American Pragmatism

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

Plot

Maximum Ride is an unforgettable 14-year-old girl with a way-out-of-control, hilariously sarcastic attitude. But who can blame her with everything she has on her shoulders, including a pair of 13-foot wings?

Max spent the first part of her life locked in a cage, undergoing cruel tests and horrid experiments as evil scientists fused bird DNA onto her human genes. The results produced a super-human hybrid that can soar high into the clouds. Then, with the help of a sympathetic scientist named Jeb, Max and the other bird kids escaped the evil organization. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel all look to Max for leadership, protection, guidance and even a bit of affection; all of them miss not having real parents to love.

But ever since Jeb betrayed them, handing them back to the evil scientists, Max and the flock know they can’t trust anyone. This fact is reinforced by the supposedly friendly FBI agent who took them to her farm to live there; she turned out to be working with the bad guys, too. So now they are on the run again and trying to save the world, even though they still don’t know what that means. But, according to the mysterious voice that keeps offering vague advice in Max’s head, it is their destiny and their duty. 

In an attempt to pull off this incredible feat, Fang starts a blog. He believes that if he can inform as many of the world’s kids as possible, they could be a future source of help. Even though the number of visitors to his blog grows every day, Max doubts its worth and instead wants to focus on finding a safe place for them to hide. She and Fang leave the rest of the flock in a hidden cave while they search the surrounding area for possibilities. When they return, they discover that the four younger members are gone. The evil scientists have taken them!

Fang and Max track them down but end up being captured again as well; they didn't expect to encounter the new and improved Erasers. This year’s model of Erasers is comprised of mostly robot with an outer layer of skin --- and these soldiers are tougher than ever.

While in captivity the flock learns some scary stuff, yet they don’t know if they should believe any of it. One example is the By-Half Plan, where the bad guys are intending to cut the world’s population by 50%. And another is that Max’s old nemesis, the wolf hybrid named Ari, now seems to be on the flock’s side. Remarkably, Ari helps them escape, yet Fang refuses to trust him or even be in the same vicinity. So Fang decides to leave Max, and Iggy and the Gasman accompany him. Can any of them survive without the others? And how can a divided flock save the world?

Analysis

Saving the World and Other extreme sport is the third installation of James Patterson's novel Maximum Ride. This is a science fiction novel that deals with super-human hybrid that can soar high into the clouds. An experiment was made wherein scientists fused bird DNA onto her human genes. 

In pragmatism, it is centered in linking the practice and the theory, the only way to prove a theory is through the result of the practice. In the novel, the experiments on our main characters (Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, Angel and Max) is the practice wherein they are trying to prove a theory (which is making a super-human hybrid) But things didn't go well for them, Max and the others had enough so they have decided to fight against the evil scientist.