To countdown the release of The Future of Us (November 21st!), Carolyn Mackler and I will give away one autographed Advance Reader’s Copy every week. Along with the autographed copy (signed by both of us), we’ll toss in another goodie that's book-related.
For our ninth giveaway, the bonus item is a box of 28 wooden dominoes. Metaphorically, our book is very much domino-related. One character even mentions The Domino Theory while sitting in a pizza restaurant (but not Domino's Pizza, cuz that'd be taking the domino-thing too far). Do you remember the last time you set up a line of dominoes and then watched them all fall? Don't you think it's about time to do it again?
We'll randomly select one person who comments on this Future Friday post to receive both prizes. There’s no need to leave your email address, but do check back on Saturday to see if you’ve won.
This week, we want to take you time traveling. In our book, over one week, Josh and Emma glimpse their lives fifteen years in the future. But we want to know, rather than glimpse your future (which you've already told us about), if you could physically spend one week at any time in history, when and where would it be?
Here are our answers:
JAY:
In the mid-80s, a lot of bands I later worshiped in high school were relatively unknown, playing small clubs in L.A. I'd love to find one week packed with their shows and live out my teen fantasy of seeing them before they got big. But I'd feel so cheesy wasting a time travel opportunity on that. Instead, I'd travel to Philadelphia, beginning on July 2, 1776, and finishing on July 8 when the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud to the public, with bells ringing across the city all day.
CAROLYN:
I would say it's a toss up between a week with Laura Ingalls and her family on the prairie, the summer of 1969 (during the moon landing or Woodstock), and a week of myself in junior high. I would pull myself aside and tell myself who to ignore, what to actually care about, and - for the love of god - scrounge together your allowance and buy real estate in Manhattan!
I would like to travel 1950's and 1960's. All the books I have read and movies I have watched about these years have always made me curious. Korean war, some other conflicts and rock'n roll bands are very interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteP.S Every week you reveal a keyword and I get more curious. Dominoes, songs, breathmints, Tuck Everlasting novel,Archie comic and etc. How can they be together? Can't wait to read it. :)
I would spend time in the Victorian era in England. I don't like how few rights and privileges women had at that time but I still think it would be fascinating to experience this time for myself.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick a week at any point in history I'd have to pick the week of May 11 - May 16, 2008, but only if I could be transported back to the now at 12:01am May 16th. I'd pick this week because I would give almost anything to be able to spend those seven days with two of my best friends before they were killed by a drunk driver, instead of turning down their invitations because I wasn't feeling 100% that week.
ReplyDeleteI would love to spend a week in the late 60s. I think the clothes were amazing and the fight for civil rights would be interesting to see first hand.
ReplyDelete1969 at Woodstock! Anti-war, music is love. There was a mini series on NBC about 15 years ago staring Julia Stiles. It goes through the entire 60's decade and it was such an amazing story! It All ends in Woodstock. I think I would have enjoyed living back then...
ReplyDeleteI know I must be boring for saying this, but I would go back to 2000. I'd like to see everything again. So much has changed, and there was things that I could not comprehend. So instead of going back to a huge historical moment, I'd love to live again and see the things with another eyes.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe I could see how Stonehenge was built...
The 60's definitely . . . partly because of the music, but also to have been a part of the changes that happened then.
ReplyDeleteI would want to either be in the 1960s, preferably to be able to go to Woodstock, or I would want to go to Europe during the Renaissance. I've always loved the music of the 60s and the style of the Renaissance.
ReplyDeleteI'd kind of like to go back to any week in late 2002, when my daughter was a newborn. We don't plan on having any more kids, and I'm mostly OK with that, but when it's your first, you don't always take the time to just appreciate everything--you're too busy worrying. You know? So to be able to go back in time, with the knowledge I have now, would just be awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go as far as to the 1800's. I've always wondered how they spoke around the dinner table. In old movies, they are either very rich or very poor. But what was it like for the average families in the 1800's? What did everything look like? And for place I'd probably choose England. Even though I'm Norwegian, I think the Brits had come further with everything at the time. Not that I know, but it would be a great opportunity to find out, right!
ReplyDeleteI would go to either the 1960's so I could see Elvis Presley live and of course The Beatles! I also have to say that these years seems like an important part of history, so why wouldn't I want to go back there...
