In my experience, not everyone has a favorite book. Sure, the general population has a generic, societally approved, run-of-the-mill book in the back of their mind for dinner parties or interviews, but hardly anyone has really connected with a book in the same way I have with Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It is the ultimate example of overcoming adversity and rising to a challenge, it paints a vivid picture of its characters, and it offers a powerful message. It is, quite honestly, the best book I have ever read.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the protagonist, is unwanted by society. He is a "thirdie", a third child, in an overpopulated not-too-distant future world that permits only two children per family. He is horribly downtrodden in much the same way as modern-day minorities. Outwardly meek and small for his age, he is constantly tortured physically and mentally by his peers and his psychotic-but-genius older brother. In spite of his underdoggish appearance, he is recruited by the military to be a commander in a genocidal war against an alien race known as "the Buggers". Training proves even worse than normal school. The other cadets recognize his commanding brilliance and hate him for it. After many fights and bouts of severe depression, he eventually convinces the entire military organization (fellow trainees included) through his remarkable tactical acumen that he has what it takes to save humanity from the alien menace. When he is only ten years old he is given command of the military's interstellar fleet and destroys the Buggers' homeworld and is immediately rendered a hero, but he could never have done it without his family, instructors and supporters.
Ender was only able to conquer the enemy because of the people close to him, and this is made evident by how much attention Card gives to almost every character in the book. Through the use of snappy dialogue, subplots, and sight into each character's mind, the reader becomes intimately familiar with Ender's immediate subordinates that double as friends, his siblings and his instructors. A good piece of writing should make its readers care about not only the main character, but all of the characters around him; in Ender's Game the reader is moved to care about even Ender's psychotic older brother. The secondary characters in the novel are astoundingly three-dimensional; it is obvious Card loved them just as much as he loved Ender. The book is made intriguing because the reader empathizes so well for all of the characters, but the true power and universal message of the novel is revealed when this empathy is cast upon the race that Ender exterminated.
The Buggers are revealed to be simply different from humanity, and not evil at all. Initial clashes between Humans and Buggers came about because Buggers communicate telepathically and have no concept of writing, speech or any other form of human communication. Humans feared their nightmarish appearance and ascertained from their silence that they intended us harm; the Buggers drew a similar conclusion and total war was initiated. Through a stroke of luck humanity defeated the Buggers, but always lived in fear that they would one day return, so we sent a fleet of starships to destroy the Bugger homeworld before this attack could be launched. The Buggers never intended to attack again when they realized that Humans were sentient and did not deserve destruction, but humanity pressed onwards with no reflection on the nature of their enemies. Thus an entire race was exterminated because of rash decisions and lack of empathy. This lesson is applicable in every context, not just in fiction or even in war. Empathy should always be used before aggression.
A truly great book should hold a timeless lesson, be intriguing and fast-paced, and should have an entire host of characters to care about rather than just one. Ender's Game embodies all of these parameters and more. It's underdog premise and sci-fi setting supply a page-turning and remarkably original plot, its characters could all have stories of their own and it teaches us to feel for others. Ender's game is a masterpiece, and everyone should read it.
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