State Library of Kansas  :  Kansas Center for the Book  :  Letters About Literature  :  Past Winners

2008 Winner: Corinne Andreson, Overland Park (Level 2)

Book Title: Madeline L’Engle

Book Author: A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Dear Mrs. L’Engle,

What is human nature? Is it our instinct to fight and destroy ourselves? Are we destined to wipe ourselves out? Are we our only true enemy? Before I read your book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, I never considered these concepts. This book has changed the way I think of people, and the idea of war, entirely.

In A Swiftly Tilting Planet the idea of a nuclear war fascinated me. Could that really happen? In splitting a single atom, have we created a power so dangerous it could be the end of the world? I hope not. Nuclear power is almost unimaginable, and can be used for everyone’s benefit, yet we may use it to serve the most destructive purpose imaginable. Is that human nature? I pondered this question and read on.

Later, I discovered the ways of the Wind People, and the way Harcels lived without cruel and binding laws, or the devastation of war. Is that possible? I wondered if it was. Could we really be truly free, in a world where everyone and everything has a place and is accepted? Or is it human nature to beat others down for our own gain? Is a world like the Wind People’s no more than a children’s fantasy? I still do not have a definite answer.

I was also intrigued by the idea of Kytheing. What would it be like to communicate with someone using only your mind, but without using words, just knowing? I wish we really could Kythe, because if we could, then I think we could genuinely understand each other. So much war, prejudice and pain originate from a lack of understanding. Even without Kytheing, if people would just seek to understand each other, the world would be such a better place.

The most shocking part of your whole book, as many unexpected twists and turns as it had, was finding out about Branwen’s past. To learn that her beloved brother was given permanent brain damage by their stepfather was very sad. I felt sorry for Branwen, even though she is just a character in a book. But it made me think about perspective. Branwen lived in the past, and it destroyed her future. I think that if she could have just put her past behind her, and lived in the present, she might have had a better life.

I was sorry that A Swiftly Tilting Planet didn’t go on any further when I was finished. I was amazed at the ending, the way Charles Wallace and Gaudior actually changed time and stopped the war before it happened. If only everything could be resolved that way. But since it can’t, we humans are just going to have to use what we have to accomplish peace and understand each other.

Thank you, Mrs. L’Engle, for writing, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. It has entirely changed my perspective of people, and the concept of war. Before I read your book, I never thought about these things. A Swiftly Tilting Planet had changed the way I see the world. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Corinne Andresen

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