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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War
The United States is divided and at war within once again, only this time over the use of fossil fuels. The South (Reds) want to continue to use them and the North (Blues) have outlawed their use. That’s the short synopsis of the story. The longer one is a little bit harder to describe. The world has changed mightily. The United States is no longer a super power and barely a democracy but the Middle East is now both. Washington D.C is a real swamp once again and the federal government is now located in Columbus, Ohio. And South Carolina has done gone and seceded again along with Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. Texas is now a part of the Mexican Protectorate. Our protagonist, Sarat Chestnut is forced out of a Louisiana now surrounded by the Mississippi Sea, along with her family to a refugee camp bordering Tennessee. While there, she is quickly radicalized by a Northern southern sympathizer and becomes a terrorist in her own right.
I wanted to very much like this book, especially as it touches on much of the division we are currently dealing with in this country. But in the end, I found Sarat to be a pretty unlikable character and the story line a bit to implausible even for dystopian fiction. Though it is briefly mentioned that Sarat is probably a mix of Latino and African American, race barely makes a mention in the story, which seems odd being many of the characters are “proudly southern.” Also, the states that seceded because they want to use fossil fuels seems an odd choice since fossil fuels (oil) play a much bigger role in the economies of Texas and Louisiana, which are barely mentioned. The same can be said of the coal states of Kentucky and West Virginia.
To sum it up, an interesting at times novel about what could happen if U.S. society turns on itself. It would appeal to lovers of dystopian fiction and would probably scare the bejesus out of someone who spends too much time reading the Washington Post and Politico.
I wanted to very much like this book, especially as it touches on much of the division we are currently dealing with in this country. But in the end, I found Sarat to be a pretty unlikable character and the story line a bit to implausible even for dystopian fiction. Though it is briefly mentioned that Sarat is probably a mix of Latino and African American, race barely makes a mention in the story, which seems odd being many of the characters are “proudly southern.” Also, the states that seceded because they want to use fossil fuels seems an odd choice since fossil fuels (oil) play a much bigger role in the economies of Texas and Louisiana, which are barely mentioned. The same can be said of the coal states of Kentucky and West Virginia.
To sum it up, an interesting at times novel about what could happen if U.S. society turns on itself. It would appeal to lovers of dystopian fiction and would probably scare the bejesus out of someone who spends too much time reading the Washington Post and Politico.
Omg I finished it! Writing was good and the idea and concept were great! However, I was bored.... how do you write something where things are happening yet nothing is happening?!
Forced myself to finish and it got easier towards the end.
Forced myself to finish and it got easier towards the end.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
This is another novel I expected to love a lot and give a five star but it didn't happen. I think my reading came close to Days Without End which had a similar war theme. Strangely Days Without End was a historical novel and many times I felt it was a Dystopian story. American War, on the other hand, is a Dystopian novel set in 2075 and most of the time I felt like it was a historical novel that was set in the times of American Civil war.
The story is action-packed and gets very intense at times. The characters were well defined. But there was something that really did not get me too deep inside this book. Honestly, I can't put my finger on it. I might need to reread this book again after few years to see how I like it then.
This is another novel I expected to love a lot and give a five star but it didn't happen. I think my reading came close to Days Without End which had a similar war theme. Strangely Days Without End was a historical novel and many times I felt it was a Dystopian story. American War, on the other hand, is a Dystopian novel set in 2075 and most of the time I felt like it was a historical novel that was set in the times of American Civil war.
The story is action-packed and gets very intense at times. The characters were well defined. But there was something that really did not get me too deep inside this book. Honestly, I can't put my finger on it. I might need to reread this book again after few years to see how I like it then.
I listened to this on audiobook, but it was fantastic and would make an excellent read. It's a sweeping tale of America's second Civil War, which erupts toward the end of the twenty-first century. The book reads so smoothly weaving between the forms of novel and that of a history book. American War is one of my favorite books so far this year. Highly recommended.
More like 3.5 stars -- a book I would call important. The conflicts made it feel prophetic at times but the characters were (purposely) flawed and often unsympathetic to the point of evil, which made it hard to love the book. It spoke a great deal of truth about our world, though, and I feel I have a better understanding of extremism as a result of reading this.
