Ella Minnow Pea

Title: Ella Minnow Pea

Author: Mark Dunn

Summary: This novel is set on a fictional island off the Southeast coast of the U.S., where Nevin Nollop is respected for having written the sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog". When the letters begin to fall off of the memorial statue of Nollop, the council decrees that it must be the will of Nollop himself that those letters cease to be used in speech or writing. As a novel of letters, we see the progression of linguistic creativity and desperation as more and more letters fall and the people try to find a way to stop the madness.

Recommendation: I think this book was very interesting to read. It raises the issue of totalitarianism and censorship without being heavy-handed. The read itself is a delight -- reading the letters the people send to each other as they have to be more and more careful what they say is very interesting and fun. A quick and easy read that is worth the time.

Hearts: 4