SKY IS EVERYWHERE Discussion 1-Sheet - Penguin · PDF filelike a mad love. And I also adore...

A Readers Companion for

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fi ddle to her charismatic oldersister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left atsea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon fi nds herself torn between two boys: Bailey’s boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can’t see her without seeing Bailey, and Joe sees her only forherself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it’s up to Lennie to fi nd her own way toward what she really needs—without Bailey.

★“Passionate, vulnerable, wonderfully complete and irresistible.”—VOYA, starred review

★“Clear-eyed and evocative.” —BCCB, starred review

★“[An] honest, complex debut.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

by Jandy NelsonOneboyhelpsherremember.Theotherletsherforget.

JANDYNELSONreceivedaBAfromCornell,anMFAfromBrowninpoetry,andanotherMFAfromVermontCollegeinwritingforchildrenandyoungadults.Aliteraryagentformanyyears,sheisalsoapublishedpoet. The Sky Is Everywhereisherfirstnovel.JandylivesinSanFrancisco.

FormoreinformationaboutJandy,pleasevisitwww.jandynelson.com. (H

C) 9

78-0

-80

37-3

495-

1 • $

17.9

9(P

B) 9

78-0

-14-

2417

80-5

• $8

.99

Age

s 14

up

The Sky Is Everywhere

thepoemforJoe.She’stakingstepsthatwillpropelherintothefuturewhenshe’ssuddenlyclobbered(notforthefirsttime)bytherealizationthatshehasafutureandBaileydoesn’t.It’sagonyforheranditoccurstoherthatgriefisforever,thatitwillbewithheralways,stepforstep,breathforbreath,butshealsorealizesinthismomentthatthisistruebecausegriefandloveareconjoinedandyoucan’thaveonewithouttheother.Griefisalwaysgoingtobeameasureofthelovelost.Shethinks,“AllIcandoisloveher[Bailey],andlovetheworld,emulateherbylivingwithdaringandspiritandjoy.”EverytimeIcomeacrossthisparagraph,Ithinktomyself,Wellthereitis,thewholebookcrammedintooneparagraph!Soformetheideasinthatparagraphkindofringout,buteveryreaderwilltakesomethingdifferentfromthenovelandthat’swhatIwant,that’sthemagicofitall.Readingissuchawonderfullypersonalandprivateaffair.

What are your favorite parts of the writing process? What were your favorite scenes to write in The Sky Is Everywhere?Ihavetwofavoritepartsofthewholeprocess.Ilovethebeginning,thefirstdraft,whenI’mtotallylostinsideastory,soimmersedthatmyfictionallifeovertakesmyrealone.Ilovethemadnessofthat,whenthestoryispouringoutandIfeelthiscompulsiontogetitdownbeforeIloseit.It’sfevered,euphoric,likeamadlove.AndIalsoadorethelaterstagesofrevision,thelastdraft,whenI’mplayingwithwords,fiddlingendlesslywiththisandthat.Atthatpoint,Ikindofjuststarezombie-likeatmycomputerscreenfordayslivinginsideaparticularsentenceorsceneorsectiontryingtomakeitbetter,tomakeitcomealive.It’satotalblast.IthinkmyfavoritescenestowriteweretheoneswhereLenniewasfallinginlove.Oneofthewondersofwritingalovestoryisyougettoswoonrightalongsidethecharacters.Ilovethatkindoftumblingrapturousemotionandtryingtofindlanguageforit.IalsolovedwritingthefamilysceneswithBigandGramandothersaroundthebreakfasttable—thetwoofthemwerealotoffuntospendtimewith,whatcameoutoftheirmouthsalwayssurprisedme.And...actuallyIthinkIhavealotoffavorites!

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?Yes.Read,read,read.Andwrite,write,write.Also,rememberthatwhatmakesyourvoiceasawriteruniqueisthefactthatyou’reyou,sodon’tbeafraidtoputyourselfonthepage,torevealyourpassions,sorrows, joys, idiosyncrasies, insights, your personal monsters and miracles. Only you can be youandonlyyoucanwritelikeyou—that’syourgiftalone.Ifyouhavethewritingfever,justkeepatit—writingtakesatonofpractice,patience,andperseverance—makesuretoignorethemarketanddon’tletrejectiontalkyououtofyourdream.IlovethisquotebyRayBradbury:“YetifIwereaskedtonamethemostimportantitemsinawriter’smake-up,thethingsthatshapehismaterialandrushhimalongtheroadtowherehewantstogo,Icouldonlywarnhimtolooktohiszest,seetohisgusto.”