I really wanted to like this book more, but it felt like it was missing something. I honestly don't think it was trying to hard to make a political point, nor do I really think it's main focus was on American political differences. The presence of some pretty devastating effects from climate change and a second Civil War definitely make it seem like this book is political; however, the book itself focuses almost solely on the life of Sarat. The book seems to be more accurately addressed as an examination of the destruction of a human. The book follows Sarat's experiences and basically looks at how trauma, cruelty (either active cruelty or the passive cruelty of turning a blind eye), and a lack of belonging can turn a person into something different. It was strange that race played no role in this book. Somehow America became a completely colorblind society in the space of about 40-50 years, while simultaneously tearing itself apart over fossil fuels. I constantly forgot that Sarat was not white because not one single person in the FSS commented on it, which was jarring.
I'm sure some people will be offended at how southerners are depicted in this book. They do seem to conform to a stereotype concerning the culture of honor and the secession and violence caused by a refusal to stop using fossil fuels after Florida and chunks of the east and Gulf coasts have disappeared make the southerners seem either dumb or suicidally stubborn. While I agree that this kind of looks like a caricature, it's hard to dismiss the idea that this might happen based solely on the response of citizens in the current MAG states. They are experiencing detrimental impacts of climate change now and continue to support individuals who actively seek to make the problem worse. The same can be said about the economies and immigration in those states. It is very possible that ideological concerns may trump the long term survival concerns of a group of people, especially once propaganda gets involved.
The reason this book only received 3 stars is because I feel like much of Sarat's life was glossed over. If the purpose of the book was to look at the ruination of a life, then skipping large chunks seems to undermine that goal. If looking at the potential ruination of a country was the focus, then relying solely on the life of Sarat seems myopic. In addition to both of these, the book was also a bit slow moving a dull at times. It wasn't bad, but I think other books have dealt with the concepts here in a more interesting or thought-provoking manner.
I'm sure some people will be offended at how southerners are depicted in this book. They do seem to conform to a stereotype concerning the culture of honor and the secession and violence caused by a refusal to stop using fossil fuels after Florida and chunks of the east and Gulf coasts have disappeared make the southerners seem either dumb or suicidally stubborn. While I agree that this kind of looks like a caricature, it's hard to dismiss the idea that this might happen based solely on the response of citizens in the current MAG states. They are experiencing detrimental impacts of climate change now and continue to support individuals who actively seek to make the problem worse. The same can be said about the economies and immigration in those states. It is very possible that ideological concerns may trump the long term survival concerns of a group of people, especially once propaganda gets involved.
The reason this book only received 3 stars is because I feel like much of Sarat's life was glossed over. If the purpose of the book was to look at the ruination of a life, then skipping large chunks seems to undermine that goal. If looking at the potential ruination of a country was the focus, then relying solely on the life of Sarat seems myopic. In addition to both of these, the book was also a bit slow moving a dull at times. It wasn't bad, but I think other books have dealt with the concepts here in a more interesting or thought-provoking manner.
So many feels, I just don’t know what the feels are!
**review to follow**
**review to follow**
This is a horror story! Things go from bad to worse and just when you think things are turning around everything goes to hell.
It was a slow start, and a little hard to get into at first. This is mostly due to the format, which is part fiction part faux-history. The story chapters alternate with "historical" documents which can be a little jarring. Plus there is a lot of information to get out to fully understand the horrific state of America.
Overall this book presents a very dark future that is all the more frightening because it seems so possible. Sarat, is a fascinating protagonist, flawed and broken, relatable but alien. A fantastic read, if you have the stomach for it.
It was a slow start, and a little hard to get into at first. This is mostly due to the format, which is part fiction part faux-history. The story chapters alternate with "historical" documents which can be a little jarring. Plus there is a lot of information to get out to fully understand the horrific state of America.
Overall this book presents a very dark future that is all the more frightening because it seems so possible. Sarat, is a fascinating protagonist, flawed and broken, relatable but alien. A fantastic read, if you have the stomach for it.
The premise of this book is brilliant. The maps at the beginning are, too. But half-way through the book I still didn't care a bit about any of the characters. I didn't finish this one.