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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Brutal and amazing. Sarat's story will stay with me.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set 50 years in the future, Omar El Akkad, a former journalist turned novelist who now calls Portland, OR home, delivers a story of a fearless and fierce young woman living in divided red and blue America that at times feels a bit to current for comfort.
After signs of war close to home, home being the “purple” Louisiana coastal region, Sarat and her remaining family, not true members of the Free Southern States, count themselves lucky to make a home in Camp Patience, a refugee camp.
Sarat grows up in this tent city, surrounded by guard towers and the ever present threat of the “blues,” and she is never one to shy away from taking a risk. Her boldness is soon recognized by a charismatic man and under his tutelage Sarat grows into a warrior.
In this civil war dividing lines are blurry and choosing a side is not always a choice. It is hard to understand all the forces at play when so much energy is expended on mere survival.
This is a compelling novel, at times it is hard to read but it is also hard to put down.
After signs of war close to home, home being the “purple” Louisiana coastal region, Sarat and her remaining family, not true members of the Free Southern States, count themselves lucky to make a home in Camp Patience, a refugee camp.
Sarat grows up in this tent city, surrounded by guard towers and the ever present threat of the “blues,” and she is never one to shy away from taking a risk. Her boldness is soon recognized by a charismatic man and under his tutelage Sarat grows into a warrior.
In this civil war dividing lines are blurry and choosing a side is not always a choice. It is hard to understand all the forces at play when so much energy is expended on mere survival.
“Come now,” said Yousef. “Everyone fights an American war.”
This is a compelling novel, at times it is hard to read but it is also hard to put down.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m still not sure how I feel about this - it’s a story of resilience, and in parts of hope, and of principles driving heinous outcomes.
And it’s way too close to real life in real places in the real world right now.
It’s an uncomfortable read, but I’m glad I read it.
And it’s way too close to real life in real places in the real world right now.
It’s an uncomfortable read, but I’m glad I read it.
This is one of those books that is important, but not enjoyable. It's too dark, too painful, too real. American War is about a fictional but entirely plausible future American civil war that begins in the year 2074; this time the South secedes over the prohibition of fossil fuels rather than over the emancipation of slaves. Sarat Chestnut is only six years old when her father dies and her mother moves Sarat and her siblings to a refugee camp that becomes their home for the next several years. Sarat is a tomboy with a strong will and a sharp mind. When a mysterious and fascinating stranger arrives at the camp and feeds her thirsty mind with politics, history, science, and more, Sarat finds her perspective, and her loyalties, shifting. As she grows into a young woman, Sarat in her grief and anger throws herself into the war...but is her revenge worth the consequences?
Having been born and raised in the South myself, many of the characters' sentiments (however misplaced) are familiar to me. The author really hit the Southern feelings of resentment and injustice right on the head. Fossil fuels have become the modern resource of the Southern economy, and it feels like Southern spite over a future prohibition of fossil fuels could easily ignite the underlying flame of Southern anger. The book is more than a commentary on the tension between the American north and south, however. It's an example of the insidious creep of radicalism; how consistent, subtle messaging can bend a willful mind to follow a cause blindly and indefinitely. It shows how there can be cracks and infighting even within a "unified" front in a war. The story demonstrates how war, particularly civil war, tears families and minds and souls apart. It examines the horrors and the fallacies of the use of torture to extract tactical information. The book was vividly and thoroughly written, but the characters are too broken and their pain is too raw to be relatable or likable. This would be a great choice for a book club discussion, but otherwise I'm glad the book is behind me.
Having been born and raised in the South myself, many of the characters' sentiments (however misplaced) are familiar to me. The author really hit the Southern feelings of resentment and injustice right on the head. Fossil fuels have become the modern resource of the Southern economy, and it feels like Southern spite over a future prohibition of fossil fuels could easily ignite the underlying flame of Southern anger. The book is more than a commentary on the tension between the American north and south, however. It's an example of the insidious creep of radicalism; how consistent, subtle messaging can bend a willful mind to follow a cause blindly and indefinitely. It shows how there can be cracks and infighting even within a "unified" front in a war. The story demonstrates how war, particularly civil war, tears families and minds and souls apart. It examines the horrors and the fallacies of the use of torture to extract tactical information. The book was vividly and thoroughly written, but the characters are too broken and their pain is too raw to be relatable or likable. This would be a great choice for a book club discussion, but otherwise I'm glad the book is behind me.
By imagining a future civil war in which America fractures along similar lines as the original one, only without the emotional weight of slavery, this story allows a fresh perspective on our divisions in our country, even though it isn’t entirely clear the true issues of this war are. At the same time, the language (“insurgents”) and distance weaponry recall our real conflicts in the Middle East. By having an American character face the tactics we employ, this book allows for a more poignant understanding.
I’m glad I read it, but I’m going to have to find a light-hearted comedy to cleanse the palate. This book was bleak and I found the main character hard to sympathize with, which only made it harder.
I’m glad I read it, but I’m going to have to find a light-hearted comedy to cleanse the palate. This book was bleak and I found the main character hard to sympathize with, which only made it harder.
Such a riveting and troubling story about a possible near future for Americans.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes