Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford

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23 comments:

  1. The Morgue and Me takes place in Petoskey, Michigan, a small town "six miles long at best" nestled off the icy waters of Lake Michigan. Being this far north and in such close proximity to the Lake, Petoskey experiences a less than desirable climate in which nine months out of the year there is a "harsh wind off the Lake that freezes nose hairs and stunts tree growth." These miserable conditions, along with the measly population of the town, created a sense of foreboding for me as I read. I believe this was both an intended and an important part of the story, as it naturally meshes with the mystery enshrouding the murder in the town. I could not see events of this story taking place in any other environment without losing an amount of eeriness and suspense.

    The main character is Christopher Newell, a valedictorian of his graduating class at Petoskey High, and the recipient of their most prestigious scholarship that gives him a full ride to Northwestern Michigan University. So, needless to say he is an accomplished academic with the necessary drive to accomplish the goals he sets for himself. Behind this scholarly shell is the desire to be a spy. This desire manifests into reality when he discovers that a local suicide is actually a murder cover up, and he finds himself unable to turn the other cheek. This shows determination and a strong will, as Murphy described above, that brings out more daring and risky behaviors in Chris. These feelings are amplified when he meets Tina McIntyre, a reporter for the Courier. Tina is the only other person with suspicions concerning Mitch Blaylock, so her and Chris decide to pool their information in hopes of solving the mystery. I enjoy Tina's character immensely, specifically the boldness and straightforward attitude she brings with her. This attitude intoxicates Chris, and the two form an immediate connection that plays off of their somewhat opposite personalities. This makes for interesting dialogue and an even more interesting plot as they continue their investigation.

    -Tyler L.

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  2. The novel takes place in Petosky, Michigan during the summer "when you could say that Nature winks at Petoskey"(12). But in the small town of Petoskey it is miserable the rest of the year, with "a harsh wind off the lake that freezes ... And snows in heaping portions" (12). With this contrast in weather there is a sense of foreshadowing. You would think that something bad is going to happen if the story is taking place in the summer and not the miserable winter.

    The main character is Christopher "Chris" Newell, the valedictorian of Petoskey High and winner of the Regents Scholarship of NWMU. With those achievements Chris is a pretty smart guy. He has a summer job at the town morgue and he shows his curious side when the first autopsy happens since he started working there and he finds the doctor bag filled with nearly $15,000. Another character is a reporter from the local newspaper, the Courier, Tina McIntyre. Tina has a bold and straightforward personalty that attracts Chris to her. When Chris and Tina team up to solve the cover up of a murder these opposites can do anything together and make you wonder how they are going to solve the murder.

    M. Hinman

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  3. The morgue and Me is set in modern Petoskey,Michigan. It rests in northern Michigan on the West Arm Bay of Lake Michigan; an hour from the upper peninsula. I believe the small town setting of this story will play a big role in the murder investigation that Chris is proceeding. The town is very closely knit where as most of the people in it seem to know each other. I feel that people like Dr. Mobley, the mayor, and the cop that helped cover up the murder, are all up to something.
    The main character is Chris. He is described as a senior in high school who is going to NWMU. It's mentioned a few times that Chris has always been interested in being a spy which explains his interest in the dead body at his work. Chris seems to be a very curious person who likes to discover things.
    Mike is Chris' best friend. He seems very care free and non interested in things unlike Chris. Mike is dating the Mayor's daughter which i believe will uncover a lot of information during Chris' investigation.
    -Kris Williams

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    1. I agree with your comment about how the mayor's daughter will be a source of information. In the book at Dana's, the mayor's daughter, party Chris asks her about Lovell "That Lovell guy is like a degenerate gambler or something" (123). Also I never thought of Chris wanting to be a spy connecting to his interest in the dead body it is a very good reflection.
      -M. Hinman

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  4. This novel is set in the small town of Petoskey, Michigan. The small town setting helps drive the plot by adding to the unusual nature of the events which begin the story. The main characters are Chris, a withdrawn boy who aspires to be a spy, and Tina, an accomplice of Chris's. They are investigating what appears to be a cover-up of a murder in their small town.