Have you begun working on your next project? If so, can you give us any hints?IamcurrentlyhardatworkonanewYAnovelabouttwinsNoahandJude.It’sreallytwonovelsinoneanditalternatesbetweenNoah’sstory,whichtakesplacewhenthetwinsarefourteen,andJude’s,whenthey’reeighteen.It’sfullofsecretsandliesandheartbreakandromanceandloveandverystrongpassions.Bothnarrativesrevolvearoundaverycharismaticandmysterioussculptorwhochangesboththetwins’lives,andthey,his.I’mexcitedaboutit—fingerscrossed!

DialBooks•PuffinDivisionsofPenguinYoungReadersGroup•www.penguin.com/teachersandlibrarians

ThisdiscussionguidehasbeenprovidedbyPenguinYoungReadersGroupforclassroom,library,andreadinggroupuse.Itmaybereproducedinitsentiretyorexcerptedforthesepurposes.

A Readers Companion forThe Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

• Throughoutthenovel,Lenniewritesonanythingandeverythingandleavesthesepoemsscatteredaroundthetown.Doyouthinkthis isaneffectivewayofshowingthereaderLennieandBailey’srelationship?HowdothesepoemsultimatelybringJoeandLennietogether?WhatisthesignificanceofLennie’sscatteringthesepoems?

• Writingcanbeaformoftherapyforsomepeople.DoyouthinkthesepoemsareLennie’swayoffindinganoutletforhergrief?Ifso,whatmakesyouthinkitworks?Doesn’twork?

• AmajorthemeofthisbookisLennie’sdiscoveryofhersexuality.Doyouthinkthisisdepictedrealistically?Doyouthinkthisistiedtohergriefordoyouthinkthetwoareunrelated?

• WhenSarahhearsaboutLennieandToby’srelationship,she’supsetbytheiractions.DoyouagreewithSarah’sreactionorshouldshehavereacteddifferently,knowingLennieandToby’ssituation?WhatisyouropiniononLennieandToby’srelationship?Doyoufinditforgivableorheartless?

• DuringoneofherencounterswithToby,Lennierealizes,“I’msureashrinkwouldlovethis, all of it.” (pgs. 146–147) What does she mean by that? Do you agree with thisassessment?DiscusswhetheryoubelieveLennie’sactionsinwearingBailey’sclothesandhookingupwithherboyfriendareanacttokeepBaileycloseortogainthelifehersisterhad.

• Lennie’sactionshurtJoeverydeeply,onaccountofhisrelationshiphistory.Doyouthinkhisreactionisextremeorunderstandable?WhydoyouthinkheforgivesLennieintheend?

• LennieandBaileywereextremelyclosesisters.Doyoureallybelievenocompetitionexistedbetweenthem?Whyorwhynot?

• LennieandBailey’sabsentmotherisalargepartoftheirlives.UltimatelythemysteryleadsBaileytosearchforher.WhydoyouthinksheleavesLennieinthedarkaboutthis?

• Whodoyouthinkisastand-inforLennie’srealmother—BaileyorGram?WhydoyouthinkLenniedecidesnottocontinuewiththesearch?Doyouthinkshe’llbecontent?

• Considertherolemusicplaysinthenovel.Howisthisacrucialpartofthestory?WhydoesLenniepurposely throwtheauditionforfirstchair?Howdoesmusichelphertoheal?IsitjustthemusicthatdrawsJoetoLennieorsomethingmore?HowdoesitshapeherrelationshipwithJoe?

• Thenovelissaturatedwithgrief.EachpersontouchedbyBaileyinthenovel—Gram,Big,Lennie,Toby,andSarah—grievesindistinctlypersonalways.Definetheirgriefandhoweachcharacterlearnstomoveon,ifatall.Doyouwishanyofthecharactershadworkedthroughhisorhergriefinadifferentway?Howwouldyouhaveactedintheirsituation?

