonist who was as bright, amazing, and memorable as their others, it would do a world of good for those plus-sized girls out there who are bombarded with images that make them feel ugly for not fitting thecurvei1.tumblr.com the skinny standard.” She also goes on to express her desire for Disney to create this curvy princess, since their films are so widespread and influential to young children, and it would be nice to have some reprise from the constant bullying and fat shaming they receive from the rest of media. Although it is a large task, Jewel’s petition entitled “Make Plus-Sized Princesses in Disney Movies!” has caught a fair amount of steam, with the petition already receiving 13,090 of its desired 15, 000 signatures, and is rapidly spreading across Facebook and other social media websites. Whether or not it will be enough to convince those at Disney to branch out with their character designs, it is always a plus to see that people are aware of the issue, and are working hard to get what is considered “the norm” to change.