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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
"American War" tells the story of one Mississippi family, the Chestnuts, as they try to live through America's second civil war. Set in 2074, "American War" gives us a vision of a world disrupted by rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and rising incidents of severe storms. These disruptions, and America's reactions to them, give rise to an internal conflict bearing strong similarities both to our actual Civil War and to our "forever wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In fact, I suggest that Chestnuts' journey is actually an allegory for different aspects of life in contemporary war-torn nations. From life in a long-term refugee camp to recruitment into various militias or radicalized factions; from the constant threat of "death from above" to the character-twisting effects of long-term torture, isolation, and waterboarding, "American War" isn't just the story of a speculative American war against itself at some time in the future. "American War" is the story of the effects of "forever wars" all over the globe.
So, hey, thought-provoking stuff. Why only three stars? Because "American War" is so unrelentingly depressing that I forced myself to push through it. I read the paper every day: I already get all the depression I need. Still, if my description at all sparked your interest, I think you'll find "American War" to be worth your time.
In fact, I suggest that Chestnuts' journey is actually an allegory for different aspects of life in contemporary war-torn nations. From life in a long-term refugee camp to recruitment into various militias or radicalized factions; from the constant threat of "death from above" to the character-twisting effects of long-term torture, isolation, and waterboarding, "American War" isn't just the story of a speculative American war against itself at some time in the future. "American War" is the story of the effects of "forever wars" all over the globe.
So, hey, thought-provoking stuff. Why only three stars? Because "American War" is so unrelentingly depressing that I forced myself to push through it. I read the paper every day: I already get all the depression I need. Still, if my description at all sparked your interest, I think you'll find "American War" to be worth your time.
In the year 2074, another American Civil War has broken out. A massive plague has taken countless lives. Suicide bombers are killing and maiming. Sarat, a six year old when this takes place, is shaped by all the events. She is eventually approached by American War’s mystery man. He molds and shapes her into a product of her environment. The choices made shapes everything to come.
American War had a few lulls and some areas that were very predictable. It’s also a little bit unbelievable in parts. This slightly bothered me. One other point, for me, it is slightly edgier than YA title. This isn’t normally in my toolbox.
American War had a few lulls and some areas that were very predictable. It’s also a little bit unbelievable in parts. This slightly bothered me. One other point, for me, it is slightly edgier than YA title. This isn’t normally in my toolbox.
2,5 ster
Ik denk dat dit gewoon niet het soort boek voor mij is. Dit is een boek voor lezers die het niet erg vinden als ze eerst een heel levensverhaal moeten lezen voordat je snapt waar het boek nou eigenlijk om ging. Ik heb daar zelf nooit het geduld voor. Ik heb iets meer spanning en/of intrige nodig.
Dus ik heb echt niets tegen dit boek. Als ik het objectief bekijk, is dit echt een heel sterk boek. De schrijver heeft duidelijk heel veel kennis over het onderwerp en heeft echt zijn onderzoek gedaan.
Pluspunten:
- Hele mooie en meeslepende schrijfstijl
- Ik vond de paralellen met het heden heel krachtig, vooral als het ging over de manier waarop de oorlog werd gevoerd. Je kijkt naar idee van 'Alles mag tijdens de oorlog, want we moeten levens redden' vanuit het perspectief van het slachtoffer en dat vond ik zelf heel erg aangrijpend.
- Het toekomstbeeld van leven in een wereld met klimaatverandering vond ik ook heel sterk en realistisch, vooral hoe het zorgde voor een tweedeling.
- De geopolitieke setting was ook erg interessant. Hoe andere landen in de wereld de onrust in Amerika gebruikte als kans voor hun eigen ontwikkeling, want "Everyone fights in an American War" (p. 380).
Het ligt aan mij dat ik dit boek 2,5 ster geef, niet aan het boek.
Ik denk dat dit gewoon niet het soort boek voor mij is. Dit is een boek voor lezers die het niet erg vinden als ze eerst een heel levensverhaal moeten lezen voordat je snapt waar het boek nou eigenlijk om ging. Ik heb daar zelf nooit het geduld voor. Ik heb iets meer spanning en/of intrige nodig.
Dus ik heb echt niets tegen dit boek. Als ik het objectief bekijk, is dit echt een heel sterk boek. De schrijver heeft duidelijk heel veel kennis over het onderwerp en heeft echt zijn onderzoek gedaan.
Pluspunten:
- Hele mooie en meeslepende schrijfstijl
- Ik vond de paralellen met het heden heel krachtig, vooral als het ging over de manier waarop de oorlog werd gevoerd. Je kijkt naar idee van 'Alles mag tijdens de oorlog, want we moeten levens redden' vanuit het perspectief van het slachtoffer en dat vond ik zelf heel erg aangrijpend.
- Het toekomstbeeld van leven in een wereld met klimaatverandering vond ik ook heel sterk en realistisch, vooral hoe het zorgde voor een tweedeling.
- De geopolitieke setting was ook erg interessant. Hoe andere landen in de wereld de onrust in Amerika gebruikte als kans voor hun eigen ontwikkeling, want "Everyone fights in an American War" (p. 380).
Het ligt aan mij dat ik dit boek 2,5 ster geef, niet aan het boek.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Too much exposition for me, hitting a little too close to home to be fun, and the main character's interactions feel very NLOG.
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a tough read. The book is clearly good but it was also clearly written by a war reporter. I don't care much for war books and I already believe it will be possible that we reach a future where American's are refugees. I don't need to be shown the idea. I don't think I would recommend it to a friend, especially in this political climate.
challenging
dark
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not what I expected . The premise is a little far stretched with the environmental aspect and it’s too focused on the one family
slow-paced
How did this book get such good reviews, even at the time? A good futuristic book needs a grasp of two things: the arc of technological innovation and a keen understanding of how it will warp human institutions. This book has neither. Reading it in 2025, it is dated nonsense, way off the mark of where things were headed in 2018 let alone now. Poorly organized, poorly written, no plot hook. He's an academic at the end? Please. No idea why I wasted my time reading all of it.
Review at The Pluviophile Writer: http://bit.ly/2D8pV00
4/5 stars.
ebook, 320 pages.
Read from February 27, 2018 to March 6, 2018.
When I first started reading this novel, the fourth out of the five books for me off the Canada Reads 2018 shortlist, I let out a sigh of exasperation realizing it was yet another dystopian story which, is not generally my favourite genre. The reason being is that most of them are YA and have little literary quality. Granted, this is not true for all books in the genre, you just take a look at some of the stellar stories by Margaret Atwood. This book while not quite what I would call Atwood quality is still one of the better adult dystopian stories I have read.
Set in the future, the world is in an environmental crisis in which many coastlines and cities have been swallowed up by the rising tides. America is under siege as it's second civil war takes root. The South is unwilling to give up the fossil fuels that drive their economy and are tired of being pushed around and ignored by the Northern part of the country. The tension between the two sides erupts with violent consequences as this battle is one that will last a lifetime, especially for one family. Martina and Benjamin Chestnut and their three children Simon, Dana and Sarat live in Louisiana. The girls are fraternal twins but could not be more different. They are only six years old when the war begins. While not quite in the South, Martina decides to take her family to a refugee camp called Camp Patience after Benjamin dies and as bombs start to rain down near their home. It was a decision that she would come to regret. The refugee camp is no holiday and no place to raise children but they manage to get by for the next few years as a bloody battle rages on outside the camps barriers. The story follows Sarat, a feisty and brave young girl who ends up being influenced by the Rebels in the South and an influential man with certain resources and connections. Sarat begins learning skills to help her become a pawn in the game of war.
An unspeakable tragedy hits Camp Patience. The event is a turning point in which Sarat's persona hardens as well as her need for revenge against the people who have done her and her family wrong. Sarat spends her whole life fighting and suffering. It is all she knows. How deep will one betrayal afflict her and how will her choices affect the future outcome of her family as well as the whole country?
When I first started reading this novel I was trying to pinpoint exactly what purpose Sarat's story is serving. Is it that regardless of circumstances people are allowed to fight for their beliefs? Or is it about suffering or revenge? Then it hit me. Every single war strategy used in this book is one that America has used as tactics in war: drone strikes, refugee camps, terror cells, being provided with weapons by foreign governments, illegal detention facilities, torture etc. This book brings America's wars home and shows the gritty and not-so-politically correct tactics that are sometimes employed during war times. This book is meant to open your eyes to the realities of war and show that it is never as black and white as it seems, or how the media portrays it or how your liberal friend feels about it. War is suffering and nobody wins.
The ending of this tragedy only gets more tragic. I wished for nothing more than for Sarat to continue being the same person. But, well, I can't stay more without spoiling it! The author does an impeccable job of painting the pages in the blood of war and allowing the reader to feel apart of the plot as you follow the entire Chestnut family.
The emotional depth was a big win for me in this book but I also felt bogged down with a tangle of details, shifting perspectives and time changes. This clunky approach was a big let down as I felt like this story had the potential to be something extraordinary. I still really enjoyed the unique story and the exceptional characters but the execution was missing that organizational spark.
The author's career as a journalist sheds some light on how he can write about war so vividly. He is an award-winning journalist who has travelled the globe and has covered some of the biggest news stories on wars in our recent history.
At this point, as I have now read four out of the five shortlisted 2018 Canada Reads novels and I would say that this novel best meets the criteria of 'one book to open your eyes". With jaw-dropping moments of emotion to shocking realities of violence that are taking place in our world right now, you come to see Sarat a real and flawed person. A person that makes terrifying decisions that, within the acts of war, are neither right nor wrong but rather her justification to end her own suffering.
4/5 stars.
ebook, 320 pages.
Read from February 27, 2018 to March 6, 2018.
When I first started reading this novel, the fourth out of the five books for me off the Canada Reads 2018 shortlist, I let out a sigh of exasperation realizing it was yet another dystopian story which, is not generally my favourite genre. The reason being is that most of them are YA and have little literary quality. Granted, this is not true for all books in the genre, you just take a look at some of the stellar stories by Margaret Atwood. This book while not quite what I would call Atwood quality is still one of the better adult dystopian stories I have read.
Set in the future, the world is in an environmental crisis in which many coastlines and cities have been swallowed up by the rising tides. America is under siege as it's second civil war takes root. The South is unwilling to give up the fossil fuels that drive their economy and are tired of being pushed around and ignored by the Northern part of the country. The tension between the two sides erupts with violent consequences as this battle is one that will last a lifetime, especially for one family. Martina and Benjamin Chestnut and their three children Simon, Dana and Sarat live in Louisiana. The girls are fraternal twins but could not be more different. They are only six years old when the war begins. While not quite in the South, Martina decides to take her family to a refugee camp called Camp Patience after Benjamin dies and as bombs start to rain down near their home. It was a decision that she would come to regret. The refugee camp is no holiday and no place to raise children but they manage to get by for the next few years as a bloody battle rages on outside the camps barriers. The story follows Sarat, a feisty and brave young girl who ends up being influenced by the Rebels in the South and an influential man with certain resources and connections. Sarat begins learning skills to help her become a pawn in the game of war.
An unspeakable tragedy hits Camp Patience. The event is a turning point in which Sarat's persona hardens as well as her need for revenge against the people who have done her and her family wrong. Sarat spends her whole life fighting and suffering. It is all she knows. How deep will one betrayal afflict her and how will her choices affect the future outcome of her family as well as the whole country?
When I first started reading this novel I was trying to pinpoint exactly what purpose Sarat's story is serving. Is it that regardless of circumstances people are allowed to fight for their beliefs? Or is it about suffering or revenge? Then it hit me. Every single war strategy used in this book is one that America has used as tactics in war: drone strikes, refugee camps, terror cells, being provided with weapons by foreign governments, illegal detention facilities, torture etc. This book brings America's wars home and shows the gritty and not-so-politically correct tactics that are sometimes employed during war times. This book is meant to open your eyes to the realities of war and show that it is never as black and white as it seems, or how the media portrays it or how your liberal friend feels about it. War is suffering and nobody wins.
The ending of this tragedy only gets more tragic. I wished for nothing more than for Sarat to continue being the same person. But, well, I can't stay more without spoiling it! The author does an impeccable job of painting the pages in the blood of war and allowing the reader to feel apart of the plot as you follow the entire Chestnut family.
The emotional depth was a big win for me in this book but I also felt bogged down with a tangle of details, shifting perspectives and time changes. This clunky approach was a big let down as I felt like this story had the potential to be something extraordinary. I still really enjoyed the unique story and the exceptional characters but the execution was missing that organizational spark.
The author's career as a journalist sheds some light on how he can write about war so vividly. He is an award-winning journalist who has travelled the globe and has covered some of the biggest news stories on wars in our recent history.
At this point, as I have now read four out of the five shortlisted 2018 Canada Reads novels and I would say that this novel best meets the criteria of 'one book to open your eyes". With jaw-dropping moments of emotion to shocking realities of violence that are taking place in our world right now, you come to see Sarat a real and flawed person. A person that makes terrifying decisions that, within the acts of war, are neither right nor wrong but rather her justification to end her own suffering.