Zeroboxer
Written by Fonda Lee

Publisher’s Summary:
A rising star in the weightless combat sport of zeroboxing, Carr “the Raptor” Luka dreams of winning the championship title. Recognizing his talent, the Zero Gravity Fighting Association assigns Risha, an ambitious and beautiful Martian colonist, to be his brandhelm–a personal marketing strategist. It isn’t long before she’s made Carr into a popular celebrity and stolen his heart along the way. As his fame grows, Carr becomes an inspirational hero on Earth, a once-great planet that’s fallen into the shadow of its more prosperous colonies. But when Carr discovers a far-reaching criminal scheme, he becomes the keeper of a devastating secret. Not only will his choices put everything he cares about in jeopardy, but they may also spill the violence from the sports arena into the solar system.

Primary Source Pairing:
In this intergalactic sci-fi adventure, Carr is so good at zeroboxing, he is quite literally out of this world. This book takes what we know about boxing and martial arts fighting and adds a zero gravity twist. For this primary source pairing, invite students to study a fight poster advertising the New Year’s Day fight found on Fonda Lee’s Tumblr page. Additionally, encourage students to watch a YouTube video interviewing martial arts experts (embedded below) on the logistics and strategies of the possibilities of fighting in zero gravity.

Alternatively, to analyze this book though a science lens, invite students to find information about gene therapy and genetically altered DNA. Let this book begin the discussion on the medical ethics associated with this type of science. Did this book promote genetically altered DNA or create an argument against it?

Questions for Discussion:

• Describe what you see.
• What do you notice first?
• What people and objects are shown?
• How are they arranged?
• What is the physical setting?
• What’s happening in the image?
• How does this poster connect to what you read in Zeroboxer?
• If you were to create a poster advertising the fight between Luka and Manon, what information and design elements would you include?

Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
Fight Poster: fondalee.tumblr.com/