Bird Box author Josh Malerman visited West Bloomfield High School (WBHS) on April 28, 2015 to share facts about his life and the success of his book. The WBHS alumni came to the high school for the first time since his graduation and read a section of his book to the Book Club. Malerman gave all the listeners black blindfolds so they could use their imagination while he and his partner read the roles of the narrator and the protagonist, Malorie. The iCenter hosted the event and brought in fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, and even a realistic bird box.

This book is about a woman named Malorie and her two children who live in an abandoned home. When they turn four, she decides that it is time for them to flee to somewhere safe. On their journey, Malorie is blindfolded and must rely on the eyes and wits of her children. They are followed but it is unclear as to who (or what) is following them. The trip takes her back to the past where she meets the people who have once saved her. A group of people stick together to protect themselves from this unseen terror and danger. But when things go downhill, they must ask the question of who can really be trusted.

At the end of the book tour, Malerman did a question and answer session in which much of the thinking behind his book writing process was revealed. WBHS teacher Mark Smith described his favorite part about the event as, “hearing the author read the story out loud. Also, being blindfolded was an awesome experience and was a great way to put yourself in the character’s positions. It was a really interesting strategy he used and it was also a lot of fun to listen to the assistant read through the book.” Smith then shared, “the event added to how much I enjoyed the book. There was an interesting part of the book where you didn’t know if the creature was actually there or something that was more mental so it was interesting to see different points of view on that to see if people thought it was actually there or more of a psychological thing. Overall, it was cool to see different perspectives of people who read it.”

Thank you to Mr. Palizzi and the iCenter staff for helping put on the event and also a large thanks to Josh Malerman for the awesome visit!