ReplyDeleteI would want to be in Berlin the day the wall came down. I visited Berlin for the first time in 2004 and continue to be enamored by the youthful vibrancy of that city despite its grim past. Whenever I see footage of the day the wall came down, it's always so inspiring to me that the power of the people made that wall came down.
ReplyDeleteI would like to go back to the late 90's for a week. Everything was so much simpler. People were not as tied up with work, TV, and drama as much as they are now. People respected themselves a bit more. Teenagers weren't attempting to dress as if they were going out to night clubs every day. Going to the movies was less than $5. and finding your true love wouldn't be as hard considering only 50% of the guys back then were manwhores unlike now when only about 8% of the guys are gentleman. I am having my teenage years in the wrong decade.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I would go back to October 20, 2011 and warn my St Louis Cardinals that it's going to be a rough 9th inning.
ReplyDeleteI would love to spend time in ancient Egypt, observing construction of the great pyramid of Giza. There are many similar ancient engineering marvels that captivate the imagination, but the sheer scale of this project considering what we know of ancient Egyptian technology is just mind boggling. I would love to learn how they were able to accomplish such a massive undertaking.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go back to week leading up to and including August 28th, 1963 so that I could see Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech. I have always been really interested in the civil rights movement and I think this speech is so beautiful. I get chills when I read it and I would have loved to have been able to see it in person. Plus it it also just happens that August 28th is my birthday so I would get to celebrate it by witnessing this amazing thing 27 years before I was even born.
ReplyDeleteIf I could go to any time and spend a week, I'd like to go meet my ancestors when they were living in the highlands of Scotland. I'd even wear a kilt and live simply among them for the experience it would give me, the perspective it would offer me.
ReplyDeleteI think it's good to think about things like this from time to time. It helps you appreciate the life you've been given, no matter where you're at in it.
Looking forward to reading The Future of Us! :D
My grandfather has gone through a lot of health issues in the last couple of years, and lately I've been thinking how much I would like to go back to the week my grandparents were married, sometime in the 1940's, to get to know them both when they were young. I'm curious what they were like then, what brought them together, and what the wedding must have been like with my grandpa's huge family (14 siblings), and the war going on. It's hard to get my grandma to talk about her younger self, so it would be illuminating to see her first-hand before she became a farmer's wife and a mother.
ReplyDeleteI have given this much thought over time. I would like to go back to 1869-1890...the Little House on the Prairie days. While the dust would have kicked my allergies into the future, I love the sense of community, the general store mentality of business, doing real work to see a result, the putting a line in the river and relaxing with a good friend, horses instead of cars, getting excited over a pane of glass to finally have a window looking out and the county fair where all you had to do with recognition was win 1st place for a great pie! I am the least domesticated person I know and think it would have been interesting to know me then. Of course, I would have been the school teacher!!! Out there ringing that bell as loud as possible!
ReplyDeleteFor my own personal growth, I'd like to go back to my undergraduate college years. There's always so much hindsight in thinking about one's own past, but these years were filled with so much hope and promise for me; I'd like to see all of that again with my 48 year old eyes.
ReplyDeleteOr...Tudor England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Just a week, right!
ps...enjoyed your talk in the Fort last night.
This is a tough one, but I think that I'd reall like to spend time in the 1970's at my parent's high school. I'll bet it would be amazing to see how their adolescent lives differed so much from mine.
ReplyDeleteThe Roaring 20s for sure. I think the days of Prohibition, flappers, and Speakeasies are fascinating and I'd love love love to see them first hand.
ReplyDeleteI'll go for the obvious (for me, anyway)--ancient Egypt! No wait, ancient Rome! No wait, ancient Greece! No wait...I'm looking forward to reading this book. What a great concept!
ReplyDeleteOkay this is a gard question ot narrow down to one asnwer so I am going to ignore that and give several answers. I would love to spend one week in any prtion of Medieval England which should be just about long enough to enjoy the period while stil getting home in time for a long bath and delousing. My second choice which is multi-multi part, would be to spend one week in just about any part of history surroundinf events of significance as long as In knew the outcome so I would be in the right spot athe right time to see it all go down.
ReplyDeleteQuite honestly, I wish I could go back in time to the week leading up to, including, and immediately after my wedding. That was just a really fantastic week :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandma tells me a lot of stories of what happened with her in the Second World War. In 1944 there was almost no food left in the city where she lived. So she walked for days to farmers who lived in the north of my country, begging for food. After finally receiving food she went back. But before she could get home there were soldiers who stole the food from her. After all those miles of walking she came home with no food for her children. This story is one of many she told me. And I would like to travel back to 1944 to help my grandma with walking all those miles. And somehow bring food home without soldiers stealing it. I have heard many stories about the war but I don't think I could ever understood how it must have been, living in a war. And that's why I would like to travel back to the winter of 1944, to finally understand what happened.