    - S. Blount

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    1. Tina is not just Chris' accomplice but also a reporter from the Courier It was the insanely hot woman from the Courier" (51). If Tina wasn't a reporter then Chris would have never meet her. Without Tina Chris would never have been able to get as far as he has on solving the murder. Without Tina being a reporter wouldn't have been able to ask people questions about the person who was murdered "I'm just a reporter.... The Courier may do a little piece on his career ... he's an intern with us" (76).
      -M. Hinman

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  5. This book "The Morgue and Me" is set in a small town called Petoskey,Michigan. It's about a young adult named Chris who had just graduated from high school and was now looking into goin into a college called NWMU, but for the summer, he found a spare job cleaning and organizing in the town's morgue.While doing that he runs across what he thinks is a murder cover up, involving many of the towns officials, and old friends. While investigating this cover up, Chris runs into a very sexy biker typer women, which he is involved with very much in the investigation of this "murder". The small town setting is very important to the plot because the death of an ordinary man could be known by alot of different people in such a small town, meaning alot of informants.

    Tre Sweeney

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  6. In this book, Chris goes through alot in his transition from high school into college. He goes through alot of internal and external problems in his life while trying to solve this case. One of the main internal conflicts I have seen so far is between Chris and his old high school crush, Julia.In high school, Chris and Julia had become friends, and Chris got too involved, and asked Julia if she would go to the dance with him. She denied him, and when he asked her why she only said, "No Christopher.Just....no"(43). That is a very small quote, but that one answer to his one question meant the world to him. In the book, the tone bounces around alot: it will go from wistful and romantic while Chris is with Tina, to sad and depressing when he thinks of Julia.

    Tre Sweeney

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    1. It's true that Julia's response had a big impact on Chris. This sees some resolution in the quote "'think how it feels for me. Humiliation is when you get rejected. I've never done that to you.' 'What, and I have?' 'Of course you have.'She looked a little stunned. 'Remember Homecoming?'" Despite the ambiguity of her statement, he immediately assumed the worst, and avoided her as best he could afterwards.
      -S. Blount

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  7. An external conflict in this book is struggle between Christopher and Julia. Julia broke Chris' heart by denying his offer to take her to homecoming. Before this incident Chris and Julia were becoming good friends. Chris never seemed to have let it go. Julia persistently tries to talk to Chris and hangout with him but he continuously avoids contact with her. This conflict was resolved by Chris telling her he couldn't be friends with her. She didn't take it well but i think they will just slowly drift apart.
    The majority of this book is very casual. So far the book has only had one very action filled scene that left an "awe' tone. The scene was when Chris was kidnapped by the man from the bar and his wife. It left you wondering why he would kidnap Chris in the first place.
    -Kris Williams

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    1. I agree that the book is very casual but there is more than just that one scene in the book that changes the tone. An example is when Chris thinks of Julia and her rejection. Another is when Daniel is kidnapped for the blackmail pictures.

      -M. Hinman

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    2. In addition to the scenes previously pointed out, another one which is important to mention is the scene where Tim shows up to Chris's house after he has found the pictures, which creates a good deal of suspense and tension. This is, however, quickly diffused when Chris and Tina realize that Tim knows less about the case than they do.
      -S. Blount

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  8. An internal conflict in this book is Chris's dealing with his feelings for Julia. As a result of her declining his invitation to homecoming, he has decided to cut her out if his life. Despite his diligent efforts to stick to this course of action, they end up spending some time together. While he enjoys spending time with her, it also brings up feelings of shame and embarrassment relating to her refusal of his offer.

    The tone in this book is often foreboding, creating an ominous mood. A quote which shows this well is "That's when I sensed a presence at my back. It had beer breath." (128). The author frequently uses language which suggests that misfortune is on its way (this is set apart from foreshadowing in that it is an unsubtle allusion to nonspecific future events, and does not necessarily offer any clues as to their nature) and in doing so creates a sense of suspense and unease in the reader.
    -S. Blount

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    1. I totally agree that an internal conflict is Chris' feelings for Julia. It can also be an external conflict because Chris' mom wants him and Julia to be together. Another way it could be an external conflict is that Julia is trying to become friends with Chris again. She does that by meeting up with him at different places. Like the "picnic at the morgue" (113).

