The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones

• Genre: Fiction; mystery/psychological
• Originally Published: 2002
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 809L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 23 chapters plus unnumbered chapters “Snapshots” and “Bones”; approx. 368 pages; approx. 11 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Set in 1973 in Norristown, PA, this novel features a 14-year-old girl, Susie Salmon, whose murder has already happened. Susie narrates from heaven as she observes her family begin to reconcile with her tragic death, each in their own way.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Rape and murder of a young girl; family trauma and grief; serial killings; some language; alcohol and drug abuse; sexual content

Alice Sebold, Author

• Bio: Born in 1963 in Wisconsin; attempted writing after post-secondary education while living in New York City; published a memoir (Lucky, 1999) just a year after earning an MFA in creative writing at the University of California at Irvine that discusses her trauma and recovery after being sexually assaulted as a college freshman; met with success as a best-selling novelist with The Lovely Bones
• Other Works: Lucky (1999); The Almost Moon (2007); Looking Glass: A Special Edition of The Lovely Bones (2009)
• Awards: Bram Stoker Award (2002); an American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults (2003); Women’s Prize for Fiction (Longlisted; 2003)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Coming of Age and Sexuality
• Grieving Traumatic Loss
• Isolation and Interconnectivity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding the time period of Susie’s murder.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections to the text’s themes of Coming of Age and Sexuality, Grieving Traumatic Loss, and Isolation and Interconnectivity.
• Plan and construct a photo journal that demonstrates important events in Susie’s life based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate character details and the author’s purpose to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Harvey’s character, Abigail’s motives, and other topics.