ReplyDelete(Ps. Sorry for my poor English, I'm Dutch;))
I think I would like to spend a week in the 1920s. The Roaring Twenties were such an exciting time; it would be so cool to experience a part of it.
ReplyDeleteItaly in 1864, for no particular reason apart from the fact that I love that era, and location!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really hard question for me. I thought of all kinds of places I would like to go, but none of them made any sense, even to me. So I would have to say I would go back to some time in the 1960s so that I could see The Beatles perform live. I don't know how I would be able to get tickets, but I think that would be cool.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of defining moments in history, and for me, the one I would like to go back to would be the week of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. I'd like to shadow Peter from Jesus' arrest to the crucifixion. I could find out what happened between Jesus' death and resurrection. I'd then be with Peter as he goes to the empty tomb and in the room where Jesus returned to his disciples. I can't think of anything that would top that for a time travel trip.
ReplyDeletePS...I am a senior English Ed major and I'm working on my first unit plan. I'm using "Thirteen Reasons Why" as a YA companion text with Hamlet. Looking forward to reading "The Future of Us". Thanks for the contest opportunity!
I would like to travel back in time to the week of October 1, 1961 to see Roger Marris' 61st homeroom. This is a memorable moment for any Yankee fan.
ReplyDeleteThis is by far the toughest Future Friday question, in my opinion. I liked how you spoke about the Domino Effect and I've given this answer a lot of thought. One day can change the world's entire future. One week can do the same but maybe to more of an extent. I'd like to spend my week where Jesus faced His execution on the cross and to his resurrection day. It'll be such an amazing trip! I can discover what had happened among the Disciples and what emotions were boiling amongst every person in the area at the time. It would be so interesting to see the beginnings of the Gospel being spread, and it would make reading the Bible all the more vibrant and interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to visit many times and places in the past. But the first thing that came to mind today is 1968, the year I was born. A lot of world-changing events happened that year - not just my birthday! - and I'd like to witness them.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm a bookseller in St. Paul and I just ordered copies of The Future of Us from our Penguin rep this week. Looking forward to it!
I would like to travel in the Victorian Era. I think the 19th century is a marvelous period ! I would travel the World and discover what the everyday life was at this time !
ReplyDeleteMy answer is remarkably similar to Carolyn's. I'd love to go back to junior high or even 5th grade or so and give myself some advice on how to follow my dreams without getting sidetracked by fear, insecurity, mean friends, etc. I'd also tell the younger version of myself to save up my allowance/babysitting money and buy some stock in starbucks, microsoft, and disney.
ReplyDeleteI know it's been said but I'd definitely go to the 60's. It just seemed like a great time with so much happening. Plus: great music and cars!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go back to August 28th-September 3th 2009. I would want to go back to this week to spend everyday with my cousin before she pasted away from cancer on September 4th.
ReplyDeleteHmm.. I would like to time travel back to the 1980's because I am too young to have been able to live in that era. It seems like life was so much different than it is today.. no facebook, no texting, no twitter! Also, my favorite show, Degrassi Junior High aired in the 80's. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I cannot wait to read The Future of Us.
~Yolande
candycane16@roadrunner.com
What a great question. I've been thinking about this for the last fifteen minutes and still can't narrow it down. Maybe a week eavesdropping in a paris cafe circa 1920.
ReplyDeleteI would travel to the day of my parent's wedding. I never got to see them happy and I would love to see a time when they were happy and in love with their future ahead of them.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read The Future of Us.
I would love to travel to the edo period in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI would go back to the 50s, it was an era of what I belive was the true days of the American Dream. Lifestyle was just simple and work has done by the people it seems like it was the golden years.
ReplyDeleteI would pick the summer of 1954, because it would make my current research for a novel a whole lot easier, and more authentic.
ReplyDeleteI would spend one week in ancient Egypt during Khufu's reign in the fourth dynasty. Not only would I love to see how the pyramids were built, but I also want to see some of their amazing art in person when it was new and at its best. Ancient Egyptian culture fascinates me.
ReplyDelete1969 - Woodstock. 3 Days of Peace & Music.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have enjoyed living in the 60s. Especially the late 60s. The clothes were amazing!
I would like to travel back to Shakespearean England. Especially with Anonymous coming out, I'd like to see if I could uncover the mystery of Shakespeare's identity! (;
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go to sometime in the 80's. I'll tell people about the future, then everyone will worship me! At least until I tell them everything up to 2011, then they'll probably be pretty bored with me.
ReplyDeleteI would like to travel back to the 80's because I fell that with my hair and life style I would fit right in. I also think it would be funny to see how my parents looked and acted back in the day.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love Carolyn's answer of spending a week with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved those books growing up and always wished I could live on the prairie.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I think I would like to re-live a week of my childhood in the summer. Maybe when I was 9 or 10 because I spent the summer days at my grandparents while my parents were at work. As an adult, I now realize how precious that time was and would appreciate it that much more. I miss those days of going to the market, swinging on their porch swing while reading a good book, and visiting libraries with my grandma.
I would love to go back to the 1920s. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway and I would chill in Paris, writing masterpieces and probably drink far too much.
ReplyDelete...perhaps I have delusions of grandeur. But I just wish there was a chapter in A Moveable Feast written about moi, okay?
I think I'd like to go somewhere in the 1800s. I wouldnt want to live there but I'd love to attend one of those parties. How fun would that be?
ReplyDeleteNot sure why my previous comment was deleted. I'll try one more time.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to spend a week in the late 1800's in NYC, being part of high society. Strolls in Central Park by day and coming out parties at night! Plus the fabulous dresses!
Dominolocious!
ReplyDeleteLife is a series of cascades.
Always nice to relive some of those again.
I have always thought the 60's would have been an amazing time to live. But I also wouldn't mind going bqck to sometime in the late 80's, when I was a kid. I had so much fun back in those days- spending my summers either riding my bike and having fun with my friends outside all day long or hanging out on the couch with a book. Those days were bliss. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, tough question! Every other time and place has it's issues--health, war, poverty, drought... I'd love to visit Shakespeare's England or Little House on the Prairie, but I can't think of a time or place I'd want to stay.
ReplyDeleteIf I could travel back and live a week in the past, I think I would want to go back to the week after JFK was assassinated. He was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. I believe that was on a Friday, but not 100%. I think it would have been an interesting time to see how the world reacted and the aftermath of the event. I am sure there are other weeks that might be interesting, but I believe the assassination of JFK was a pivotal point in the past that got us to where we are today.
ReplyDeleteIf I could spend a week in any time period, it'd be during World War II. I believe what Hitler did is horrific, but I always have loved learning about the Holocaust in History. I would like to have first hand experience on how life was back during the war for people all around the world. It would be an amazing experience, but would offer substantial evidence on what truely happened. I believe that World War II is a very important war in history, and still has effects on people around us today, making it the exact time I would love to travel to.
ReplyDeleteHmm... my week of choice would be the week Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Morbid? Yes. Fascinating? Equally.
ReplyDeleteI love the answer of Little House on the Prairie. Living in the midwest I'm actually kinda close to some of those locations.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm cut out for living in a different time period but I'd love to travel back to 1945-1950. My grandfather died in 1951 but I would like to travel back and see what kind of person he was and learn more about him.
I definitely would love a signed copy before hand
ReplyDeleteSappy as it maybe, I would like to go back to my childhood days on a cold snowy day. Spending time snowed in with family playing board games, putting together puzzles and eating comfort food. Memories that bring back smiles of those no longer with me.
ReplyDeleteNot to be too much of a downer, but I would choose the week before my brother died in 1994. I would love to spend the week with him and our friends, having fun, before our lives changed forever.
ReplyDeleteI would want to travel back to March 30, 2003. That was the day I found my sweet little squirrel, Earl, after he'd fallen out of a tree. He passed away on August 3, 2011 and I would love to get the chance to spend those 8 and a half years with him all over again.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Christmas of '75 so I could spend time with family members long gone.
ReplyDeleteI would ttavel back to when my parents were kids and I have 3 reasons why.One is I woild like to see how my parents grew up. Two I would like to meet my dad's older brother that passed away before i was born. The third reason is that I would like to meet my mom's mom that passed away when she was 12. the past would help me make sense of my present. Thats why I would go back nothing els would be worht while. (I'm not the worlds best speller so plese ignore it thank you.)
ReplyDelete