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tanirochelle's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
4.0
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
It often seems that we are afflicted with an epidemic of sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity in our public life these days, but Allen Eskens reminds us that this is not a recent development. The ignorance/stupidity movement has deep roots in our society.
He takes us back to 1976, to the little town of Jessup, Missouri and shows us life there through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Boady Sanden. Boady is a freshman in high school and has been enrolled by his mother in St. Ignatius High School, the local private Catholic school. He left behind all of his friends in the public school he had attended and he is an outcast in the new school. He is either ignored or bullied by the St. Ignatius kids.
Boady lives with his widowed mother (his father died in an accident when he was five years old) who works as bookkeeper for a drywall hanging company. They live next door to a mysterious man named Hoke who moved in about ten years before. Even living next door to him for ten years they know little about his history but he is a kind and intelligent man who serves as a kind of surrogate father to Boady, teaching him skills that he needs in life and also gently guiding him on an ethical path.
Boady and his mother and Hoke are all white and the community where they live is rife with racial hatred against black people. Jessup even has its own group of wannabe Ku Klux Klanners called CORPS (Crusaders of Racial Purity and Strength). When an African-American woman named Lida Poe who was the bookkeeper for the area's biggest employer disappears along with about one hundred and eighty thousand dollars of the company's money, the stage is set for conflict and suspicion. Moreover, when the Minneapolis headquarters of the company sends an African-American manager to sort things out at the Jessup factory, the CORPS faction is outraged.
The new manager moves with his family to Jessup and into a newly renovated Victorian house just next door to Boady and Hoke. It turns out that the family consists of parents and a son just Boady's age and, although the two boys get off to a shaky start, they soon bond as friends and become inseparable, sharing adventures in the woods adjacent to their homes. Their relationship had a To Kill a Mockingbird vibe for me with Hoke as a stand-in for Atticus Finch. (We finally learn that Hoke was a defense attorney in his previous life.)
On one of their adventures in the woods, the boys make the gruesome discovery of a body buried under a log. Lida Poe had not left town with embezzled money after all.
The story then becomes a murder mystery, which the local sheriff, an ambiguous character - is he a good guy or a bad guy? - seems not too eager to investigate. The reasons for that may have something to do with the fact that he is related to some of the CORPS members.
This is essentially a coming of age story with very relatable characters as the protagonists. It is well-written with the plot and the motives for certain characters' actions revealed slowly over time. The plot is constructed in such a way to keep the reader's interest and to keep those pages turning. It was a pleasurable reading experience. I had not read any of Allen Eskens' books before, but the man can write. My only complaint is that the plot did seem a bit derivative, but it tells an important story and reminds us of the truth of that quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.
It often seems that we are afflicted with an epidemic of sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity in our public life these days, but Allen Eskens reminds us that this is not a recent development. The ignorance/stupidity movement has deep roots in our society.
He takes us back to 1976, to the little town of Jessup, Missouri and shows us life there through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Boady Sanden. Boady is a freshman in high school and has been enrolled by his mother in St. Ignatius High School, the local private Catholic school. He left behind all of his friends in the public school he had attended and he is an outcast in the new school. He is either ignored or bullied by the St. Ignatius kids.
Boady lives with his widowed mother (his father died in an accident when he was five years old) who works as bookkeeper for a drywall hanging company. They live next door to a mysterious man named Hoke who moved in about ten years before. Even living next door to him for ten years they know little about his history but he is a kind and intelligent man who serves as a kind of surrogate father to Boady, teaching him skills that he needs in life and also gently guiding him on an ethical path.
Boady and his mother and Hoke are all white and the community where they live is rife with racial hatred against black people. Jessup even has its own group of wannabe Ku Klux Klanners called CORPS (Crusaders of Racial Purity and Strength). When an African-American woman named Lida Poe who was the bookkeeper for the area's biggest employer disappears along with about one hundred and eighty thousand dollars of the company's money, the stage is set for conflict and suspicion. Moreover, when the Minneapolis headquarters of the company sends an African-American manager to sort things out at the Jessup factory, the CORPS faction is outraged.
The new manager moves with his family to Jessup and into a newly renovated Victorian house just next door to Boady and Hoke. It turns out that the family consists of parents and a son just Boady's age and, although the two boys get off to a shaky start, they soon bond as friends and become inseparable, sharing adventures in the woods adjacent to their homes. Their relationship had a To Kill a Mockingbird vibe for me with Hoke as a stand-in for Atticus Finch. (We finally learn that Hoke was a defense attorney in his previous life.)
On one of their adventures in the woods, the boys make the gruesome discovery of a body buried under a log. Lida Poe had not left town with embezzled money after all.
The story then becomes a murder mystery, which the local sheriff, an ambiguous character - is he a good guy or a bad guy? - seems not too eager to investigate. The reasons for that may have something to do with the fact that he is related to some of the CORPS members.
This is essentially a coming of age story with very relatable characters as the protagonists. It is well-written with the plot and the motives for certain characters' actions revealed slowly over time. The plot is constructed in such a way to keep the reader's interest and to keep those pages turning. It was a pleasurable reading experience. I had not read any of Allen Eskens' books before, but the man can write. My only complaint is that the plot did seem a bit derivative, but it tells an important story and reminds us of the truth of that quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.
tpanik's review against another edition
5.0
This is A Separate Peace (Knowles) meets To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee). Suffused with honesty, and brimming with Esken's understated prose, Chapter 36 may be one of the most thoughtfully crafted chapters present in modern fiction. This is a book to talk about, and share.
meghanboyer's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Loved this. So beautifully written. Complicated and hard story to tell with so many facets. Bawled my eyes out honestly.
christygoldsmith's review against another edition
4.0
I loved trying to figure out where the fictional Missouri town of Jessup was located. In reality, it could be any little town in central Missouri in the 1970s, and that’s what made this book so powerful. It’s a page turner with a lightly veiled moral. There were times when I wished the author had left more unsaid—had left more of the implications lingering—but it was an excellent read regardless.
theaudioauditor's review against another edition
3.0
Audio book review.
Small town boy makes a friend from next door and discovers how awful and racist some of his neighbors are. This feels like bits of Stephen King's IT with characters like Bill Denborough, Mike Hanlon, Henry Bowers, and Butch Bowers. This author doesn't take it to the extreme that King does, but it feels familiar enough that I was drawn in and needed to keep reading. I appreciate the atmosphere, the family dynamics, the characters and their motivations. I like that they are painted in a way that is just casual and friendly, this is how it is meant to be, and the antagonists are truly causing trouble for no reason outside of their own selfish jealousy and hatred. Would recommend, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.
Small town boy makes a friend from next door and discovers how awful and racist some of his neighbors are. This feels like bits of Stephen King's IT with characters like Bill Denborough, Mike Hanlon, Henry Bowers, and Butch Bowers. This author doesn't take it to the extreme that King does, but it feels familiar enough that I was drawn in and needed to keep reading. I appreciate the atmosphere, the family dynamics, the characters and their motivations. I like that they are painted in a way that is just casual and friendly, this is how it is meant to be, and the antagonists are truly causing trouble for no reason outside of their own selfish jealousy and hatred. Would recommend, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.
bjanuscheitis's review against another edition
4.0
I've liked all of Allen Esken's books with the exception of "The Guise of Another" . This book is a quick read with an ending that had me reaching for the kleenex.
kelsomimi's review against another edition
5.0
This was so many things. Told from the point of view of 15 year old Boady whose perception of life changes when 15 year old Thomas moves in across the road. Getting to know Thomas's family, who is black opens his eyes to the world he has taken for granted. A widowed Mother, and a secretive neighbor next door who takes the place of his Father, he also learns that people in your life are sometimes more than what they seem.
karenika's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic literary mystery that is about a small-town where a black woman goes missing and a bunch of money is embezzled at the local plant. Boady, a fifteen year old boy living with his single mom, starts befriending the son of the new black family that moves into the neighborhood. The book tackles issues around being in a small town, racism, and what it means to grow up in a town like that. The mystery is there but this book is so much more than that. Fantastic read.
tbretc's review against another edition
4.0
A part of my reading intention for 2020 includes balancing reading and vetting “hyped” books to see if they’re worth adding to your TBR list with reading underrated books that just jump out to me.
I’m so happy to have switched to reading more under the radar books, because it led me to discover Allen Eskens! NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS is pat coming of age, part mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s about a young boy, Boady, and his life in small town Missouri. There are a lot of racist people in the town and things come to a head when an affluent African American family is sent to the area to take over the town’s biggest employer. Boady and his mom become close to the new family, which turns out to be way more dangerous than any of them had expected. I absolutely loved Eskens’s writing and connected to the characters. His world building was superb - it felt cloying and dangerous and made me uncomfortable- but that’s the point. The author has several other books but this is the first I’ve read of his. Apparently Boady reappears as an adult in some of his other novels and I’d definitely check back to see how he’s doing! Recommend. 4.5
I’m so happy to have switched to reading more under the radar books, because it led me to discover Allen Eskens! NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS is pat coming of age, part mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s about a young boy, Boady, and his life in small town Missouri. There are a lot of racist people in the town and things come to a head when an affluent African American family is sent to the area to take over the town’s biggest employer. Boady and his mom become close to the new family, which turns out to be way more dangerous than any of them had expected. I absolutely loved Eskens’s writing and connected to the characters. His world building was superb - it felt cloying and dangerous and made me uncomfortable- but that’s the point. The author has several other books but this is the first I’ve read of his. Apparently Boady reappears as an adult in some of his other novels and I’d definitely check back to see how he’s doing! Recommend. 4.5