Ella Minnow Pea is a humorous novel written by Mark Dunn, which was published in 2001. It is a fairly short novel with lots of political satire. Told through a series of short letters, this fictional story expertly tells a tale that describes the significance of freedom of speech. This novel takes place in a beautiful, small island nation called Nollop. Their island is named after Nevin Nollop, known for his pangram, “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” This pangram is inscribed in tiles on a statue at the heart of the town of Nollopton. One fateful day, the letter “z” tile drops. The island’s council determines that the dropped tile is a sign from Nollop, meaning that they should stop using the letter “z.” The council sets punishments for the use of the letter, even going so far as to threaten banishment. As time went on, more and more letters dropped, frustrating citizens and restricting their everyday lives. This story centers around a young 18 year old girl, Ella Minnow Pea. At first when their use of letters is restricted, Ella doesn’t give it much thought and even finds it as an amusing part of her normal life. However, she soon realizes the need for resistance against the council’s restricting laws if their island wants to maintain a proper and functioning society. Ultimately, her family is banished and Ella is only one of the few left. It is up to Ella to find a new, shorter pangram to make the council rescind their laws and limitations on the citizens’ freedom to reunite her with her friends and family. This book was entertaining and witty with its clever use and play of letters and the English language. It additionally made me more aware of the negative side effects of restricting freedoms. It was easily understandable, but also enticing, through the way the novel cleverly portrayed modern day issues through fictional Nollop. Although the format of this book could be a bit confusing towards the end, it was still worthwhile to continue to the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who just wants a quick, enlightening read.
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