HUMANISM: Jo-Jo and The Fiendish Lot by Andrew Auseon

The Theory:

Humanism is a group of philosophies and ethical perspectives which emphasize the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers individual thought and evidence (rationalism, empiricism), over established doctrine or faith (fideism). The term humanism can be ambiguously diverse, and there has been a persistent confusion between several related uses of the term because different intellectual movements have identified with it over time. In philosophy and social science, humanism refers to a perspective that affirms some notion of a "human nature" (contrasted with anti-humanism). In modern times, many humanist movements have become strongly aligned with secularism, with the term Humanism often used as a byword for non-theistic beliefs about ideas such as meaning and purpose.

(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism)

The Story:

courtesy of: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61kS8cqUwZL.jpg

The novel tells the story of a Baltimore teen that has recently lost his girlfriend, who he believes is the only person gave his life any meaning. She was murdered, most likely because of her relationship with him. After wallowing for a period of time and realizing that he’s unable to recover from the tragedy, he decides to take his own life. Only when he’s on the verge of committing suicide he encounters a young woman who seemingly appears out of nowhere. She claims to be from the Afterlife, the land of the dead. She convinces him that Death is overrated.
Jo-Jo and the girl, Max, eventually cross over to the Afterlife and go on tour with her band, the Fiendish Lot, a famous act known for its perspective-altering concerts. As Jo-Jo searches for his deceased girlfriend among the crowds of lost souls, he begins to realize the flaws in his point of view, and wonders if perhaps he would live life differently if he had another shot at it.

(courtesy of: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/ljo-jo-and-the-fiendish-lotlemgin-60-seconds)


The Criticism:

JoJo Dyas is depressed and on the verge of suicide when he encounters a naked young woman, Max, that might just turn his beliefs around. The novel depicts a facet of human personality that seeks an easy escape from life when it gets too uncontrollable or too unbearable. Usually, these kinds of attempts are related to teenagers, mostly because they are the ones most likely to harbor angst against matters that they find offensive and constricting. Also, these attempts are mostly occurring in the form of suicide attempts which lead to much controversy. These circumstances can still be turned around, however, when a reason to proceed in life is presented, effectively stopping the attempt. But JoJo is depressed because his girlfriend died, and he sees no other option but to kill himself so they can be together in the afterlife. The woman, however, tells him that death is overrated, and THE Afterlife is not where he wishes to be. JoJo stops his attempt, only to die later on by an accidental gunshot and proceed to the Afterlife anyway. Even though, by the end of the novel, he realizes that the search for his girlfriend may not be worth it after all, he spends a fairly good portion of the novel wandering off here and there despite Max and her band, The Fiendish Lot’s attempt to dissuade him. This also tackles the humanistic nature of turning a deaf ear to disliked characters in favor of one’s selfish desires. Although the importance of finding his love is arguable, it can be agreed upon that the dangers of wandering around in an unfamiliar setting, the stuff of children’s nightmares and cautionary tales, is very evident and must be taken into account.