      -M. Hinman

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  9. I enjoyed the ending of this novel, as it wrapped up every point of the story completely and left no mystery unsolved. I've never been one for cliffhangers because I would rather see what sort of specific ending the author would prefer their story to have. I can see why this was chosen as a recipient of the Gateway Book Award because it exhibits positive character morality through the mind of the main character as he sifts through the deceits and lies of the antagonists.

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  10. I really loved how the book ended. I can understand why it was chosen as a recipient of the Gateway Book Award, it left the reader guessing until the very end. The way the book went it left little clues along the way hinting at how the mystery is solved. "It was just a single picture at a dresser, but it said something unmistakable" (175). Another thing I loved about the book is how the main character gradually grew throughout the whole story.
    - M. Hinman

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  11. I was very happy with the way this book ended. I was very content with the last few chapters and did not want to put the book down. This book, on many occasions, leaves you puzzled and forces you to keep reading to find out what comes next. This I believe is why it was a Gateway Book. The random twists and turns the plot makes really adds to the overall story.
    -Kris Williams

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  12. I enjoyed the ending of this novel. Up until the very end, the author has you believing that the story is going to wrap up in one way, only to take things in a completely different direction at the last second. It was far from predictable the whole way through, and the conclusion is unexpected, but not unbelievable. I enjoyed the clever uses of foreshadowing throughout the novel, small nods to the particular relationship between characters from which the bulk of the conflict stems.
    -S.Blount

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  13. The Morgue and Me is by John C. Ford. The Morgue and Me is his first book and he did and fantastic job with writing a thrilling novel. The novel is about a boy named Chris discovering the cover up of a murder at his summer job of working in the morgue. While researching about the murder victim he enlists the help of a beautiful and bold reporter, Tina McIntyre. Together the two are trying to solve who the murderer is. The book is a wonderful mix of romance, mystery, and suspense leaving you guessing until the very end. One of my favorite quotes from the novel is " and then my mind leaped across the chasm and I knew. I knew, and it was terrible" (295) and this is my favorite because this is when Chris realizes who the killer is but the author doesn't let on who it is until the very end and it just leaves you guessing.

    -M. Hinman

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  14. This book "The morgue and Me" is about a boy name Chris Newell, who has just graduated from high school and is looking for a summer job, and finds one working at the local hospital's morgue. While working there, he discovers a murder cover up involving his boss, and decides to investigate. While investigating, he runs into a girl named Tina who works at the local paper and she and him help eachother solve the case. While working together, the run into alot of different people that were asociated with the murder victim who give them clues about what kind of stuff the victim was doing with his free time. I enjoyed this book and all the twist and turns were very exciting. My favorite quote from the book is this, "I wait until the sun goes down, and then I pick up my camera and go back into the world. Theres stuff to do out there, like getting Julia back." I loved that quote because julia was the girl that he loved but he never dated her, so now he is going to do just that

    Tre Sweeney

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  15. The Morgue and Me by John Ford is a terrific book. It is about a college bound teenager named Christopher Newell. In his last summer before before college he gets a job at the Morgue and discovers a murder being covered up. Due to his life long interest in being a spy he decides to investigate the body. He meets a reporter named Tina who shares his interest in the body and they decide to work together. They get very deep into the investigation and get into many dangerous situations. At times they even risked their lives. This book is very exciting and casual at the same time; while also having just enough action scenes. My favorite quote is when Chris' best friend Mike tells him, " I can only save your life so many times". This shows how Mike doesn't want Chris to continue the investigation due to the danger. I would recommend this book to anyone especially high school kids
    -Kris Williams

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  16. The Morgue and Me, by John C. Ford, is about Christopher Newell, a recent college graduate who takes a summer job at the morgue. While working there, he finds the body of a man who was shot in the chest, and sees that his death was ruled a suicide. He investigates with the help of Tina, a reporter for the local paper. There are many plot twists, and the book does a good job of keeping the reader guessing without leaving them lost completely. My favorite quote was "I never tried again to get the black-and-white picture I had wanted so much at the beginning of summer" because I think this symbolizes Chris's decision to turn away from his long-standing desire to become a spy. I would recommend this book to most high school students.
    -S.Blount

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