The Girl in the Arena

Eighteen-year-old Lyn has lived her entire life in the world of gladiators, and this modern-day version of the sport has risen in popularity to rival that of football. Men or women can compete, although the men's division has higher priority. Matches aren't necessarily to the death, but the crowds do enjoy that aspect. Entry into the association is voluntary; many train for years to compete, while some inmates on death row volunteer to compete as well. Lyn was born into this lifestyle. Her mother is a gladiator's wife with her first husband being Lyn's father. After he was killed in the arena, her mother married another, soon becoming a widow again. In total, Lyn has had seven gladiator fathers. She knows every rule issued by the Gladiator Sports Association, and there are quite a few. If a person chooses to participate in the gladiator sports or become part of a gladiator's family, it's almost like joining an entirely different culture. Lyn and her special needs brother adore their stepfather, Tommy. But in front of their eyes and the entire world, a competitor named Uber extinguishes Tommy's life in the arena. The Gladiator Sports Association has about a million laws, one of which states that a woman can't marry more than seven gladiators; Lyn's mother, who has suffered emotional problems in the past, drops into a deep depression. Another states that when a gladiator steals a girl's dowry bracelet, the girl is forced to marry him. Lyn had just happened to give her bracelet to Tommy before the match for good luck, and Uber picked it up in the arena. It doesn't take long for the gladiator-hungry press to figure out to whom the bracelet belonged. Lyn must now marry Uber, but she refuses to wed her father's murderer. Instead, she proposes an alternate solution: she will meet Uber in the arena and fight him to the death. The storyline moves quickly with a few clever surprises slipped in to give it an extra kick. Lise Haines offers a unique look at today's society and its blood-thirsty cravings for violent entertainment. She has an exceptional talent for writing interesting and well-developed characters, especially the strong, independent and family-devoted Lyn. She also embraces the character of Lyn's little brother, who is a special needs child, with patience, understanding and warmth. In addition, Haines implements a technique of using the hyphen to indicate conversation instead of quotes. I found it a bit distracting at first, but soon became accustomed to it and realized it to be unique and fresh. Although this is Haines's first book for young adults, her new fans will be anxiously hoping that she is inspired to write many more. --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman

So I'm working my way through all the Cybils YA Fantasy/Science Fiction nominees, when GIRL IN THE ARENA shows up on my doorstep (thank you, Bloomsbury!). Truthfully, I'm a little supernatural creatured out just about now and so this dystopian, neo-gladiator, fight to the death novel seemed made to order. I remember seeing it at BEA and somehow not snagging a copy. I'd read a few reviews here and there, some favorable, some middling, and I knew I loved the cover. I mean, look at that. It's awesome. Admittedly, I could do without the cheesy tagline and the "Fight to the Death!" sign in the background. And, having read the book, a certain aspect of the cover is sort of glaringly inaccurate. But somehow I was able to overlook these minor quibbles, because that's simply one sweet cover. In retrospect, I think it's a good choice as that particular inaccuracy should be part of the reading experience and not ruined by the cover art. Lyn is known as the Daughter of Seven Gladiators. Her mother, Allison, has made a career of marrying gladiators and perfecting the persona of the perfect Glad wife. The seventh (and current) husband, Tommy G., is Lyn's favorite by far. He actually spends time with her and her little brother Thad. He's stuck by her manic mother, when no one else can stand her. He even supports Lyn's growing interest in nonviolence and listens to her read from the book she is writing--A History of the Gladiator Sports Association. But their time together is growing short as Tommy stares down the bullet of what he fears will be his last match. His next opponent, Uber, is said to be the real deal. And Thad's eerie, erratic predictions don't bode well for Tommy surviving his next episode in the arena. But when Uber stands over Tommy's body and scoops up the bracelet her stepfather wore for good luck, Lyn's world unexpectedly fragments into more pieces than she can piece together again. For it's her bracelet Uber scoops up. And Lyn knows the GSA bylaws better than anyone. The only gladiator allowed to wear that bracelet is her father . . . or her husband. I could not put this book down. I mean it was physically difficult to tear my eyes away from the page. Yes, it's a dystopian novel about gladiators fighting to the death while thousands, millions of desensitized viewers watch live and on TV. And, yes, it features a young woman who is determined to protect her family at all cost. But there the similarities to The Hunger Games end. Where Suzanne Collins' book takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic chunk of North America, Lise Haines' novel is set in an all-too-familiar present-day America. I spent the entire time feeling like this kind of ultra-violent, death-as-entertainment society could be just around the corner, that today's reality shows are one step away from the bizarre rituals Lyn is privy to. Interestingly, growing up in the military, I felt a surprising kinship with Lyn, Mark, and Uber's experiences growing up in the Glad cultur

