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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I admire the idea of writing a book for youths about how ordinary people can be drawn into fascism, but the author seems determined not to write anything bold or dramatic in the delivery of his message, which hamstrings the themes and story. I understand this book is for young people, but there are plenty of other books about totalitarianism that are meant for young people to read, such as Milkweed, Animal Farm or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Those books had sense enough not to shy away from their dark themes while still aiming for a teenage audience. I really wanted this book to be good as I think there's an important lesson here--but the writing just kept kicking me in the teeth.
The characters are flat and cliched--it feels like the author hasn't been around teenagers since he was one himself--and it makes it hard to care when The Wave starts to grow. Giving more pages to Robert (the school outcast) would have been the best method of giving insight into the ways fascism can put its hooks into vulnerable people, but the book misses the chance. The dialogue is so bad it's sometimes unintentionally funny, and the delivery of the message is always done in expository, on-the-nose monologuing.
The Wave never really grows beyond the level of regular high-school drama, albeit with more participants. Unlike other true stories that illustrate similar themes (the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Strip Search Caller, etc), the Wave never 'goes there.' I feel that the author especially chickened out with the scene that involved Laurie near the end. His last chance to show the audience how dangerous The Wave has become is wasted.
Ultimately I find this to be an impotent attempt to explore important social commentary with young adults. I would encourage people to look into any of the books or historical incidents I mentioned above instead of reading this.
The characters are flat and cliched--it feels like the author hasn't been around teenagers since he was one himself--and it makes it hard to care when The Wave starts to grow. Giving more pages to Robert (the school outcast) would have been the best method of giving insight into the ways fascism can put its hooks into vulnerable people, but the book misses the chance. The dialogue is so bad it's sometimes unintentionally funny, and the delivery of the message is always done in expository, on-the-nose monologuing.
The Wave never really grows beyond the level of regular high-school drama, albeit with more participants. Unlike other true stories that illustrate similar themes (the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Strip Search Caller, etc), the Wave never 'goes there.' I feel that the author especially chickened out with the scene that involved Laurie near the end. His last chance to show the audience how dangerous The Wave has become is wasted.
Ultimately I find this to be an impotent attempt to explore important social commentary with young adults. I would encourage people to look into any of the books or historical incidents I mentioned above instead of reading this.
dark
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
En ganska typisk ungdomsbok för 1980-talet. Det finns såklart mer välskrivna böcker än denna, men ämnet är intressant, och det tog mig typ 2 timmar att läsa boken vilket jag inte hade gjort om den inte hade haft ett bra flöde. Jag har även sett de två filmversionerna som finns av boken.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes