Warcross — Chapter 1

About This Passage

This sentence is worth copying for how Marie Lu turns Emika's poverty into a single image — not a list of complaints, but a 'stream of numbers' running through her mind. Notice how 'anyone who's ever fallen on hard times' invites the reader to connect their own experience to Emika's, instead of asking the reader to feel sorry for her from the outside. The sentence is a little gift to readers who already understand, and a small explanation for readers who don't.

Narration Prompt

Retell the chapter, paying special attention to the moment Emika finally tracks her target to a café. What does this small triumph tell you about her — and about how she has been spending the last two days?

Discussion Questions

1. Emika is broke, behind on rent, in credit card debt, and almost out of food. But the chapter does not feel sad or hopeless. The opposite — Emika feels like a hero in motion. How does Marie Lu make poverty feel like an adventure instead of a tragedy? Identify three specific things she does to set the tone.
2. Look at how the chapter moves between two completely different worlds — the cold, broken-down street where Emika lives and the bright, glittering Times Square screens showing Warcross stars. Why does the author put these two worlds right next to each other in the same chapter? What does this contrast TELL US about Emika's life?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide