Guess Which Famous Author Visited Juarez?
Jacklyn Escamilla and Miguel Bocanegra
Published: December 1, 2009
When we first heard heard that Jonathan Safran Foer was coming to visit Juarez, we had no clue as to who he was. But once we read the beginning of his new book, Eating Animals, we had to know more about this author.
Foer talks about his new book.
On November 18th, Juarez juniors and seniors entered the library to meet the writer they heard so much about. Before our guest spoke, two pairs of students spoke about Foer’s other books, the novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Two more students introduced Foer, who took his place behind the podium.
Foer began his speech by explaining that he was on a book tour. He had asked to visit a local high school, and librarians at the Chicago Public Library suggested our school because we've hosted other writers in the past. “I’ve been going around the country to bookstores meeting people and I have been on Ellen DeGeneres and Martha Stewart’s shows," he told us.
Eating Animals depicts how meat is really made and what the consequences of current food production are. He explained that he mainly wrote this book for two reasons: for his family and for high school students. “The choices we make, the values we act on are most important when we are young as they create lifelong habits,” he said.
The inspiration for this book came from something that happened very early in Foer’s life--he had a babysitter that refused to eat chicken because she did not want to hurt animals. In researching his book, Foer spent three years traveling the country and visiting farms. During his visit, students asked Foer a series of questions concerning the topic of his book. He let us know that animals we eat usually live in horrible conditions and that this also has a negative effect on the environment. He also let us know that the diet of every American is dictated by the big companies that provide us with most of our food.
Food really matters, and people should stop and think before buying their groceries. In order to truly change the world, the message must be sent to the right people, in this case, high school students who are the free thinkers who will eventually run the world and hopefully change it for the better.
Jacklyn Escamilla and Miguel Bocanegra are juniors at Juarez High School and students in Laura Lemone's AP Language and Composition class.
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