A Q&A with author Jandy NelsonMusic plays a large role in Lennie’s life. Why did you feel this was an importantaddition to her character? What made you want to include music in the book in the first place?Well,thefunnythingisIdon’tfeellikeIhadthatmuchtodowithit!Lennieprettymuchcrashedintomypsyche,clarinetinhand.SoshewasalwaysamusicianinmymindandIwentfromthere,believingthenthatmusicwouldbeanintrinsicfactorinhergrowth,inthewayshecopedwithhergrief,inhowsheconnectedinawordlesswaywithJoe,inhowshemovedoutofBailey’sshadowandintoherownlight.InthebeginningofthestorywhenLennie’ssoshutdown,shesays,toexpresswhatshe’sfeelingshe’dneed“anewalphabet,onemadeoffalling,oftectonicplatesshifting,ofthedeepdevouringdark.”Ithinkoverthecourseofthestory,sherealizesthat,forher,musicisthisalphabet.Shesays,“Whatifmusiciswhatescapeswhenaheartbreaks?”andIthinkthisbecomestrueforher.Moregenerally,Ilovemusicandwantedittohaveacurative,aphrodisiacal,celebratory,andtransformativeroleinthisstory.LikeJackKerouacsaid,“Theonlytruthismusic.”AndShakespeare:“Ifmusicbethefoodoflove,playon.”IwantedLennietoplayon.

You have an MFA in poetry. Is this why you decided to make Lennie a poet in the novel?Beforewritingthisbook,I’donlywrittenpoetry,andThe Sky Is Everywhereactuallystartedasanovelinverse.Ihadthisimageinmymindofagrief-strickengirlscatteringherpoemsalloveratown—thatwasreallytheincitingimageforthewholebookandkeyrightfromthestarttoLennie’scharacter.Ikeptthinkingofher,thisbereftgirl,whowantedsobadlytocommunicatewithsomeonewhowasnolongertherethatshejustbeganwritingherwordsoneverythingandanythingshecould,scatteringherpoemsandthoughtsandmemoriestothewinds.Inmymind,itwasawayforLennietowritehergriefontheworld,tomarkit,toreachouttohersisterandatthesametimetomakesure,inthisstrangeway,thattheirstorywaspartofeverything.SoitallbeganwithLennie’spoems,butveryearlyon,likeafteracoupleweeksofwriting,itbecameclearthatLennie’sstoryneededtobetoldprimarilyinprose,soIdoveinandfoundmyselffallinginlovewithwritingfiction—itwasatotalrevelation!Afterthat,Iwroteboththeproseandpoemssimultaneously,weavingthepoemsinasIwentalong.

Why did you want to tell Lennie’s story? Did you ever imagine telling Bailey and Lennie’s story from another point of view?No, it was always Lennie’s story I wanted to tell and always from her point of view. I wanted theimmediacyoffirstperson,toreallybeabletofollowhercloselyemotionallyandpsychologicallyoverthecourseofthestory.ThatimageIhadofherscatteringpoemswasincrediblypersistent;itchasedmeeverywhereuntilIsatdowntowriteherstory.IhadlostsomeoneveryclosetomeyearsearlierandIwantedtowriteaboutthatkindofcatastrophic,transformationallifeevent.Iwantedtoexploresomeoftheintricaciesandcomplexitiesofgrief,butIwantedtoexplorethemthroughalovestory—ortworeally.Iimaginedastorywherejoyandsorrowcohabitatedinreallyclosequarters,wherelovecouldbealmost asunwieldy as grief. JamesBaldwin said, “Whenyou’rewriting you’re trying tofindoutsomethingwhichyoudon’tknow.” I think therewere things Iwanted toexploreanddiscover, andwritingLennie’sstoryhelpedmedothat.Shereallytookmeover.What’soddisthatdespitethesubjectmatter,andeventhoughmanydaysItypedwithtearsfallingontothekeyboard,writingthisnovelwasanincrediblyjoyfulexperience,oneofthehappiesttimesofmylife.

Was setting important to you in writing this story?Absolutely. I very much wanted the setting to be a “character” in this story interplaying with theother characters. I love California, love writing about it. I’m very inspired by the landscape.The imagined town of Clover, where The Sky Is Everywhere takes place, has really dramatic naturalelements: roaring rivers, skyscraping redwoods, thick old-growth forests. This landscape is in theDNAoftheWalkerfamily,andIwantedittobeinstrumentalinLennie’srecoveryandawakening,asobjectivecorrelative,butalsoasalmostaspiritualforceinherlife.

What do you want readers to take from this story?It’sfunny,there’saparagraphtowardtheendofthenovelinChapter35.LenniehasjusttoldRachelshe’sgoingtochallengeherforfirstchairandshe’srunningthroughthewoodsonherwaytowrite