What happens when reality television dictates what a person does in their life? Lyn is the daughter of seven gladiators. Her mother, Allison, has made a career out of being a gladiator's wife, studiously following the credos of the Glad wives. Lyn wants a different path for herself but a traumatic turn of events leaves her at the mercy of Caesar's, the ruling body for the Gladiator Sports Association. Will Lyn be forced to marry and become a Glad wife or will she find her own path to success? GIRL IN THE ARENA is told entirely from Lyn's perspective and in the present tense. While I normally find present tense to be distracting, in this case it adds to the tale by drawing the reader into Lyn's point of view and adding a sense of urgency to the pacing. The world of GIRL IN THE ARENA isn't so far distant from our current world as one might think and almost feels like an alternate history. Reality television dominates the airwaves, as does sports programming, and it's not hard to imagine a meshing of the two. Even more powerful, however, is the emphasis on the role of women and the expectations dictated to them by the Glad society. Readers will find themselves quite frustrated with the unfairness of the system while cheering Lyn's ability to think outside the box. Thad is a great secondary character and his unique situation only serves to highlight the injustices Lyn is facing. The only caution I would give to readers regarding GIRL IN THE ARENA isn't in regards to the actual book, but rather to the marketing. The blurb on the back reveals most of the plotline while the title implies that the book will involve fighting as a large part of the plot. GIRL IN THE ARENA is more of a stream of conscious style social commentary, one that will appeal to a certain segment of both the young adult and adult readers, but it is not your typical gladiator book. Excellent!

This is an amazing book that really stands out above the crowd in a lot of ways. I think it would appeal to a wide range of readers, and I have already passed it on or recommended it to many of my friends. The book is about Lyn, the daughter of a gladiator in a near future world where gladiators not only fight to the death for glory and TV contracts, but also live by a strict social code that governs not only their lives, but also those of their wives and children. Here are some of the many things I loved about this book: * The author took some interesting ideas -- Neo-gladiators fight to the death! The lives of gladiators and their families are part WWF, part reality TV, part The O.C.! -- and developed them so well that everything seems real and believable. * The characters and their relationships are well-developed -- they seem like real people doing real things, rather than just following along because the plot tells them to. In a book about neo-gladiators and their families, it would be so easy to have flat stereotypes running around, but not here! And while it may be no surprise that Lyn comes across as a strong young woman who will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid being backed into someone else's corner, the amazing thing for me is how many other characters I truly cared about. * There are no cheap tricks in this plot, no empty chapters, nowhere did I feel cheated as a reader -- and no way would I have guessed the ending.

Girl in the Arena offers an exciting and multi-layered world that captures the imagination from the start. The main character, Lyn, is smart and tough, which makes her very likable, especially as she's caught in the world of gladiator sport. She's a terrific heroine in a terrifying setting and in the end, very relatable. The whole thing works together to create not only a great story but much food for thought. It's obvious that Lise Haines has brought her experiences as a literary writer to this young adult novel, to really capture the inner turmoil of her characters. I think that is certainly needed in YA nowadays (when many authors are just focused on plot, no matter how poorly written). I'm recommending this to all my teenage friends (especially those who loved Hunger Games).