Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

What is it about?

Louisa Clark, daughter of a financially struggling family, desperately accepts a job offered by a wealthy older couple as a caretaker for their quadriplegic son, Will Traynor. Will, a once active, life seizing young man, becomes paralyzed from the neck down after a traffic accident. He lost his girlfriend, his home as it was not wheelchair accessible, and ultimately his life. Tired of the suffering, he asks his parents to take him to a doctor in Switzerland that will help him end his life. Horrified, his parents refuse, but once Will takes the matter into his own hands and tries to kill himself instead, they agree, but only with the condition that he gives life another try for 6 months. He agrees to their terms. In need of another caregiver, Lou was given the job because Will’s mother thought that Lou’s bubbly, contagious personality might persuade Will to keep his life. Lou’s bright personality is no match for Will’s bitterness, but her family needs the money so she stays. As soon as there seems to be some breakthrough with Will, Lou finds out that Will plans to commit assisted suicide in a matter of months. Wanting no part of that, she decides to quit but changes her mind once she figures out that maybe she can change his mind. In a frantic effort to change Will’s mind, Lou tries to show Will that life is still worth living, and that love is enough to satisfy, but it is Will who shows Lou what it means to be alive. In one of their conversations, Will asks why a beautiful, quirky girl like herself has not been outside her hometown and experienced the world yet. She confesses that she was sexually assaulted in high school and it has prevented her from being brave enough to leave. Will encourages her to get out and make the most of herself. She will never be happy stuck in this town. Lou plans outings to show Will that life can still be interesting and enjoyable. They go to the horse races, the symphony, and even the wedding of Will’s ex girlfriend who left him after the accident. Inevitably, Will and Lou fall in love. It wasn’t until their beach holiday that their love was professed and Lou informs Will that she knows of his plans. Will confesses that he is still planning on the assisted suicide regardless of what he feels for Lou. He doesn’t want to hold Lou back from all the life she still has to live as his was basically over from his point of view. Lou resents him and wants nothing to do with his suicide. Will goes to Switzerland and begs Lou to come with. After days of thinking about it, she joins him on his last few days alive. Will ends up going through with the committed suicide regardless of the love between Lou and himself, and although Lou is devastated and heartbroken, she finally finds the courage to let herself live to the fullest because of Will and his encouragement.

This book contains controversial themes such as sexual assault and suicide. It also explores ideas of morality, what makes life worth living, and what it means to truly be alive. The language is simple and easy to read.

Why this text?

Never before have I dealt with a piece of literature that has a focused on physical disabilities. Never before have I dealt with a piece of literature that asks if it’s okay or even moral to end one’s life by choice. Never have I dealt with a piece of literature that says love isn’t the cure for all of life’s pitfalls. These are the main reasons why I would choose to teach this book. Thoughts of suicide plague over 18% of American teenagers, so it should not be something shoved under the rug. Teenagers also make up 51% of sexual abuse cases, something that Lou deals with as well. Lou’s attitude towards life dramatically changes after her assault, and Will teaches her how to regain control of her life, toss out fear, and spark a passion once again. He teaches her how to live. Due to the mature content, I would use this book for a sophomore or junior English class. I would make sure before we got into the book to leave phone numbers/website links for suicide hotlines so students know that if they feel as though they can’t talk to me, they have someone they can speak to about what they’re going through.

Although this book is a romance, it isn’t the main focus. It’s nice to have something telling students that love isn’t the answer to everything. The media constantly tells teenagers that if you find love, you’ll be happy, and for Will, this wasn’t the case.

How to incorporate the text:

Idea #1: First and foremost, this text is full of discussions waiting to happen. I want kids to take a stance on each issue brought up in the book such as:

• ·      Is ending your life okay? Under what circumstances? Why?
• ·      What does it mean to be alive?
• ·      Whose fault is a sexual assault? How can it be prevented?

Idea #2: Create a campaign that raises awareness of an issue of their choice (e.g. #metoo). This will require research on statistics and data.

Idea #3: At the end of the sexual assault discussion, I would have students write down an instance they were sexually harassed/assaulted or have had suicidal thoughts. This will be 100% anonymous. All students have to turn in their experience, someone they know’s experience, or if they have none at all, something random (so everyone turns a piece of paper in and everyone remains anonymous) as an exit ticket into a box. I will let students know that if they don’t want me to share what they wrote to say so on the paper, otherwise I will read some of the papers allowed to help students understand how often these thoughts/instances happen and that it happens right in their own school.

Obstacles to overcome with the text:

Due to the sensitive and explicit content expressed within the book, I’m sure some parents will be concerned with the choice. I also fear it may provoke intense emotional responses from students, especially those that have dealt with depression, suicidal thoughts, or sexual assault. I also fear that some kids will take this as an invitation to end their lives. I don’t want them thinking this book is giving them the okay. For these reasons, I can see administration being concerned with the book choice as well.

Other important information:

It’s important to note the controversy that has occurred due to the book and the making of the movie. Many in the paralyzed community felt as though this story was saying that there is no value in the lives of those who are disabled and that the significant others of these people are better off without them. Also, the movie uses an able-bodied actor instead of one who actually needs a wheelchair and many are unhappy about that.