The House of the Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer

Tiffany Hsia

3/19/06

Period 3

Personal Review

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer was an enjoyable read. Every chapter ended in suspense, so it was difficult to put the book down. This book addressed the good and bad side of humanity. It shows what the world is like to someone who is not human and the disappointments of betrayal. This book is fast-paced so I finished reading it in two days! The only thing I disliked about how this book was written is that it includes Spanish words because the setting is in Mexico. Being unfamiliar with that language, I had to keep a Spanish dictionary on my desk for quick reference to words like callate and bandido. Although the Spanish words are inconvenient, I highly recommend this book to all.

Important and Inspiring Quotations

“What Matt hated about the creature was everyone´s assumption that he and Furball were the same... He couldn´t understand the difference between right and wrong. He was a dumb beast and so, apparently, was Matt“(85).

I chose this quote because it made me feel sympathy towards Matt. Matt is the clone of El Patron, and because he is a clone, he is treated like an animal. Being compared to Maria´s puppy, Furball, is unfair, because Matt is more intelligent than a dog and even an average human. Matt has excellent grades and good manners, but is still considered unimportant because of the way he was created.

“‘When you´re small, you can choose which way to grow. If you´re kind and decent, you grow into a kind and decent man´“(70).

Tam Lin is one of my favorite characters in the book because he said many intelligent things to Matt. This quote was said in one of the first conversations between Tam Lin and Matt. Tam Lin was telling Matt that people choose how they want to live their own lives. If they want to grow up to be mean and nasty, it was their choice and it can only be changed by them.

“‘I always say the truth is best even when we find it unpleasant. Any rat in a sewer can lie. It's how rats are. It's what makes them rats. But a human doesn't run and hide in dark places, because he's something more. Lying is the most personal act of cowardice there is´“(134).

This was another quote Tam Lin said to Matt when Matt was suspected of killing Furball. I liked this quote because it reminded me of another quote I was inspired by: “Lying is done with words and also with silence“~ Adrienne Rich. It is better to relieve one´s self from guilt than to keep it bottled up. Lying is for cowards because lying is done out of selfishness.

About the Author

Nancy Farmer was born in the year 1941 in the United States and grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border. Much of the scenery described in The House of the Scorpion was inspired by the landscape she saw living on the border. She has written a number of books, but her three of her accomplishments won Newbery Honor Awards. Her Newbery Honor books include The House of the Scorpion , The Ear, the Eye and the Arm , and A Girl Named Disaster . Her most recent book is The Sea of Trolls which was published in the year 2004.