A Zombie Among Men

Rick Grimes and the Lessons of Undeadness

by Scott Kenemoreon The Walking Dead

Robert Kirkman’s epic comic book series is called The Walking Dead.

Not The Whiny Humans.

Can we agree on that much? Can we all accept that this, at least, is fact and not just “my opinion”?

Can we?

Good.

Because there’s a reason he gave it that title.

Kirkman’s phenomenal series makes perhaps the strongest case in contemporary fiction for the superiority of the zombie over the human. It is on the positive traits of zombies that Kirkman has chosen to focus his narrative, and rightly so. In the dark and apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead–so expertly limned by Kirkman–it is the zombies and not the humans who consistently find ways to persevere, who succeed, eventually, in obtaining their goals. Wherever they are and whatever they are doing, zombies always have the advantage. They triumph where humans fail. They endure in situations that would leave living persons totally obliterated. These dynamic, ever-stalwart, and supremely self-assured … read more»

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Thu 2/27

Why We Love . . . Becky Sproles

by Jen Chaneyon Friday Night Lights

When we first met Becky Sproles, all we could say about her was, “Oh, she’s . . . cute.” A seemingly vapid, stereotypical teenager with a fixation on winning beauty pageants, Becky initially came across as a Little Miss Sunshine. She also was the sort of girl who was manipulative … read more»

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Wed 2/26

Missing the Point

by Sarah Beth Durston The Chronicles of Narnia

Remember Bambi? Cute deer. Cute bunny. Cute skunk. Very scary forest fire. Very traumatic death of Bambi’s mother. . . . Yeah, I don’t actually remember that last part. Seriously, when I saw Bambi, I didn’t realize that his mother died. I thought that Bambi’s parents were simply divorced and … read more»

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Tue 2/25

Dancing with the Wolves

by Linda Gerberon the Twilight series

The wolf’s eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob….

–NEW MOON

I might as well confess up front–I’m one of those people: … read more»

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Mon 2/24

Share Your Glee: Every Girl Needs a Kurt

by Debbie Duncanon Glee

Every high school girl needs a Kurt. Rod was mine.

We met in sophomore English, fall of 1968, and soon gravitated together to the back of the class. When we studied Romeo and Juliet, Rod asked to read the part of Juliet. Miss M wouldn’t let him. Of course, … read more»