Glitch

The students at the Glitching academy are forced into a specific career path due to their genes. Are there real-life parallels to this? What social commentary is Martin making by including this detail?

Since it was posited in 1972, the butterfly effect has become a popular device in books, film, and other media. Choose another work that uses the device such as Jurassic Park or Terry Pratchett’s Interesting Times. What similarities do these works share? Do their creators come to different conclusions than Glitch?

How does butterfly and insect imagery extend into the novel to create an extended metaphor?

The novel cites several historical events, including Lincoln’s assassination, the Boston Tea Party, Gettysburg, and the burning of a Black church. Why might Martin have chosen these specific events? How to they reflect her specific discussion of preserving history—the good and the bad? Would other historical events have changed the discussion?

Research Lewis and Clark. Why might Martin have chosen this name for the Glitcher partner program? How does their history develop the novel’s themes?

How does Glitch explore different learning styles and types of intelligence? How does this build on the story’s discussion of teamwork?

The novel shows adults arguing over the rules or otherwise adhering dogmatically to them, whereas the children are more willing to break the rules to do what’s right. What might Martin be saying about youth, social norms, and civil disobedience? Are there historical parallels you can identify?

While the students can travel through time, they only travel into the past rather than into the future. Why might this be? What might a Glitcher be able to accomplish by looking forward rather than looking into the past?