Week 12 Prompt Response

The Readers' Advisory Matrix

Readme.txt by Chelsea Manning

1. Where is this book on the narrative continuum?

• Highly Narrative (Reads like Fiction)
• A Mix (Combines Highly Narrative Moments with Periods of Fact-Based Prose)
• Highly Fact Based (Has Few or No Narrative Moments)

2. What is the Subject of the Book?

• The subject of this book is the story of how and why Chelsea Manning nearly 750,000 documents about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book chronicles her early life, her time being homeless, her time in the military, the leaking of the documents, and the fallout from that decision.

3. What Type of Book is it?

• This book is a memoir. 

4. Articulate Appeal

• What is the pacing of the book?
• This book is fast paced. Each of the chapters are a small look into a specific time point in her life.
• Describe the characters of the book.
• The main character of the book is Chelsea herself. She is the only consistent character throughout the entirety of the book. The other major characters are her family, other soldiers in the military, and her defense attorney. 
• How does the story feel?
• The story feels important and harrowing. If it was not for her we might still be in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
• What is the intent of the author?
• The intent of the author is to finally tell her story. She feels that everyone around her has been speaking for her for years. 
• What is the focus of the story?
• The main focus of the story is her life and what led to her decision. 
• Does the language matter?
• Yes, the language matters especially in this story. She still cannot say the full details because if she did she would be arrested again. She had to be very careful when writing this memoir. 
• Is the setting important and well described?
• The setting for the most part is not important expect for the Army base in Iraq. She describes the base in rich details. This allows the reader to get a better picture of what it was like in Iraq at the time. 
• Are there details and, if so, of what?
• There is so much detail in this book. She breaks down her home life, her transition, exactly how she leaked the documents, her time in Iraq, her time in prison, and many other things. 
• Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?
• There are no charts or graphic materials in the book. The only thing that could be considered a "graphic" is the redactions in the book. She had to submit the book to the Department of Defense before publishing and if they told her to remove something she replaced it with redactions. This makes it clear to the reader that she wants to say more but cannot. 
• Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?
• The book stresses all three. She really wants the audience to learn what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, to understand why she did what she did, and to see her experiences from her perspective.  

5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1. Subject
2. Storyline
3. Pacing